Cardinals Training Camp with HopeKids 8/3 and The HopeWalk 9/26

Hi Everyone! We had an amazing opportunity to go to the Cardinals training camp this past Tuesday with Hopekids, and we had a blast! The weather was beautiful in Flagstaff, and it was nice to get away for the day. The Hopekids organization arranged for all of the kids to be able to meet the players after practice and even get autographs! Since our little Hopekid is too small to walk....Erik was able to go with Dylan and get to meet the players too! He was soooooo excited! Although Dylan may not be able to appreciate the experience now, he will definitely appreciate his signed jersey later :) Erik said that all of the players were really nice and that they each took time to talk with the kids. A few players even held Dylan and we were able to get some pictures! The pictures that we have on here are the ones from my camera, but we will have some more "official" ones posted later! Enjoy!

What is HopeKids?? I'm glad you asked....HopeKids provides ongoing events & activities and a powerful, unique support community for children with cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions. They surround these remarkable children and their families with the message that hope can be a powerful medicine. We have been blessed enough to attend numerous HopeKids events....and they are all free of charge to the families. They do everything from sporting events, to date nights for moms and dads, to movies and activities for the kids, to arranging for kids to meet with their hero's one on one. They provide an environment for families to come together with a common bond, and for kids to be able to be around other kids with the same life challenges. Dylan is now a HopeKid hero! When he is a little older, we hope to be able to go and visit other families that are in the hospital and encourage them with Dylan's story and smile. HopeKids really helped us specifically in the first few weeks when Dylan got diagnosed. The way the laws are now, nobody is allowed to contact you or talk to you unless you 'sign up' for their services...and we are so happy we checked the HopeKids' box. Bridget (from HopeKids) called me with the name of a family that had a young boy, almost the same age as Dylan when he got diagnosed. This was the first family that I had heard of with a child as young as Dylan. Little B's mom was able to encourage me and give me hope through their experience and give me an idea of what I could expect. We were surrounded by negative statistics and circumstances, so B's family was such a huge encouragement to us. God works in mysterious ways, and we are so thankful that He brought us to HopeKids! A big THANKS to HopeKids for all they do for families like ours and the Hope and encouragement they bring to the kiddos!

HopeKids is having a Hope Walk on Sunday, September 26th. We are going to be out of town that weekend and sadly will not be able to attend. BUT we still want to be a part of raising money for this amazing organization. If you would like to make a donation, please click on the following link http://www.firstgiving.com/michellepraskins . Our goal is to raise $1000. If you would like to participate in the walk, here is the information:

Location: The Plaza on Market Street at DC Ranch, 20645 North Pima Road Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Date: Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Registration: Starts at 7:30 AM
Time: The 5k HopeWalk begins at 8:30 AM
Fundraising goal: $65,000
All proceeds to benefit HopeKids and will help provide HOPE to children battling a life-threatening illness and their families.
Please join us for the 2010 HopeWalk around the beautiful community of DC Ranch in North Scottsdale. Last year, more than 500 people came to WALK FOR HOPE and supported HopeKids by raising over $55,000!!

FOR MORE INFO GO TO HOPEKIDS.ORG

Thank you for supporting us! Remember that no donation is too small :) Have a great week and I will post more pics later :) Love you guys!

Walking by faith,

The Praskins