RUMFORD — Tabaitha Steward hasn’t stopped working to raise everyone’s awareness of childhood cancer even though her 10-year-old daughter Hailey succumbed to leukemia on Sept. 23 last year. If anything, she and her Team Hailey Hugs organization are doing even more to raise money to help families in need from Maine and throughout the U.S.

One of her ongoing projects that began more than a year ago with Hailey’s help has been to get “every town and every school in the state of Maine to ‘go gold’ and sign a proclamation” to be aware of childhood cancer.

“It’s a permanent proclamation; it will say that September is childhood cancer awareness month and they are going to (either) raise money for childhood cancer, (or) put up a flag in their town, gold ribbons, whatever, as long as they can show support for childhood cancer,” Steward said.

So far she has schools in Bethel, Andover and Rumford among others, and more than 40 towns have signed up for the childhood cancer awareness proclamation.

Another goal of Stewards’ Team Hailey Hugs is to get 2,000 Mainers to pre-register and purchase a $35 gold childhood cancer awareness license plate. By registering for the childhood cancer awareness plates, there is the potential of raising $200,000 for the Maine Children Cancer program every year by the renewal of the plates.

“We wanted people to know about childhood cancer, and we also wanted them to be able to find us. The license plate says Haileyhugs.org, and that’s what we’re about; getting our names out there so we can help more families,” Steward said.

Even the design of the license plate was created by Hailey. “We wanted it to be gold, and the black butterfly (stands) for all the kids that have passed away,” Steward said.

Other upcoming fundraising events for children with cancer and their families are a softball tournament in Mexico on Aug. 19 and the second annual Maine Goes Gold for Childhood Cancer event on Sept. 1 in Bethel. The free family event will feature music, vendors, a parade, entertainment for children and fireworks.

Steward recently received an $800 donation from United Steelworkers Local 900 Women of Steel Committee. Four ND Paper-Rumford Mill employees Jamie Tracy, Maureen Adley, Chairperson Linda Deane and Judilee Whittemore presented the check to Steward.

“The committee promotes training for women in leadership roles, not just for the union but to try to be a better leader at your job, home and (community),” Deane said.

Besides promoting leadership skills in women, they help their community by raising money for those in need by having food and clothing drives to donate to area causes.

For more information on Team Hailey Hugs’ events and fundraising, go to their Facebook page or the website haileyhugs.org.

mhutchinson@sunmediagroup.net

United Steelworkers Local 900 members of Women of Steel Committee of ND Paper in Rumford present Bethel’s Team Hailey Hugs Tabaitha Steward, center, with a check for $800 from their organization. Local 900 members from left, Jamie Tracy, Maureen Adley, Chair Linda Deane and Judilee Whittemore presented Steward with the check. (Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times)

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