A carnival that raises money for pediatric brain cancer approaches its fifth year next month with aspirations to again top $60,000, and some appealing raffle prizes to attract participants.
Organizer Lynn Whittington started the annual carnivals after her son, Peyton Whittington, died of a brain cancer, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, at age 5 in June 2013. An inoperable, tentacle-like tumor had encased the boy’s brain stem.
It’s the fifth year for the carnival at Ceraland Park which contributes to a fund used to create research grants into pediatric brain cancer.
This year’s event will be 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 9 at the park, 3989 S. County Road 525E, featuring carnival games and food, music, raffles, prizes and fireworks.
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A set of 1½-carat diamond earrings will be raffled this year, with raffle tickets available in advance at indiana.thecurestartsnow.org. Raffle tickets for the earrings are $20 per ticket with one free when you purchase four.
A full-size playhouse, donated by the Rouse and Cook families in Columbus, perfect for a home backyard, is also being raffled. The playhouse raffle has generated a lot of interest, Whittington said. Those raffle tickets are $25 per ticket or three tickets for $50, also available at indiana.thecurestartsnow.org.
All other raffle items will be $25 for a 25-ticket sheet of raffle tickets, $40 for two sheets and $50 for three sheets, Whittington said. The winners will be posted after the drawings at the event.
A special games area geared to toddlers will be offered again at the carnival, and pony rides — always a favorite — are returning. A magic show and music by Night Owl are also planned. The Blast Off for Peyton fireworks will begin at dusk.
Attendance at this year’s carnival is expected to increase from the expected 500 to 1,000, Whittington said. With a baseball tournament in Columbus that weekend, organizers have been recruiting teams to attend the carnival, which could lift attendance expectations to 2,000 people, she said.
Carnival origins
The idea for the carnival came from an event June 2, 2013, two days before Peyton’s death. A group of family and friends had staged an informal carnival at the Whittington home near Columbus, where Peyton had a chance to mingle with everyone. Whittington now believes it was destined to be Peyton’s farewell to his friends, something that was a gift to the family, although they didn’t know that Peyton had just hours to live.
The next year, Whittington said she decided to stage a similar carnival with a goal of raising $5,000, just enough to start the Indiana chapter. But instead, the 2014 carnival raised $30,000 — and the 2015 carnival raised $40,000, all of it going toward The Cure Starts Now research. In 2016, the carnival raised $47,000.
By 2017, the goal was increased to $50,000, but the total surpassed $66,000, with about 1,000 people attending the event. This year’s carnival goal, at the five-year mark, is $60,000, and Whittington is hopeful organizers will reach or exceed that amount.
“It was his golden year,” she said of her son at age 5. “Gold is the color for this year’s event.”
Gold is also the color of the childhood cancer ribbon worn in memory of those fighting cancer.
She remembers Peyton, who arrived with twin brother Stillman, as a child who could light up a room and had a belly laugh that most people couldn’t help but join in when they heard it.
Whittington said she is especially grateful to Jennifer Steinwedel, who has partnered with the Whittington family to organize the carnival and has been indispensible to the effort.
Every year, the carnival honors a local youngster who is undergoing treatment for cancer. This year’s Star of the Day is Columbus’ Alana Cook, who was declared cancer free two years ago at age 13 after undergoing six months of radiation and chemotherapy to treat a papillary tumor, a rare and malignant form of brain cancer. After her treatment, tests came back showing no evidence of disease and doctors said the cancer was in remission.
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What: Fifth Annual Carnival for the Cure
To benefit: Peyton’s Angels Indiana Chapter The Cure Starts Now Foundation
When: 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 9
Where: Ceraland Park, 3989 S. County Road 525E, Columbus
Activities: Carnival games, prizes, live entertainment, silent auction, magician, pony rides, fireworks, carnival food
How much: Ceraland offers free admission to the park. Games and rides are one, two or three tickets. Tickets may be purchased at the event at a cost of $10 for 10 tickets, or $20 for 25 tickets. Individual bracelets for unlimited games are $20.
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To make a donation to Peyton’s Angels Indiana Chapter of The Cure Starts Now, visit indiana.thecurestartsnow.org/
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To learn more about pediatric brain cancer, visit thecurestartsnow.org.
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