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	Community Fundraisers are conducted by friends and families of a person(s) with a disability for which NDAD acts as custodian of the funds raised. These funds can be used to help the person with urgent needs and expenses. The funds may also be used beyond the scope of NDAD’s guidelines, such as helping with doctor, clinic or hospital bills and paying pre-existing bills. There are many people with disabilities, in communities across the state, in need of financial assistance. 100% of your donation will be used for the person’s needs. Even the smallest donations still have an impact. Any funds donated to NDAD will qualify for a charitable donation and be deductible for donors who itemize.

Below are the current community fundraisers going on throughout North Dakota. Click on a name below to donate and help others to help themselves.

1) SANDY PUTTBRESE
(Editor's Note: This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) A large rummage sale fundraiser will be held Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, for Sandy Puttbrese, a longtime Grand Forks daycare provider who is battling uterine cancer. All proceeds from the NDAD-sponsored rummage sale, plus any free-will donations provided at the sale, will be used to help defray Puttbrese’s medical bills. The sale is set for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 3823 Fairview Dr. in Grand Forks. Sale items include, but are not limited to, many housewares, furniture, toys and clothes. Baked goods, pop and bottled water also will be for sale. This is the third fundraiser to provide an assist to Sandy, who continues to undergo treatment for cancer. Two events were held last fall, one in Grand Forks and the other in Oslo, Minn., which is home to her sister and brother-in-law. Sandy also is a member of the Oslo American Legion Auxiliary. A Grand Forks daycare provider for 21 years, Puttbrese underwent a radical hysterectomy Oct. 3, 2012, at the Mayo complex in Rochester, Minn., to remove cancer that began in her uterus and had spread to her ovaries. Surgery came about 1½ weeks after the 50-year-old began experiencing very uncomfortable stomach pains. Earlier, Puttbrese experienced some abnormal bleeding prior to the stomach pains but thought it was related to menopause. Her surgery was arranged quickly after her Altru Health System medical team in Grand Forks discovered a malignancy nearly six inches in length on one of her ovaries. The Mayo medical team also removed and checked more than 70 lymph nodes closest to Sandy’s cancer and found no evidence of it having spread, she said. You also may donate online to help Puttbrese HERE. Or, you may drop off a donation at: NDAD, c/o Sandy Puttbrese Fundraiser, 2660 S. Columbia Road, Grand Forks, ND 58201. Please make checks payable to: NDAD / Sandy Puttbrese. NDAD serves as the fund custodian to the Sandy Puttbrese fundraisers through the charitable nonprofit's Community Fundraisers program. The service is free. If you'd like to learn more, call NDAD at (800) 532-NDAD or (701) 775-5577.

Mail Donations For 1) SANDY PUTTBRESE To:
NDAD c/o Sandy Puttbrese Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make out checks to NDAD / Sandy Puttbrese. Stay updated about the Sandy Puttbrese fundraising efforts and other community fundraisers on NDAD's Facebook page and on NDAD's Areavoices.com blog. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CRISTY TRUEDSON and family
(Editor's Note: This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) ----- A few months ago, Cristy (Dilling) Truedson of East Grand Forks, Minn., felt very optimistic she had put cancer in her life’s rear-view mirror. Two years earlier, the Grand Forks native and mother of two young girls had faced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) head on at Altru Health and turned it back. Then on Oct. 17, an Altru biopsy revealed that AML had returned. Cristy and her husband, Ryan Truedson, already knew what that meant: they were headed – pronto -- to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to begin a new round of aggressive treatment and prepare for the certainty of a stem cell transplant to provide her with new, health bone marrow. Her medical care team had told the couple two years ago that such a transplant would be needed if AML resurfaced. With daughters Kendra, 8, and Kiera 3, set to stay with Cristy’s parents in Grand Forks, the couple reached Mayo the following day. Cristy remained an inpatient through Nov. 9, then continued outpatient treatment while remaining in Rochester before finally returning home Nov. 20. They returned briefly to Mayo the last week of November. Meanwhile, Ryan, a native of Kennedy, Minn., took family medical leave from his job as a truck driver at CHS Transportation to be with his wife – just as he had done for a time two years earlier. He plans to return to work and the much-needed income it provides for his family, but another family leave for Ryan already is on the Truedsons' horizon. A transplant match has been found, and Cristy is expecting the stem cell transplant to be scheduled in February 2013, followed by at least 100 days of post-transplant monitoring in Rochester. (Editor's note: Cristy Truedson received the stem cell transplant in early February 2013, as scheduled.) In the meantime, a benefit has been set for Sat., Dec. 8, at the East Grand Forks (Minn.) American Legion to help Cristy and her family. The event, from 5 to 8 p.m. that day, will feature a free-will-offering sloppy joe feed, a silent auction and bake sale. All of the proceeds from the NDAD-sponsored benefit will go to help the Truedsons with medical and essential day-to-day expenses. NDAD also will serve as custodian of funds raised on the Truedsons’ behalf. It's one of the features of NDAD's Community Fundraisers program. More information is available by calling NDAD at (701) 775-5577; and by watching for updates on NDAD's Facebook site and Areavoices blog site (see links below). You also may help Cristy Truedson and her family by clicking the “Give Online” button that accompanies this article and photo and donate using your credit card. Or you can mail your donation.

