Press Release:
September 7, 2021 (Tampa, Florida)
Inaugural Angels for Change Swim2End Shortages Fundraiser Exceeds Goal
Angels for Change, a Tampa-based non-profit with the goal of ending life-saving drug shortages, held its first fundraiser on August 14, 2021. Called Swim2End Shortages, the event gathered supporters from Brandon, Valrico, Lithia, Bloomingdale, Riverview, and Tampa for a day of family fun. One attendee even drove all the way from where he was visiting his family in The Villages to support the event.
Although the goal was to raise the $8,000 in operating costs that had up until this point been funded by Angels for Change founder Laura Bray and her family, it also aimed to raise community awareness of the organization and its mission.
“There are patients fighting for their lives and doctors don’t have access to the medications needed to save them,” Bray told the supporters who gathered for the event. “When my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, I was told there was medicine out there to save her. I never imagined it wouldn’t be available.”
The event, sponsored by TYR and Watch-Me-Swim, asked participants to either create a swim team and collect donations, or attend as cheerleaders. Entire families registered, as well as adults from fitness group Camp Gladiator. The swimmers were divided by age group. A remote option was also available.
Winners in three different categories received a fabulous bag of swim gear from TYR. Jillian W. (11) won the in-person swim, Sammy M. (10) won the remote swim, and Camp Gladiator won the team swim.
After the official event families and other attendees were welcome to continue using the lanes or diving boards to keep the party going. DJ Angel from Sustache Entertainment provided a wonderful soundtrack for the entire morning.
Though founded in 2019, Swim2End was the organization’s first fundraiser because the Brays, like many families with a child fighting cancer, have been in isolation. Bray and her event committee chose this swim meet as their first event because the Brays are a swimming family, swimming is an outdoor event that allows for social distancing, and because it was important the first event be one the children could be part of.
Children are at the center of the Angels for Change mission, as drug shortages disproportionately effect pediatric oncology patients. Essential pediatric cancer treatments are 80% more likely to be unavailable because of shortage and to stay on shortage 50% longer than other essential medications.
When asked what Swim2End meant to him, 10-year-old attendee Johnny A. said, “It means we are helping raise money to help children get the drugs they need to save their lives.”
Angels for Change has been an advocate for pediatric cancer patients at risk of not getting life-saving drugs. In the last 15 months Angels for Change has helped more than 50 patients whose treatment was delayed because of drug shortages.
Patients and doctors who are having trouble accessing these drugs, or patients who have been put on hold or are missing doses, can contact Angels for Change at www.angelsforchange.org for support.
Angels for Change is a volunteer-run organization on a mission to drive change, through advocacy and awareness, of the life-saving drug shortage crisis. We are passionate about building support and awareness to create solutions that will provide equal drug access to patients in need. Our focus is to advocate on behalf of any patient in a drug shortage and build relationships with patients and members of the pharmaceutical supply chain to end all healthcare crises created by drug shortages.
Press Contacts:
Laura Bray, Angels for Change Chief Change Maker: LauraBray@AngelsforChange.org
Diane Masiello, Angels for Change Director of Communications: communications@angelsforchange.org
