Cicero-North Syracuse High School Senior Kevin Toms kicks off the 5th Annual CAN CRUSH CANCER event!

	CNS High School Senior Kevin Toms has announced that his annual bottle and can drive will take place on October 26-27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Griffin's Guardians Office parking lot at 8116 Brewerton Road in Cicero.  The local non-profit 501©3 Griffin’s Guardians was founded in 2014 by Erin and Adam Engle, the parents of Griffin Engle, who passed away at age 7 from a rare form of brain cancer. Griffin’s Guardians provides support and financial assistance to children battling cancer in over 17 counties in Central New York. They work hand in hand with Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital to stay up to date on what the patients’ and families’ current needs are. In addition, they strive to bring awareness to Pediatric Cancer and to provide for funding Pediatric Cancer Research.
The Cicero nonprofit, which supports local families who are affected by pediatric cancer and raises money for research, will use the proceeds to support Project 20. Through the Project 20 program, Griffin’s Guardians supports families by helping to pay medical bills that are not covered by their insurance, house bills, transportation costs, holiday support and car repairs to name a few. Griffin’s Guardians also provides laundry supplies for families being treated as inpatient and events for families through Grace’s Sibling Sunshine and EVERett’s Lasting Memory.
This is Toms fifth year raising money through his bottle & can drive for Griffin’s Guardians. Since its inception in 2020, as a way to help offset fundraising efforts during the pandemic, Kevin Toms has raised over $19,000 for Pediatric Cancer in Griffin’s name. Kevin and Griffin met in UPK and were both students at Cicero Elementary before Griffin was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Kevin’s mom Lori Lake Toms shares that “Kevin truly has a passion for helping kids and bringing awareness. The event and his volunteer work are how he deals with the pain”. In 2023, Kevin raised a total of $5,752.90 in bottle & cans bringing his overall total to $19,604.65. Because Kevin was so close to his fundraising goal of $20k before graduation, he has decided to increase his goal to $25k. The event will take place at the end of the month in the parking lot of Griffin’s Guardians. Their office is located at 8116 Brewerton Road Cicero, NY.
	You will find Kevin and his family members and good friends volunteering at the event. If you would like to donate in support of Kevin Tom’s Can Crush Cancer event but do not have bottles and cans, please go to https://www.griffinsguardians.org/can-crush-cancer.html to make a virtual donation. All donations will be entered into a drawing for a $250 VISA gift card.