Mail Donations For CRISTY TRUEDSON and family To:
NDAD c/o Cristy Truedson Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make out checks to: NDAD / Cristy Truedson. Stay updated about the Cristy Truedson fundraising efforts and other community fundraisers -- plus other NDAD programs and news, information, issues and commentary about disabilities and health challenges -- on NDAD's Facebook page and on NDAD's Areavoices.com blog. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

DENNIS AHOE
(Editor's Note: This article is from August 2012. The fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) ----- Just shy of his 60th birthday, Dennis Ahoe spends his days in a Minot hospital, waiting and hoping. His life-altering turn of fortunes occurred June 1. Riding his new motorcycle on U.S. Highway 2 -- en route from Williston, where he lives, to his hometown of Devils Lake -- Dennis experienced intense shoulder pain nearing Minot, he recalled. A recent heart attack victim, Ahoe wondered whether he should turn back. Then, he said, his shoulder gave out, causing him to lose control of his new chopper while negotiating a curve. Ahoe somehow survived the highway crash, but with one stunning consequence: he was a quadriplegic. According to family members, doctors at Minot Trinity Hospital say Dennis’ spinal cord injury isn’t permanent as first believed and that some physical signs exist to indicate he someday may walk again. Still, to increase his chances to do so requires treatment at a medical facility with an accredited program to treat serious spinal cord injuries. Minot Trinity lacks that accreditation. Dennis’ lack of medical insurance has hindered his ability to gain quick access to such a facility, too. A hard-working, outgoing, gregarious sort, Dennis’ spirits during his hospital stay swing between elevated and depressed, according to his family. He does believe he will walk again – if he somehow can get under the care of spinal cord specialists. Meanwhile, family members and friends are working on several fundraising efforts in advance of Sept. 23, which is Ahoe’s 60th birthday. They have enlisted sponsorship from NDAD through its Community Fundraisers program. If you donate through NDAD, all proceeds will help offset Dennis’ mounting medical bills and essential day-to-day expenses, including transportation to a rehabilitation center when the time comes. More information is available by calling (701) 775-5577. You can help Dennis’ cause today by using the accompanying “Give Online” button, or you can mail your donation to the address below:

Mail Donations For DENNIS AHOE To:
NDAD c/o Dennis Ahoe Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make out checks to NDAD / Dennis Ahoe. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

HELEN GARCIA
(Editor's Note: This article is from August 2012. This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) ----- At 51, Helen Garcia – a married, working mom of six grown children -- finds herself facing the health challenge of her life. A Grafton, N.D., native who moved to East Grand Forks in 1989, Helen discovered a lump in her left breast during a routine breast exam early this year. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her tumor was rated stage 2 (larger than 2 centimeters but smaller than 5 cm), grade 3 (distinct-looking, faster growing cancer cells). Since her diagnosis, Helen typically has traveled every three weeks for chemotherapy treatments at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America facility in Zion, Ill. The effects of her ongoing treatments cause her to feel tired and nauseous, sometimes leaving her unable to work at her job building wind turbine blades from fiberglass at LM Wind Power. Still, her faith, positive attitude and strong support from family buoy her outlook on her cancer fight. The former Helen Martinez, from a Grafton, N.D., family with 13 children, married Juan DeDios Garcia when she was 17. A year later, Helen gave birth to their only daughter, Michelle; five boys – Juan DeDios II, Pablo, Adan, Abraham and Noah -- followed. The Garcias moved to East Grand Forks in 1989, the year Abraham was born; the youngest, Noah, arrived two years later. Helen is known to many people from her time employed at East Grand Forks Head Start, where she was a bilingual paraprofessional, and MasterCuts. She graduated 20 years ago from the Hair Designers Academy in Grand Forks and received her license in cosmetology, but changed her profession after being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Because of mounting family medical bills -- Helen's husband, Juan, received a kidney transplant himself nearly five years ago, but has continued to battle health problems -- Helen is in particular need of assistance. Family members and friends organized a free-will offering spaghetti dinner and accompanying silent auction that was held Sept. 8 at Southgate Casino Bar & Grill in Grand Forks. Helen could not make the event; she was in Illinois for surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue from her left breast. You still may contribute to help Helen via NDAD, which is a fundraiser sponsor. You may donate online on this page. Or, please mail your donation to the address below. All proceeds will help offset Helen’s medical expenses and the family’s essential day-to-day expenses.

