Koko FitClub Needham Fights Cancer by Supporting the Ellie Fund Do Good Campaign

WICKED LOCAL NEEDHAM
October 2011

NEEDHAM - Deb Lipsett’s sister-in-law Susan Lipsett deVries died from breast cancer five and a half years ago. Since then, Deb and her husband Barry have donated some profits from their design and manufacturing company Charles River Apparel to cancer research and support.

That’s why the Lipsetts’ company has joined more than 40 other businesses to participate in the Do Good campaign, run by Needham non-profit the Ellie Fund. The Ellie Fund provides support services such as free transportation, groceries and childcare to patients and families affected by breast cancer.

Businesses that join the Do Good campaign pledge to donate a certain amount of money to the Ellie Fund during October. Each business has a different algorithm. The Lipsetts will donate 20 percent of profits from their retail store in Sharon and five percent of their profits from selling “pink styles,” special products that fund the company’s Be Pink Proud campaign, which raises money for cancer research. Some bars will donate a few dollars per cocktail sold and some businesses will donate ten percent of sales.

Hillary McManama, Ellie Fund events manager, said that the Ellie Fund needs money now more than ever, given the effects of the recession. She said that the Ellie Fund used to receive approximately 20 new requests for help every month, but that they now receive 30 new requests every month. As a result, the non-profit has had to decrease its guarantee of three months of services to two months of services.

“If we get enough funding this month, we might be able to go back to three months,” said McManama.

Koko FitClub, located at 850 Highland Ave. in Needham, which is participating in the campaign, will donate a flat rate of $500, said owner Adam Landry—provided that the gym’s patrons reach a certain weight-lifting goal by the end of the month. Landry said that the American Cancer Association estimates that 1 in 8 American women will be affected by breast cancer in her lifetime. That’s 21,375,000 women, which is why Landry’s patrons aim to lift 21,375,000 pounds this month. The gym is also raising money by selling Ellie Fund Koko bracelets and raffle tickets for a basket of fitness products.

Landry said that he decided to support the Ellie Fund because he thinks that his business and the non-profit have similar goals.

“At the end of the day, we’re just making people’s lives better,” he said.

He also said that he likes the Ellie Fund’s model of helping breast cancer patients when they need it, not years from now.

“If someone in my family had the disease, I would appreciate research, but I’m going to want things that will make my life easier,” said Landry. Landry’s aunt died of breast cancer a decade ago, and he thinks that the Ellie Fund could have made her struggle with the disease easier.

“Your life is thrown upside down [by cancer],” he said. “What Ellie is doing seems so necessary. People need help now, not in ten years.”

Lipsett, who is a Needham resident, also said that her sister-in-law would have benefited from a program like the Ellie Fund.

“She lived on the North Shore, and there were not a lot of services,” said Lipsett. “The thing I appreciate about the Ellie Fund is that from the moment you’re diagnosed, they’ll work with you to get the services you need.” Lipsett said that she and her husband hope to partner with the Ellie Fund throughout the year.

Over at the Ellie Fund, said McManama, they’re excited not only about receiving additional funds, but also about the prospect of local businesses becoming involved in the community.

“We’re excited for the Do Good campaign because it’s about local companies giving back to their communities directly,” she said.

Koko FitClub Needham Fights Cancer by Supporting the Ellie Fund Do Good Campaign

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