Super Bowl Ticket Raffle Raises Funds for Leukemia, Lymphoma Cure

For only $10, you can book two tickets to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium and help fund research to cure blood cancers.

Carolynn O’Brien, a longtime Caldwell resident, is raffling off two tickets to the big game and a pre-game party in East Rutherford in February to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

One-hundred percent of the raffle sales, said O’Brien, will go toward the fundraising goal of Caldwell Team Running For A Cure, a running team she and her husband Jesus Navarro manage which raises the money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

"I've been getting a good response," said O'Brien about selling the tickets. "Everyone is interested because the Super Bowl is here. It's an amazing opportunity to get two seats for free."  

If you are interested in those tickets your odds aren’t that bad. So far, O’Brien said she has sold $300 worth of raffle tickets, but hopes to raise more before the drawing on Monday, Jan. 20.

Caldwell Team Running For A Cure, also known as Caldwell Team R4C, is currently in training for the New Jersey Marathon at the Shore in April. O’Brien said her goal is to reach $2,100 by the time of the marathon.

The genesis of the team goes back six years ago when O’Brien’s brother-in-law, Tim Drost, who lives with his family in Verona, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia known as hairy cell leukemia. At the time, O’Brien said she and her family felt helpless as they watched Drost go through chemotherapy and his health decline.

“It was just such a helpless spot,” O’Brien said. 

Coincidentally, O’Brien came across a pamphlet about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and immediately knew what she and her family could do.

“I said, ‘This is what we are going to do. We are going to raise money for research to help advance cures for blood cancers.’ From that day forward, we just kept moving on and doing the same thing every year," said O'Brien. 

Today, Drost’s blood disease is in remission and runs with Team R4C. In addition, Drost also has run in the New York City Marathon. 

“He is such an inspiration,” said O’Brien.

Since O’Brien began raising funds for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Caldwell Team R4C has raised more than $200,000. This year her team has combined to raise more than $60,300.

Caldwell Team R4C, a coterie of more than 30 local runners, is also accepting new recruits. The team meets every Sunday at 8 a.m. at the Cloverleaf Tavern for a weekly run. New runners are welcome to join.  

For more information about joining Caldwell Team R4C or the Super Bowl tickets, contact O’Brien at cobrien@graphics-connection.com or check out the team’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TeamR4CCaldwell.