Mail Donations For HELEN GARCIA To:
NDAD c/o Helen Garcia Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make out checks to NDAD / Helen Garcia. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

JEN ANDERSON SULLIVAN
(Editor's Note: This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details. This article is from January 2013.) Winter usually finds Jen Sullivan at her son’s hockey games, cheering the team on. Or doing mother-daughter things with her young teenager. Or spending time with her husband, Shawn. Not this winter. Jen is battling stage 4 breast cancer. The Grand Forks resident, who is 34, started chemotherapy treatments at Altru Cancer Center in October 2012 and continues those treatments today. The treatments began as an IV solution, combined with a pill and an injection, and the doctors have stayed with the same course of treatment. The chemo treatments deplete her white blood cell count, which leave her very tired and prone to infections. She receives injections to boost her blood count, as getting an infection in her condition could be very serious. Jen is receiving physical therapy at Altru Rehabilitation Hospital and has reached several milestones, according to her family. The therapists have been able to help her become more mobile, and Jen is working very hard at becoming stronger still. Most recently, Jen worked for about nine years as operations coordinator at Noridian Administrative Services in Grand Forks. Her earlier work history included several years as a secretary-receptionist at Advanced Chiropractic. Jen Anderson, who is from East Grand Forks, Minn., and Shawn Sullivan, who is from Grand Forks, were high school sweethearts. They married in 1998. Their daughter, Kacey, is 14, and their son, Aaron, is 11. As a family, they enjoy hockey, camping and fishing. The past few years, the Sullivans have gone to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for family vacations. Jen’s positive attitude “shows how the support of family and friends goes a long way to learning how to take life one day at time,” said Brenda Bruse, a friend of Jen who is helping to organize a benefit on Jen’s behalf. The Jen Anderson Sullivan benefit will be held Sat., Feb. 9, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Eagles Club, 227 10th St. N.W., in East Grand Forks. The benefit will feature a taco-in-a-bag meal, plus a silent auction and bake sale. A free-will donation is suggested for this family event, which includes games for kids, with Kacey and Aaron Sullivan serving as the games’ hosts. The total of all proceeds from the Jen Sullivan benefit will help defray Jen’s medical needs and essential day-to-day expenses for her and her family. Charitable nonprofit NDAD is sponsoring the event and will serve as benefit fund custodian through its Community Fundraisers program. You may help Jen Sullivan and her family by clicking the “Give Online” button that accompanies this article and photo, then donate using your credit card.

Mail Donations For JEN ANDERSON SULLIVAN To:
NDAD c/o Jen Anderson Sullivan Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make out checks to: NDAD / Jen Anderson Sullivan. Stay updated about the Jen Sullivan fundraising efforts and other community fundraisers -- plus other NDAD programs and news, information, issues and commentary about disabilities and health challenges -- on NDAD's Facebook page and on NDAD's Areavoices.com blog. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== You'll find information about NDAD fundraisers from recent months below:

