Hello SHBHU Family!
Hope all is wonderful with you and your families and that you are looking forward to the summer! We are so thankful for all of your support over the past 13 years!
WE HAVE BIG NEWS!
I wanted to personally reach out to you all to make an official announcement about where our SHBHU focus will be specifically this summer. After much consideration, we have decided not to hold our annual Java Jive Jog 5k 10k this summer. The Ambassador leadership team, Small Handers and all of our Board Members have discussed and decided that we will pivot our hearts, time and attention to TWO specific areas over the summer. We are asking for all of you to help as well in any way you possibly can!
Together as a community, we will be working on acquiring more SHBHU YEAR ROUND sponsors to support our upcoming 2026-2027 service projects. We have struggled a bit in this area over the past couple of years. Focusing on this aspect will allow us to continue to grow the present year round service projects and also support any future Compassion Missions proposed by Ambassadors and Small Handers in the 2026-2027 school year. If you would like more information on our sponsorship levels please email me individually and I can send that to you. You can also see those opportunities on the website www.shbhu.org.
Alongside this focus we have a new SHBHU Compassion Mission Nonprofit Friend that SHBHU will assist and focus on! If you do not know them already……MEET THE FILOTIMO FOUNDATION!
Many of you know one of our founding members, Skylar. For those of you who do not, she helped start SHBHU and was also the Ambassador Teen Passing the Torch President for many years. She has been a mentor and role model to many members. SHBHU would not be here today without her support, leadership and compassionate ideas for others in need throughout the years. For those of you who do not know, Skylar has cystic fibrosis but in no way does it define her. She is a graduate from Pfeiffer University with many accomplishments under her belt including: art teacher, collegiate cheerleader, collegiate LAX athlete and assistant coach for the Pfeiffer University LAX team and is now married to an amazing human, Kendall! who SHBHU also loves dearly.
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However, alongside these exciting milestones, she is beginning her double lung transplant journey at Duke University Medical Center very soon. It goes without saying that her SHBHU family will take this journey with her every step of the way. As many of our members say, we will never stop FLIPPING OUT FOR SKYLAR! Many of you have participated in the SHBHU “Flip Out for Skylar Compassion Mission” led by Ambassador Mia and her team for the past 13 years. You have helped grow this Compassion Mission from making and selling custom CFF flip flops, tie-dyeing the Skylar’s Striders Team t-shirts every single year, to volunteering year after year at various larger fundraisers like the Great Strides CFF walk, Pipeline for a Cure and the 65 Roses gala.
We are now asking you to continue your support to make CF stand for Cure Found but also help us support the mission of another impactful nonprofit that specifically supports adults with cystic fibrosis, the Filotimo Foundation. The Filotimo Foundation was founded by Pete Proimos who is also an adult with cystic fibrosis. Pete and his team uniquely understand the challenges of CF, the obstacles that CF patients face as they transition into adulthood, start families, and strive for a fulfilling life. We are extremely thankful and grateful, they are supporting Skylar in her next specific chapter with exactly the kind of support she needs right now as an adult. Because of this, SHBHU has decided that the Filotimo Foundation will be our MAIN summer Nonprofit Compassion donation recipient of any Summer and Fall SHBHU fundraisers.
SHBHU Ambassador Teens will immediately begin brainstorming with The Filotimo Foundation, on ways we can assist their specific mission and also lead independent SHBHU fundraisers over the summer and fall to help their cause. In this very intentional way, SHBHU as a family, will then be helping and supporting one of our very own dedicated founding members, Skylar.
Filotimo will be hosting a fundraiser called Fly Me To The Moon gala on May 29th. All tickets immediately sold out but a few of our members will be volunteering at the gala and they will spotlight Skylar’s personal journey during the gala. This will get the fundraising initially started for Skylar!
How can you help right away?
- Stay tuned for more details very soon on sponsorship of the Summer SHBHU Cornhole and Pickleball Fundraiser Tournament for the Filotimo Foundation being led by Ambassador Mia and the Flip Out For Skylar Compassion Team.
- Please begin promoting The Filotimo Foundation’s mission on all of your social media outlets. See below. They are doing amazing things for adults with cystic fibrosis and we need everyone in the Triangle community and beyond to know this!
- Donate DIRECTLY to the specific SHBHU Nonprofit Friend “Filotimo Foundation” Compassion Mission on the SHBHU Website and we will make sure it is allocated towards Filotimo Foundation’s efforts for Skylar.
SHBHU Ambassadors and Small Handers have been able to join together for over 13 years and have shown a lot of compassion to those in need. They have made many impactful contributions to various local and global nonprofits. It has been one of the biggest joys of my life to witness and I know you all feel the same. So let’s help them do this together again for this specific cause!
Always grateful and inspired by you all,
Anita
Filotimo Foundation Social Media – Let’s all start following and promoting them!!
