Bingo games benefit leukemia fund

	Photo by Sam Yu The Frederick Moose Lodge 371 hosts a basket bingo fundraising event Sunday afternoon to benefit the Mackenzie McCarter Leukemia Fund. Melissa McCarter of Hagerstown holds her shy daughter Mackenzie, 4, in a room full of players.

The 4-year-old's family and friends chipped in to show their support Sunday at a basket bingo fundraiser.

More than two hundred people crowded the Frederick Moose Lodge 371, dabbers and bingo sheets at hand. About 30 baskets filled with toys, snacks and toiletries lined the venue.

Mackenzie, who lives in Hagerstown, came to the bingo, but left before it ended because she became tired.

Her cousin, Deanna Sheckles-Hawse, helped organize the family's first fundraiser for the cause, which was sponsored by the Jeremy Foundation.

Sheckles-Hawse, of Frederick, expected the bingo fundraiser to raise almost $10,000, but did not have a total amount Sunday night.

Dianne Ryan started the Jeremy Foundation after her nephew Jeremy died at age 3 from ependymoma, a type of brain tumor that can start in the brain or spinal cord, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The organization reaches out to families with children who are battling cancer, Ryan said, helping them to cover the costs of nonmedical expenses.

Insurance does not cover food, gas, electricity bills and mortgage payments, she said. And, parents often have to stop working to care for the child.

Mackenzie's mother, Melissa, has had to take an extended leave of absence without pay from her job. She had recently been hired as a teacher in Washington County.

The foundation helps ease financial burdens for such families by organizing fundraisers, Ryan said.

The foundation has organized several basket bingos for 10-year-old Emily Zimmerman, of Walkersville, who came to play bingo at Mackenzie's fundraiser with her mother, Sandy Zimmerman.

For the Zimmermans, the fight against cancer is all too familiar -- and fresh in their minds.

Emily was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2005. She will undergo her last round of chemotherapy Dec. 18.

Holding on to her raffle tickets and getting ready for the games to begin, Sandy Zimmerman said she and her daughter attended the bingo as way of giving back.

"We support her because so many people supported us."

By Sarah Fortney