February 2025
Your Becky’s Warriors board HAS been busy at work.
Opportunities to Help
These past few months, we’ve been fortunate to assist two individuals facing cancer diagnoses.
The first is the mother of an early-2000s Marian graduate. She was diagnosed with Stage 1 invasive breast cancer in November and subsequently underwent surgery in mid-December. Her treatment plan also includes radiation and hormone therapy. We spoke with her in January, and while she maintains a positive attitude about her diagnosis and treatment, she faces significant challenges at home. These include caring for a special needs adult child, maintaining her home, and supporting her daughter, who has her own complex health needs.
We sought to alleviate some of the family’s daily burdens, such as meal preparation. We provided restaurant gift cards and ready-to-heat meals, hoping to save her time and energy so she can focus on her recovery.
A second opportunity arose with an early-90s Marian graduate who was diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
About 20 years ago, this gentleman was diagnosed with testicular cancer—twice. After successfully overcoming those diagnoses in his 30s, he remained cancer-free for many years. Unfortunately, in the latter half of 2024, he received a third diagnosis: prostate cancer.
As a self-employed individual, he had some health insurance, but it didn’t cover all his treatment. After an emotional discussion, we decided to help by covering approximately $6,500 in outstanding medical debt.
In both cases, we were able to provide assistance thanks to your generous support.
On behalf of these warriors, “thank you” for your continued contributions.
Veritas
A few months ago, we received a somewhat cryptic phone call from Mike Bruni, a Marian Catholic alumnus. He wanted to discuss something, but he kept us in suspense, not revealing the reason.
Mike has been deeply involved with the school since he left 700 Ashland in the mid-80s. He has served as Head of Advancement and recently returned to that position on an interim basis. He is also heavily involved with the Endowment Classic golf outing and the annual Veritas spring event.
If you’re not familiar with the Veritas event, it’s a long-standing fundraising gala held by Marian Catholic. Proceeds from the Veritas event support the Sr. Simeon Fund, Marian Catholic’s need-based tuition assistance program. At the event, individuals with academic, athletic, professional, and philanthropic achievements are recognized for their contributions to the broader Marian Catholic community.
Crystal, Tracy, and Joe scheduled a call with Mike, and the outcome was both flattering and pleasantly surprising:
Marian Catholic decided to honor the work of Becky’s Warriors with the Spirit of Marian award at the 2025 Veritas gala in April. Furthermore, it will be the first time that Marian honors a group rather than an individual.
This recognition was unexpected and deeply moving. The entire board was notified, and a few tears were shed.
It is a humbling and tremendous honor.
On April 11th, we will attend the Veritas gala at Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor, IL. If you’re interested in attending, we would welcome the support - link is below. Questions can be directed to Carol Burke Swanson at cswanson@marianchs.com. Register here: https://e.givesmart.com/events/H6y/
11th Annual Becky’s Warriors Golf Outing
Finally, we are thrilled to announce that we will host the 11th annual Becky’s Warriors golf outing at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club in Lemont on July 11th. Details and registration are available at the link below.
Whether you’re a longtime supporter or new to our event, we would love to see you participate. This is our signature event, and we aim to surpass 100 golfers this year.
The first 18 golfers to register will receive a special keepsake (check out that cool pin flag above!), and early bird pricing is available until June 10th.
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact us to discuss the various levels of participation. Register here: https://events.golfstatus.com/event/11th-annual-becky-s-warriors-golf-outing
With Gratitude
As always, we thank you for your continued support and encouraging words. This has been a truly humbling experience for all of us, past and present board members. We hope Becky is smiling in heaven and proud of the work we do in her honor.