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Thunderstorms loomed in the distance on Tuesday, July 28, but didn’t discourage attendees to Little Giants Foundation’s first fundraiser. More than 535 parents, kids, couples and teens gathered at CiCi’s Pizza at 91^st and Memorial in Tulsa, to take part in the foundation’s efforts to raise awareness of Schimke Immuno-ooseous Dysplasia and meet the star of the night—five-year-old Mitchell Cupps.

Troy Cupps announced that more than $7,000 was raised during the event, which included donations by attendees, the Oklahoma Bulls baseball team and its matching donors, T-shirt sales, and a percent of sales compliments of CiCi’s Pizza and its franchise owner Greg Costly. The restaurant increased its percentage of sales donated from an original 10 percent to 30 percent that night.

The Oklahoma Bulls raised $1,000 for Little Giants Foundation of which individual donors also matched a portion of funds. Individual donors included Dr. Brett B. Dierterlen and Associates, $500; and Bo and Carrie Van Pelt of Mona Vie Tulsa, $1,000.

Mitchell Cupps will join the Oklahoma Bulls on Monday, August 3, at 8 p.m. as this special team battles the Huskies for baseball victory at the All Stars Sports Complex, 61^st and Highway 169 in Tulsa.

Baseball fans and non-fans alike will join the Oklahoma Bulls all-star players on Monday, August 3^rd for a special evening of action and inspiration. Tulsa’s All Stars Sports Complex will host the Bulls and the Huskies at 8 p.m. for what promises to be one unforgettable night of baseball for five-year-old Mitchell Cupps. Outfitted as player number 03, Mitchell will join the Bulls as his team battles a formidable opponent for baseball victory and raises awareness of Little Giants Foundation.

“We’re expecting a huge turnout for this game,” says Troy Cupps, Mitchell’s father and a board member of Little Giants Foundation. “You can’t imagine the joy and thrill Mitchell is experiencing right now waiting to hit his first ball.”

More than 1,000 people across Tulsa are expected to attend the event. Although entrance to the game is free, all fundraising proceeds from the game will benefit Little Giants Foundation. Local television celebrity Cindy Morrison will perform The National Anthem and will encourage the crowd to sing along with her rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame in the third inning. Donation boxes will be conveniently located around the park.

Corporate sponsors are desperately needed to join our fight. Call Troy Cupps at 918.852.3244 or email troy@littlegiantsfoundation.org for more information about sponsorships. Sponsors will be given logo positioning in the game program and the knowledge that their financial investment plays a critical role toward a cure for Schimke Immuno-osseous Dysplasia, one of the rarest forms of dwarfism. Become a part of Little Giants Foundation and this once-in-a-lifetime event.

A donor has stepped up and agreed to match dollar for dollar the first $10,000 that the Little Giants Foundation raises. So make you donation count double today!

Hello!

Thank you in advance for the next minute of your time. You’ve received this email because I’ve asked virtually everyone I know in the world to forward this to at least five or more of their friends, family and colleagues in the hope that together (and yes, one by one!) we can do something remarkable.

My five-year-old son Mitchell was recently diagnosed with Schimke Immunoosseous Dysplasia—a complicated medical term for one of the rarest forms of Dwarfism. Unlike most dwarfs you’ve seen, Mitchell is perfectly proportioned but stands only 27-1/2 inches tall and weighs 18 pounds. His condition is so rare that Mitchell is only one of four others in the United States who have been diagnosed with Schimke, and one of only 45 across the world. It’s believed that many more children may have Schimke but the journey to a diagnosis (like ours) can take years and most die from the symptoms of kidney failure or stroke before they’ve been accurately diagnosed.

I write you today because doctors in British Columbia, who have worked on their own time, money and resources, have cloned Mitchell’s genes and believe that Ataluren (originally developed for those with Muscular Dystrophy) could be the cure we and other parents of children with Schimke have been waiting for. This is a shovel-ready project that offers extraordinary promise—so much promise in fact we established Little Giants Foundation (www.LittleGiantsFoundation.org) to share this advancement with other parents of children with rare types of Dwarfism and to communicate our needs that will bring us closer to a cure.

Actress Farrah Fawcett, who battled a rare form of cancer and recently lost her fight, questioned why there was little to no funding for medical conditions that affect only a few. I believe the answer lies with us and our power as human beings to make something happen... to not be content to wait for government or pharmaceutical companies to get an “ah-ha” moment that leads to funding. If each person who receives this email contributes just $25 to Little Giants Foundation, we can complete the testing that could save my son’s life and the lives of other Schimke children.

Just imagine what that means for a minute. If you contribute $25 and five of your friends, family or co-workers contribute $25, and each one of them forwards this email to five others who contribute, and the movement spreads far and wide, we could raise the $3 million needed to complete this testing over the next few years. There’s no doubt in my heart that we can do this together.

Maybe you can't contribute financially now, but please consider a few of our other needs to help get this message out.

•· Visit our Website. Read about Mitchell, learn more about our fight, then post a www.LittleGiantsFoundation.org link on your Facebook or Twitter page.

•· Become an angel for Schimke and pray for us.

•· If you own a business or know of someone who can donate T-shirts, banners, or other items that communicate Little Giants Foundation, please contact us.

•· Forward this email to your company’s human resources department and ask if they would consider electronically broadcasting this email to employees or posting it in a common area. (Please don’t do this without securing permission.)

•· If you or a friend knows a celebrity that could lend their voice to our cause, please tell them about us.

•· If you would like to sponsor a fundraiser in your city for Little Giants Foundation, please contact us.

•· We have everything we need to produce a documentary on Mitchell except for the camera. We hope to gain the broadest audience for this film so it must be shot on an acceptable format for television broadcast or film festivals. Our crew needs a Sony XD Cam EX with record cards and extra batteries. We’ve priced this at approximately $8,500. We have professional crew, lights and all editing capabilities. If you or someone you know would be willing to donate this camera equipment to help our cause, please contact us.

The fact is, we are quickly running out of time but we are so very, very close to a cure.

Finally, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading our plea and contributing in any way you can to save my son’s life and potentially the lives of other children with rare forms of Dwarfism. I hope you’ll take a moment to forward our story to at least five others or more who you believe can help us. We will continue to post our progress on www.LittleGiantsFoundation.org.

As a parent of a child facing the greatest odds imaginable, I am not too proud to ask for the help of friends or strangers. But our family is equally determined to bring the widest attention possible to a condition that is curable. We are almost there...and we will not go quietly.

Troy Cupps