By THERESA HOGUE
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Saturday, March 29, 2008 12:00 am
Proceeds will help 8-year-old girl who has brain cancer
"Miss Beebe's Spring Tonic" contains tonic water … and maybe cucumbers. Maybe even mint. Head chef Kristy Krause of Valley Catering isn't sure yet, but she is sure of one thing: It has to be a hit.
The custom cocktail-in-progress is one of the many treats that organizers are blending into an April 5 fundraiser for 8-year-old Cricket Beebe of Corvallis.
Cricket was a second-grader at Garfield Elementary School until a diagnosis of brain cancer about a year ago drew her into a fight for her life. Since then, many friends and relatives have united to help give the child back her childhood.
Cricket's mother, Jennifer Kearney, said that she noticed something was wrong just before Valentine's Day 2007. Cricket began waking up with headaches and vomiting. After several trips to the doctor, Cricket was diagnosed with high-risk medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Within two days, surgeons removed a tumor from her brain.
Cricket has since endured a series of radiation and chemotherapy treatments that "really started kicking her down" last summer, Kearney said.
This February, Cricket and her mother faced a setback when doctors discovered another growth on her brain. Surgery and a biopsy revealed that the growth was benign. Cricket had to stop chemotherapy to recover from the surgery, which interrupted her treatment. Her last chemotherapy session is scheduled for April 16.
"Then we'll just wait and check in" to see how Cricket is doing, Kearney said. She tries to keep Cricket's life as normal as possible. A tutor provides lessons whenever Cricket is able. Kearney is hoping that soon Cricket will again be able to ride her horse and play with the cat and the family dogs, a boxer and a chihuahua.
"She wants to be outside, doing stuff," Kearney said.
A single mother, Kearney is grateful for the kindness of friends, family and strangers. Students at both Garfield and Jefferson elementary schools have held fundraisers for her. The two most recent events were temporary school stores, filled with items hand-crafted by students.
"I have been really thankful, and feel really supported," she said.
The April 5 fundraiser will be the biggest yet.
Krause said Valley Catering does a lot of charity work. The business, which for a long time ran the Valley Restaurant in downtown Corvallis, has raised more than $40,000 for local charities since 2001.
Helping Cricket is like helping family, she said. Cricket's aunt, a cousin, and a former teacher at Garfield all are on Valley Catering's staff.
"We are the perfect people to do this," Krause said. And she said they plan to pull out all the stops.
The April 5 hors d'oeuvres menu includes sushi, potato knishes, duck breast and salmon. The cocktails will all be custom made, and will include butterfly champagne cocktails, in honor of Cricket's love of butterflies.
"We're going for elegance," Krause said. The color scheme? "Pink and white and black."
Krause wanted to assure those who plan to attend that all proceeds will benefit Cricket.
Unfortunately, a former friend of Cricket's mother recently was convicted of stealing money from her medical expense fund last year. Since then, the professional national nonprofit group, Sparrow Club Inc., which ensures that money raised for critically ill children serves that purpose, has taken over accountability of Cricket's fundraising.
IF YOU GO
A fundraiser for 8-year-old Cricket Beebe is scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. April 5 at Valley Catering, 6097 N.E. Ebony Lane, in Adair. The evening's food and events planning includes cocktails, wine, hors d'oeuvres and live music by the Corvallis Cares All-Star Dance Band. All proceeds and donations will benefit the Cricket Beebe Sparrow Club Fund.
Tickets for the fundraiser are $35 presale, available at Grass Roots Books & Music, and Tommys 4th Street Grill. Tickets are $40 at the door. Valley Catering is located off of Arnold Avenue in Adair Village. Call 745-7455 for more information.
For more information on Sparrow Club or to make a donation, go to www.sparrow
clubs.org, or call 503-724-1772 to speak with CJ McPhail, Cricket's Sparrow Club contact person.