LEXIE DAHLEN
(Editor's Note: This article is from early May 2013. This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) Lexie Dahlen needs a new liver this prom season. It's not a prom accessory. The Grand Forks Red River High School senior was born with a liver damaged by a disease called biliary atresia. In 1997, when Lexie was 2, her liver was replaced with a portion of her mom''s liver. For 16 years, Lexie has done well -- even while requiring daily medications, monthly blood draws, numerous doctor visits and many minor surgeries. But that good health ended last fall. Following an emergency medical airlift to a Minneapolis hospital to deal with gastrointestinal bleeding, plus receiving multiple blood transfusions and more than 10 surgeries, Lexie was placed on a liver transplant list in December. Now, the Dahlen family -- dad Kevin, mom Jill and brother Ian -- anxiously awaits a call that summons them quickly back to Minneapolis for the start of Lexie's new transplant journey -- one that would require at least a month away from their home. Meanwhile, there's a special event taking place during the Red River Prom Night Grand March, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the Red River Performance Hall and Theatre. Family members and Lexie's classmates will pass around decorated cans and buckets to collect donations, all which will be used for medical-related transplant and travel expenses and for other essential expenses. In short, on this prom night, the generous support is a drop in the bucket. For the second time in Lexie's life, chartable nonprofit NDAD is a fundraiser sponsor and fund custodian. Back in 1995, when Lexie was only 5 months old, NDAD sponsored a free-will fundraiser in Michigan, N.D., for the family. You don't have to be at the Red River prom's Grand March in order to help Lexie and her family. Use a credit card to give online by clicking the "Give Online" button that appears on this page with Lexie's photo and this article. Or, you can mail a donation, or deliver one in person to an NDAD office. Once again, 100 percent of all proceeds will go to the Dahlen family. NDAD's service, through its Community Fundraisers program, is free of charge.

Mail Donations For LEXIE DAHLEN To:
NDAD c/o Lexie Dahlen Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make checks payable to: NDAD / Lexie Dahlen. Stay updated about the Lexie Dahlen fundraising efforts and other community fundraisers -- plus other NDAD programs and news, information, issues and commentary about disabilities and health challenges -- on NDAD's Facebook page and on NDAD's Areavoices.com blog. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MASON HUTTON and mom KELLY HUTTON
(Editor's Note: This article is from September 2012. This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) ----- A benefit for baby Mason Hutton and his mom, Kelly Hutton, of Grand Forks, will be held Sat., Nov. 10, at the East Grand Forks, Minn., Eagles Club. A baked potato bar will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., while a bake sale and silent auction is set for 3 to 8 p.m. Kelly Hutton has been dealing with a high-grade aggressive sarcoma, a type of cancer. Her son, Mason, faces development challenges following traumatic circumstances at birth. NDAD and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are fundraiser sponsors. About Kelly: • Works in the Grand Forks District Court Clerk’s Office. • After her emergency C-section, Kelly noticed that there was still a lump on her right rib cage • Had ultra sound and CT scan – show large mass on right rib. • In June a biopsy was completed and the results showed that it was a high grade aggressive sarcoma (cancer). • Was referred to the University of Minnesota, where they conducted additional testing. • Determined that radiation and then extraction of the tumor was the best route. • 25 radiation treatments were completed in August. • Surgery to remove the tumor, plus reconstructive surgery, took place on Sept. 6. • Follow up will be completed to make sure the cancer has not spread elsewhere. If it has not spread, no chemotherapy will be needed. About Mason: • Born on May 19, 2012, via emergency C-section • Kelly felt a decrease in fetal movement and went to the hospital and 22 minutes after arrival Mason was born. • Mason was born without a heart rate and was not breathing as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck numerous times and was also wrapped around his body. • After eight minutes, Mason was revived. Kelly and her husband, Chris, were advised that their son would need to be taken by air ambulance to Sanford Health Medical Center in Fargo. • After his arrival at Sanford, Mason was treated with a “cooling cap.” This assists the brain in stopping any additional damage from occurring. • Mason was treated via “cooling cap” for 72 hours. Upon completion of this treatment, the doctors began to evaluate the extent of the damage that the lack of oxygen had on Mason. • It was determined that Mason had a brain bleed as well as bi-lateral brain damage. • Kelly and Chris were advised that the extent of the damage would only be determined over time. • Mason spent about four weeks at the Sanford NICU with both Kelly and Chris visiting every day while also attending numerous appointments for Kelly’s sarcoma. • During these four weeks Mason met many goals quicker than what the doctors expected and also met some that they didn’t think he would. • However, he did show signs of seizure-like activity on his EEG tests and was placed on seizure meds. • He was able to start breathing on his own. Then, he was able to tolerate milk via a nasal feeding tube. • After two weeks he was able to start feeding by mouth. Mason struggled with this as the muscles needed for this hadn’t been used since birth. • Mason worked with a PT, the nurses, and Kelly/Chris and was able to take some of his feedings by mouth. • After two weeks of attempting to take his entire feedings by mouth, Mason still struggled. The doctors contemplated a stomach feeding tube. • After Kelly’s diagnosis with cancer, both the doctors at Sanford and the doctors at Altru Health System in Grand Forks determined that it was in the best interest of both Mason and Kelly for Mason to be transported back to Altru for the balance of his treatment. • Upon Mason’s arrival to Altru, the doctors and nurses challenged Mason in his feedings. After about 5 days in the NICU at Altru, Mason was taking the majority of his feedings by bottle. • He was then transferred to pediatrics, where he spent about 4 days before being released. • Mason was placed in the Early Intervention Program through Social Service to monitor his development on top of his physical therapist and doctors at Altru. • Since his release, Mason has met numerous developmental milestones and continues to develop on schedule. • He no longer has to take the seizure medication and has had no further seizures. • He does have some hearing loss in his left ear and has been fitted for a hearing aid. At this time they cannot determine the severity of the damage or if it is permanent. • The next few years are very important in Mason’s development. He could still develop or begin to exhibits signs of disorders that would be caused by the lack of oxygen after his birth. Chris Hutton Mason and Kelly Hutton are the son and wife of Chris Hutton, a twice-deployed National Guard member who works nights with the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office. Chris Hutton was in the news himself for his own health challenge. In 2006, he was struck in a hit-and-run collision, resulting in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Chris continues to live his life as he did before the accident and wanted nothing more than to become a father. He has spent the last few months being a supportive husband and father as his family goes through these medical issues. Friends and family have enlisted sponsorship from NDAD through its Community Fundraisers program. If you donate through NDAD, all proceeds will go to help offset Mason and Kelly’s medical and essential day-to-day expenses. More information is available by calling (701) 775-5577. You also may help Mason and Kelly using the accompanying “Give Online” button, or you can mail your donation to the address below:

