Save the Date: Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids Fair, Sept. 20

Photo: Emily Beazley dreamed of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse and starting a foundation called Kures for Kids seeking a cure for pediatric cancer. She even drew up plans, including this artwork.

When the future looked bright and cancer free for Emily Beazley, an amazing 12-year-old girl whose fight to live and the way she did it inspired so many people around the world, she drew up plans for a foundation she named Kures for Kids. She planned on starting it after becoming a pediatric oncology nurse.

Although Emily died from an extremely aggressive form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on May 18, her vision to help other children battling cancer did not die with her.

Emily Beazley’s Demand for a Cure is a new chapter of the Cure It Foundation, a grassroots organization comprised of patients, survivors, parents, physicians, nurses and community members fighting to cure pediatric cancer. The organization also provides personalized support for children fighting this terrible disease while encouraging advances made in the treatment of childhood cancer.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, the first Emily Beazley Kures for Kids Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of Chicago School for Agricultural Sciences, 3857 W. 111th St., Chicago.

Plans outlined so far include a memorial service for Emily, children’s carnival games, DJ, food vendors, crafters and local business vendors, live band, face painting, hula hoop contest, bean bag tournaments, split the pot and gift basket raffles, face painting, petting zoo, and more. Emily Beazley Kure for Kids t-shirts will also be sold.

Friends, neighbors and supporters whom she inspired with her courage and positive outlook can follow plans for the first Kare fair as they develop on the Emily Beazley Kures for Kids Fair Facebook page. The artwork featured in the banner is Emily’s own.

One-hundred percent of the proceeds raised from the fair will be donated to Kures for Kids will go directly to funding pediatric cancer research. Organizers have teamed up with the with Cure It Foundation’s Emily Beazley’s Demand for a Cure chapter, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to spending every dollar raised on research.

Dr. Jason Canner of the Cure It Foundation and one of Emily’s oncologists, will choose the cancer research in need of the funding. All types of pediatric cancer will be funded, not just the type Emily had.

While battling Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Emily was more concerned about other kids undergoing cancer treatment. She wanted to help find a cure for pediatric cancer so that the medicines are less toxic, work for all children, not some, and eventually end this horrible disease. Her family, friends and neighbors plan to honor her vision.

For more information about the fair, visit the Kures for Kids Facebook page.