Eating a bowl of chili or playing a round of cornhole this Saturday could help a local charity fight childhood cancer.
Super Sam Foundation's sixth-annual Toss Out Cancer cornhole tournament and chili cook-off is this weekend, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Fulton Event Center, 1915 N. Bluff St. To register for either competition, visit bit.ly/2UFMHIV.
Registration for the chili cook-off is free, and as of Wednesday, three spots remained. Setup for the cook-off begins at 10 a.m., doors open to the public at 11 a.m. and tasting and judging runs 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. A panel of judges will award first and second prizes; there are also two "People's Choice" awards.
The cornhole tournament kicks off at noon. There are three divisions:
Ages 5-11; entry $20 per two-person team. Trophies for top three teams.
Ages 12-15; entry $20 per two-person team. Trophies for top three teams.
Adults; entry $40 per two-person team. Trophies for top three teams, plus cash prizes ($300 for first place, $150 for second and $50 for third).
The event will also feature a bake sale, raffle, concessions and child-friendly activities. Proceeds from the raffle will go to support three local children currently battling cancer.
Super Sam
Only 4 percent of federal research funding goes towards researching childhood cancers. Childhood cancer - there are 14 types and dozens of sub-types - is seen as uncommon and has been low on the federal priority list for many years. Super Sam Foundation co-founders Cassie and Matt Santhuff's son Sam was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of muscles connected to bone, in late August 2013. He was 5 years old.
Sam fought cancer for 13 months before passing away in September 2014 at age 6. During his fight, he and his family grew frustrated at the lack of federal funding for childhood cancer cures. Sam said again and again that he wanted to "help all the kids," his mom recounts.
Honoring his wishes, the Santhuff family founded the Super Sam Foundation. The foundation has a two-pronged mission: Support cancer patients and their families with "comfort packs," and fund research grants to make up for the deficit caused by insufficient federal funding.
"We'll be funding our first $100,000 research grant this year," Matt Santhuff said during a recent Fulton City Council meeting.
VFW
If you're still hankering for more chili after Saturday, you're in luck - the 83rd Helpers at the VFW have planned a chili and pie contest for March 7. Entries in each of three categories for both chili and pies are due by noon. The top three finishers in each category will receive prizes.