Pine-based nonprofit 412 Gives Back raises $9,624 for One Day to Remember

Some want to take their families on vacation. Others ask to have parties or go on shopping sprees.

And meeting celebrities is high on the list of requests that the Make-A-Wish Foundation receives from critically ill children around the globe. In fact, Guinness World Records cites wrestler-turned-actor John Cena as fulfilling the most of those types of wishes, by a wide margin.

Recognizing the potential for such opportunities to help youngsters on the road to recovery, the Pine residents who established the nonprofit 412 Gives Back chose to focus initial fundraising efforts in support of Make-A-Wish’s Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapter.

“But then, what happens if Mommy and Daddy are sick?” 412 Gives Back co-founder Billie Higgins asked.

About a decade ago, oncology nurse Rachel Antin wondered something similar, especially after forming a friendship with a cancer patient who was a single mother.

“She was just really struggling to find quality family time,” Antin said. “I decided I would try to do something special for her, which blossomed into doing something special for about seven other families.”

In 2016, Antin formed One Day to Remember, a nonprofit that provides enjoyable experiences for families in which a parent has advanced-stage cancer and at least one child who is 18 or younger. The average cost is $2,500, covering activities, transportation, meals and a professional portrait session, at no expense to the family.

“In February, we did our 500th outing as an organization,” Antin reported. “Our goal for this year is 300 family outings.”

Toward that objective, One Day to Remember is receiving a financial boost from 412 Gives Back, as per Higgins and fellow founder Amy Fleming.

“Following Make-A-Wish, Amy and I had a tough decision to pick another beneficiary,” Higgins said. “But we always had One Day to Remember in the back of our minds because we love Rachel and we love the organization.”

She and Fleming got to know Antin by attending her nonprofit’s annual One Bite One Day event — “We usually bring a party bus full of people,” Higgins reported — and generally supporting philanthropic efforts in the region.

“They are such warm and wonderful people who truly want to make a difference in the lives of the Pittsburgh community and the families here,” Antin said. “We’re just grateful and honored to be chosen by them.”

For starters, a May 22 Stock the Cellar event raised $9,624 for One Day to Remember. The night at Elia Mediterranean Grille in Marshall, which provided guests with a fine assortment of food, centered on collecting donations of bottles for a wine pull at the third annual 412 Gives Back Gala, scheduled for Jan. 31.

During Stock the Cellar, Allie Heyward of Align Home and Living presented a “pop-up” shop and donated 10% of proceeds from the event, plus sales through Memorial Day weekend, to One Day to Remember. Photographer Tiffany Cooper of Hot Metal Studios volunteered her time and talents for the second year in a row, and Aladdin’s and Gabby’s Cookie Jar donated the desserts.

The next 412 Gives Back fundraising venture is the third annual 412 Kids Lemonade Stand Day on June 30. Details are available at 412givesback.org.

For more information about One Day to Remember, visit onedaytoremember.org.