Mail Donations For MASON HUTTON and mom KELLY HUTTON To:
NDAD c/o Mason and Kelly Hutton 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make checks payable to: NDAD / Mason and Kelly Hutton. Stay updated about the Hutton fundraising efforts and other community fundraisers on NDAD's Facebook page and on NDAD's Areavoices.com blog. - - - - - - - - - -

TEAGAN LEEHAN
(Editor's Note: This article is from August 2012. This fundraising event has been held, but the fund remains open for donations. See the bottom of this article for details.) ---- On the first weekend of July, 8-month-old Teagan Rae Leehan, daughter of Lyndsey (Van Eps) and Drew Leehan of East Grand Forks, had to undergo a liver transplant because of biliary atresia, a congenital condition that caused the ducts in her liver to form improperly. Her condition was further complicated by the discovery of a potentially cancerous nodule on her liver. The first transplant appeared to be going very well, but the donor liver did not respond upon transplant, which is very rare. Teagan then was placed at the number one position in the country for the first available liver and given 36 to 42 hours to get it. Another liver was found less than 24 hours later, sparing her life. Teagan, who was born Oct. 31, 2011, is on a journey to better health now, but the family has faced financial hardships. Funds raised from an upcoming NDAD-sponsored community fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 16, will be used to defray ongoing medical bills and medication expenses. The fundraiser at the Ramada Inn in Grand Forks is tentatively set to run from 3 to 6 p.m. The free-will offering "family friendly" event will offer a pulled pork / stuffed potato meal with a silent auction and live band, plus a gift-basket raffle, face painting, children's games and more. Learn more about Team Teagan's fundraising efforts on Facebook. You also can follow this community fundraiser and others on NDAD's Facebook page and on NDAD's Areavoices.com blog. If you still have questions or would like to donate items for the silent auction or gift basket raffle, contact LaRae Foerster at (218) 779-8563 or TeamTeagan@live.com . In addition to NDAD, other event sponsors include Thrivent Financial and Vessel Christian Foundation. Donations can be given online on this page (:"Give Online") or can be mailed to the NDAD office listed below:

Mail Donations For TEAGAN LEEHAN To:
NDAD c/o Teagan Leehan Fundraiser 2660 S. Columbia Road Grand Forks, ND 58201 Please make out checks to NDAD / Teagan Leehan.