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The Foltz family taking awareness into their own hands in Bowling Green, OH.
Cheryl Foltz wasn’t just her family’s cheerleader – she was an institution in Bowling Green, Ohio. She and her husband, Jerry, owned a few small businesses around town, but when they opened their ice cream shop in 2000, Cheryl found her passion. In the 12 years she owned The Sundae Station, Cheryl touched innumerable lives in the area and loved making friends with every person who walked into her shop. Though her family was aware she was a much-loved member of the community, when Cheryl passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012, they learned just what an incredible and lasting impact Cheryl had made on people. From giving complimentary sundaes to local kids who made the honor roll to baking cookies for a family grieving the loss of their mother, Cheryl was known for going out of her way to make everyone around her feel loved.
The Foltzes are a blended family. For 37 years, Cheryl was the glue that held their family – her two kids, her husband, his two kids and their one shared child – together. She made every holiday and family gathering special, and since her passing, the whole family has banded together to manage these last four years without her.
Together, in June 2013, they decided to do something themselves to fight pancreatic cancer. They created The Sundae Stroll to honor Cheryl’s memory and raise awareness and funding for the disease that took her life too soon. Cheryl’s daughter, Robin Kiewatt, said of the event, “Everyone has their role, and we all work together to get it pulled off. The first year was the hardest, as we were in uncharted waters, but each year we make it better and better.” The Sundae Stroll is a 5K with a twist – like a sundae twist. The event starts and ends near the ice cream shop Cheryl loved and ran for so many years, and at the finish line, each participant receives a “life-saving sundae” with passionately purple sprinkles – a delicious way to fight for progress.
Their event allows the whole community an opportunity to carry on Cheryl’s legacy in Bowling Green, and each year the event grows larger and larger. In the four years since The Sundae Stroll started, the event has raised more than $75,000 – an incredible accomplishment for a family event! This year they hope to break the $100,000 mark, and their event is coming up next month, on Saturday, June 25. They have created a brand new fundraising page on Wage Hope My Way, our new do-it-yourself fundraising platform, to easily collect donations for the event.
The Sundae Stroll is a fun family-friendly event that allows people in Bowling Green to join the urgent fight against the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. If you’ll be in the area on June 25, check out The Sundae Stroll’s registration website to sign up at www.thesundaestroll.com. The Foltz family will be happy to welcome you with a fresh sundae and a smile, in true Cheryl style.
Are you interested in creating a fundraising page? Visit “Wage Hope My Way” at www.pancan.org/DIY for information, ideas and inspiration. Anything goes!
