Alex Inspires Strength …

– Jennifer Elkhouri

Last March, we selected Alex’s Army Childhood Cancer Foundation as our March Community Outreach Partner. We shared with you the amazing grit this kiddo had since being diagnosed at age 5 with a Stage IV Wilms Tumor. On June 5th, 2016, we learned the heartbreaking news that Alex had passed after his 7 year battle with cancer. A part of us thinks he was beckoned to heaven by sweet Kate Rhoades for her 5th heavenly birthday so the two could be free, to bask in the glory of our creator — perfectly healed and perfectly whole. Hearing of Alex’s passing was a fierce kick in the gut, learning yet another precious child had lost their battle to the number one disease killer of children — one that is grossly underfunded in research and largely ignored by drug companies.

We love the mission of Alex’s Army Childhood Cancer Foundation and wanted to select them once again to be our Community Outreach Partner. The mission of AACCF is to raise awareness and funding for Childhood Cancer Research while providing Christian focused support to the Childhood Cancer Community. They do this through funding research for The Children’s Oncology Group, raising awareness at events such as Cure Fest, rallies and other events, and through their Prayer Pillowcase Project — handmade pillowcases embroidered with a bible verse that have been prayed over by those who make them.

This July, we are donating $1 from every haircut to this unique, local non-profit. We would love to ask for your help, too! We are collecting fabric for AACCF to donate toward their Prayer Pillowcase Project. Please bring 1 yard pieces of a 100% cotton or a soft cotton blend to our Fairfax or Dulles locations this July.

We’ll also be practicing our push ups in the hopes we can once again join AACCF in trying to beat the Guinness World Record for the most people performing push ups at once. On April 8th, 2017, we attended the 1st attempt which had 1,108 people out of the needed 1,645 people to break the record! Why push ups? Hear the beautiful story shared by Jenni Green, Alex’s mom, on WGTS: