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Growing Roots
Poison Free is initiating its Growing Roots sustainable gardening program for low-income housing and local communities starting in the Spring of 2009. For more information please visit the Poison Free website by Clicking Here
Angels in the details: charity to help girl get tumor treatment
WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2009 :: Last modified: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 11:12 AM EDT - Beaver County Times (link)
By Tom Fontaine, Times Staff
Times photo by CHRISTINA BAIRD
Taylor Irvin, 14, sits on the couch where she sleeps most nights in the family room of her Rochester Township home. Taylor, who has a large bone cell tumor in her head, will get some help in getting to Boston for treatment from charity group Angel Flight Northeast.
ROCHESTER TWP. — Taylor Irvin has never flown on a plane, and the prospect of doing so frightens the 14-year-old Rochester Township girl.
But the giant bone cell tumor in her head requires specialized treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, so Taylor and her mother, Jennifer, are making arrangements for springtime flights to Boston. There she will undergo an initial weeklong consultation and then have up to eight weeks of radiation treatment.
Booking commercial flights to and from Boston would have been more than just a financial strain for Taylor’s family.
“We’re your average, common family. We live paycheck to paycheck,” said Jennifer Irvin, who runs the kitchen at Rochester’s Hollywood Gardens bar and lounge.
Her husband, Ron, is a machinist at Hussey Copper in Leetsdale, and they have three children in addition to Taylor, a 6-year-old son and two teenage girls with special needs who were orphaned by the death of Ron’s sister.
But the Irvins won’t have to worry about springing for costly commercial flights, thanks to a nonprofit group called Angel Flight Northeast.
ANGEL FLIGHT
Angel Flight Northeast, based in North Andover, Mass., was founded 13 years ago to provide free flights to those who need medical care but can’t afford airfare to reach faraway treatment destinations or live in rural areas where there isn’t easy access to a commercial airport.
Since then, using more than 1,200 private pilots who volunteer their time to fly small private planes and covering all the flying expenses, Angel Flight has made more than 50,000 flights covering 7.7 million miles.
The vast majority of those helped are from the Northeast, and about half are children, most suffering from cancer or severe burns, the group says.
COMING TOGETHER
Sylvan Rotuna of Rochester Township, who said he went to school with Taylor Irvin’s grandfather, is a member of a motorcycle club called Charity Riders. The group plans to raise money for the sick teen through its annual motorcycle run to Erie this summer.
When Pat Smith of Daugherty Township, who attends St. Cecilia Catholic Church with Rotuna, learned of the motorcycle run, she told him about Angel Flight. She said her brother has been involved with a sister group, Angel Flight Southeast, for years in Florida.
“It’s funny how things work. I’d never heard of Angel Flight before all this. But truthfully, I was totally unaware of all kinds of things until we were put in this situation,” Jennifer Irvin said.
Among other things, “You learn you’re a lot stronger than you thought you were and that there are so many good people out there willing to help — some you don’t even know.”
‘A FIGHTER’
Taylor’s diagnosis came out of nowhere.
Early this fall, the freshman at Rochester Area High School reported vision problems. She got glasses in October, but her condition worsened. Her eyes became increasingly sensitive to light, and her left eye began to droop.
In November, Taylor went to an eye specialist who referred her to Heritage Valley Beaver, where doctors discovered the tumor.
Taylor was diagnosed the day before Thanksgiving and, during the week before Christmas, she underwent two surgeries to remove the tumor at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
By the end of January, the tumor had started growing back, Jennifer Irvin said. Taylor could undergo a third operation locally in the coming weeks to remove as much of the tumor as possible, her mother said, and then it’s off to Boston later this spring.
Taylor is optimistic.
“I want to sing in the spring choral concert this year,” said Taylor, a member of Rochester’s high school chorus, her favorite school activity.
Taylor hasn’t been to school since November, when the tumor and medications used to combat it began draining her energy, giving her awful headaches and making her nauseous. She spends much of her time on the living-room couch, which Taylor equates to “being grounded.” Her friends often come to visit or spend the night.
On “good days” Taylor can make it out of the house to hang out with friends for a few hours at a time.
Last week Taylor went out with some friends and got a blue streak dyed in her long brown hair at Sherry’s Men and Women’s Hair Styling in Rochester. Her mother didn’t mind — the streaks are raising money to help the Irvins with their expenses.
Sherry Kibler, owner of the salon, said she launched a campaign last week in which the salon will dye or clip blue, pink or blond extensions into customers’ hair for $10 to benefit the family. So far, about 20 girls have gotten the streaks, she said. The campaign runs through April.
Despite being largely confined to the living-room couch, all the bad diagnoses and the upcoming treatment ahead, Taylor remains upbeat. Her mother calls her “a fighter.”
“I just have to be. I think it helps. Getting down isn’t going to help anything,” she said.
As for her fear of flying?
“I’m afraid to fly, but I can’t wait to get on the plane. I want to get better,” Taylor said.
Tom Fontaine can be reached online at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
ANGEL FLIGHT NORTHEAST
* Mission: Providing free flights to those who need medical care but can’t afford airfare to faraway destinations for treatment or who live in rural areas without easy access to a commercial airport.
* Founded: 1996
* Volunteer pilots: 1,200
* Charity flights made: 50,000
* Miles flown: 7.7 million
THE TUMOR
Taylor Irvin’s giant bone cell tumor is extremely rare — so rare that Taylor and her family have taken to calling it “the Taylor tumor.”
According to Jennifer Irvin, the tumor normally afflicts adults 30 to 50 years old, growing on leg, arm and shoulder bones. She said Taylor’s tumor is based in her skull and has grown into her brain and wrapped around her sinuses. It’s now about the size of a golf ball.
“I saw it (on an MRI) for the first time two weeks ago,” Taylor said. “It was overwhelming.”
Jennifer Irvin said her daughter could soon undergo a third surgery at Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital to remove as much of the tumor as possible before going to Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital for six to eight weeks of proton-beam raditation treatment that will attack parts of the tumor in Taylor’s sinuses.
By Tom Fontaine, Times Staff
Times photo by CHRISTINA BAIRD
Taylor Irvin, 14, sits on the couch where she sleeps most nights in the family room of her Rochester Township home. Taylor, who has a large bone cell tumor in her head, will get some help in getting to Boston for treatment from charity group Angel Flight Northeast.
ROCHESTER TWP. — Taylor Irvin has never flown on a plane, and the prospect of doing so frightens the 14-year-old Rochester Township girl.
But the giant bone cell tumor in her head requires specialized treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, so Taylor and her mother, Jennifer, are making arrangements for springtime flights to Boston. There she will undergo an initial weeklong consultation and then have up to eight weeks of radiation treatment.
Booking commercial flights to and from Boston would have been more than just a financial strain for Taylor’s family.
“We’re your average, common family. We live paycheck to paycheck,” said Jennifer Irvin, who runs the kitchen at Rochester’s Hollywood Gardens bar and lounge.
Her husband, Ron, is a machinist at Hussey Copper in Leetsdale, and they have three children in addition to Taylor, a 6-year-old son and two teenage girls with special needs who were orphaned by the death of Ron’s sister.
But the Irvins won’t have to worry about springing for costly commercial flights, thanks to a nonprofit group called Angel Flight Northeast.
ANGEL FLIGHT
Angel Flight Northeast, based in North Andover, Mass., was founded 13 years ago to provide free flights to those who need medical care but can’t afford airfare to reach faraway treatment destinations or live in rural areas where there isn’t easy access to a commercial airport.
Since then, using more than 1,200 private pilots who volunteer their time to fly small private planes and covering all the flying expenses, Angel Flight has made more than 50,000 flights covering 7.7 million miles.
The vast majority of those helped are from the Northeast, and about half are children, most suffering from cancer or severe burns, the group says.
COMING TOGETHER
Sylvan Rotuna of Rochester Township, who said he went to school with Taylor Irvin’s grandfather, is a member of a motorcycle club called Charity Riders. The group plans to raise money for the sick teen through its annual motorcycle run to Erie this summer.
When Pat Smith of Daugherty Township, who attends St. Cecilia Catholic Church with Rotuna, learned of the motorcycle run, she told him about Angel Flight. She said her brother has been involved with a sister group, Angel Flight Southeast, for years in Florida.
“It’s funny how things work. I’d never heard of Angel Flight before all this. But truthfully, I was totally unaware of all kinds of things until we were put in this situation,” Jennifer Irvin said.
Among other things, “You learn you’re a lot stronger than you thought you were and that there are so many good people out there willing to help — some you don’t even know.”
‘A FIGHTER’
Taylor’s diagnosis came out of nowhere.
Early this fall, the freshman at Rochester Area High School reported vision problems. She got glasses in October, but her condition worsened. Her eyes became increasingly sensitive to light, and her left eye began to droop.
In November, Taylor went to an eye specialist who referred her to Heritage Valley Beaver, where doctors discovered the tumor.
Taylor was diagnosed the day before Thanksgiving and, during the week before Christmas, she underwent two surgeries to remove the tumor at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
By the end of January, the tumor had started growing back, Jennifer Irvin said. Taylor could undergo a third operation locally in the coming weeks to remove as much of the tumor as possible, her mother said, and then it’s off to Boston later this spring.
Taylor is optimistic.
“I want to sing in the spring choral concert this year,” said Taylor, a member of Rochester’s high school chorus, her favorite school activity.
Taylor hasn’t been to school since November, when the tumor and medications used to combat it began draining her energy, giving her awful headaches and making her nauseous. She spends much of her time on the living-room couch, which Taylor equates to “being grounded.” Her friends often come to visit or spend the night.
On “good days” Taylor can make it out of the house to hang out with friends for a few hours at a time.
Last week Taylor went out with some friends and got a blue streak dyed in her long brown hair at Sherry’s Men and Women’s Hair Styling in Rochester. Her mother didn’t mind — the streaks are raising money to help the Irvins with their expenses.
Sherry Kibler, owner of the salon, said she launched a campaign last week in which the salon will dye or clip blue, pink or blond extensions into customers’ hair for $10 to benefit the family. So far, about 20 girls have gotten the streaks, she said. The campaign runs through April.
Despite being largely confined to the living-room couch, all the bad diagnoses and the upcoming treatment ahead, Taylor remains upbeat. Her mother calls her “a fighter.”
“I just have to be. I think it helps. Getting down isn’t going to help anything,” she said.
As for her fear of flying?
“I’m afraid to fly, but I can’t wait to get on the plane. I want to get better,” Taylor said.
Tom Fontaine can be reached online at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
ANGEL FLIGHT NORTHEAST
* Mission: Providing free flights to those who need medical care but can’t afford airfare to faraway destinations for treatment or who live in rural areas without easy access to a commercial airport.
* Founded: 1996
* Volunteer pilots: 1,200
* Charity flights made: 50,000
* Miles flown: 7.7 million
THE TUMOR
Taylor Irvin’s giant bone cell tumor is extremely rare — so rare that Taylor and her family have taken to calling it “the Taylor tumor.”
According to Jennifer Irvin, the tumor normally afflicts adults 30 to 50 years old, growing on leg, arm and shoulder bones. She said Taylor’s tumor is based in her skull and has grown into her brain and wrapped around her sinuses. It’s now about the size of a golf ball.
“I saw it (on an MRI) for the first time two weeks ago,” Taylor said. “It was overwhelming.”
Jennifer Irvin said her daughter could soon undergo a third surgery at Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital to remove as much of the tumor as possible before going to Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital for six to eight weeks of proton-beam raditation treatment that will attack parts of the tumor in Taylor’s sinuses.
CCBC Summer Camps
Poison Free has been asked by CCBC to offer each of its three programs as distinct summer camps for the local community in the Summer of 2009. The camps will be on Creative Technology (Extreme Photoshop), Project Green (Applied Ecology), and DrumTrail. To learn more visit CCBC online or the Poison Free website by Clicking Here
Local programs unite to help kids
By Larissa Theodore, Times Staff
MONDAY MARCH 30, 2009 :: Last modified: Monday, March 30, 2009 12:09 AM EDT
Longtime friends Brooks Canavesi and Steve Wetzel both graduated from Blackhawk High School and Penn State University. The two have something else in common: a desire to help children.
Their organization, Frontline Initiative, does just that via Poison Free, a program headed by Canavesi, 30, of Brighton Township, and the Hero Program, headed by Wetzel, 33, of Monaca.
The Hero Program serves the needs of terminally ill children and their families and encourages messages of hope and strength. Wetzel said the program also gives sick kids a much-needed diversion from their everyday suffering.
“I truly believe children who are terminally ill, they’re the real heroes — and their families,” Wetzel said.
“What we’re doing is filling the gaps that some of the older organizations are missing,” Wetzel said. “It’s such a good organization, and we have so much to offer. It’s a way to really help the youth and future generations.”
As a way to support sick children and help their families financially, the organization has begun a fundraiser in which sponsors receive wristbands, each engraved with a number that corresponds with a child.
Wristbands may be ordered through www.heroprogram.org.
Donors can find current information about the child’s daily progress online and see the effect of their donations. The Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays baseball franchises have agreed to take photos wearing the bracelets, Wetzel and Canavesi said.
Poison Free offers children the opportunity to take graphic design and Web design courses, hands-on programs that teach green sustainability and conservation, and drum and music sessions focusing on peer-pressure resistance.
Canavesi, a financial adviser, had already started the Poison Free nonprofit about two years ago when Wetzel approached him with the Hero idea. The two decided to combine their goals under one organization.
Wetzel, also the Freedom Area High School baseball coach, developed a close relationship with 18-year-old John Challis Jr. of Freedom, who died last year from a rare form of cancer. Wetzel said he always felt a calling to help sick and disabled children.
“By meeting John Challis, he did teach me that there’s a way to help. … There’s so much need out there, there couldn’t be enough support,” Wetzel said.
Wetzel and Canavesi hope the community will respond positively to the wristband fundraiser.
“I’ve seen Beaver County come together in the past, and I know they can do it again,” Wetzel said, referring to how the community pulled together to rally around Challis during his last months.
Challis’ oncologist, Dr. Anthony Graves of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, is the organization’s board president.
Larissa Theodore can be reached online at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
THE INITIATIVES
Poison Free
Hero Program
MONDAY MARCH 30, 2009 :: Last modified: Monday, March 30, 2009 12:09 AM EDT
Longtime friends Brooks Canavesi and Steve Wetzel both graduated from Blackhawk High School and Penn State University. The two have something else in common: a desire to help children.
Their organization, Frontline Initiative, does just that via Poison Free, a program headed by Canavesi, 30, of Brighton Township, and the Hero Program, headed by Wetzel, 33, of Monaca.
The Hero Program serves the needs of terminally ill children and their families and encourages messages of hope and strength. Wetzel said the program also gives sick kids a much-needed diversion from their everyday suffering.
“I truly believe children who are terminally ill, they’re the real heroes — and their families,” Wetzel said.
“What we’re doing is filling the gaps that some of the older organizations are missing,” Wetzel said. “It’s such a good organization, and we have so much to offer. It’s a way to really help the youth and future generations.”
As a way to support sick children and help their families financially, the organization has begun a fundraiser in which sponsors receive wristbands, each engraved with a number that corresponds with a child.
Wristbands may be ordered through www.heroprogram.org.
Donors can find current information about the child’s daily progress online and see the effect of their donations. The Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays baseball franchises have agreed to take photos wearing the bracelets, Wetzel and Canavesi said.
Poison Free offers children the opportunity to take graphic design and Web design courses, hands-on programs that teach green sustainability and conservation, and drum and music sessions focusing on peer-pressure resistance.
Canavesi, a financial adviser, had already started the Poison Free nonprofit about two years ago when Wetzel approached him with the Hero idea. The two decided to combine their goals under one organization.
Wetzel, also the Freedom Area High School baseball coach, developed a close relationship with 18-year-old John Challis Jr. of Freedom, who died last year from a rare form of cancer. Wetzel said he always felt a calling to help sick and disabled children.
“By meeting John Challis, he did teach me that there’s a way to help. … There’s so much need out there, there couldn’t be enough support,” Wetzel said.
Wetzel and Canavesi hope the community will respond positively to the wristband fundraiser.
“I’ve seen Beaver County come together in the past, and I know they can do it again,” Wetzel said, referring to how the community pulled together to rally around Challis during his last months.
Challis’ oncologist, Dr. Anthony Graves of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, is the organization’s board president.
Larissa Theodore can be reached online at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
THE INITIATIVES
Poison Free
- Creative Technology — The free class provides graphic design and Web design courses for children and teens. Web sites have been designed for various businesses.
- Project Green — Teaches children about nutrition and conservation. Next month, the organization plans to break ground on a garden in Morado Dwellings in Beaver Falls.
- Drum Trail — Inspires young children through a rhythmic journey focusing on resisting peer pressure.
Hero Program
- Heroes for Heroes — The program provides bedside entertainment to terminally ill children, such as Sony PlayStation equipment and visits from artists, musicians and athletes.
- Hero Scholarships — Memorial awards are established for high school seniors who inspire children.
- Athletic Camps — Teach healthy children sports and character-building.
Morado Dwellings Garden Ground Breaking
Poison Free and The Prevention Network are pleased to announce installation of The Growing Roots Community Garden at Morado Dwellings in Beaver Falls. Ground allocated by The Housing Authority of Beaver County will be broken this Saturday, May 2, at 1:00 pm. Residents of Morado Dwellings may participate in growing over 20 varieties of vegetable crops for themselves in Bio-Dynamic raised beds. No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides will be used. The garden is to serve as a prototype for future community gardens Poison Free plans to develop in Beaver County.
The Garden will be supervised by Michael McGee, who will also provide hands-on instruction in healthy cooking, composting and other valuable information. McGee, Poison Free’s Environmental Director, holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, and has studied sustainable practices throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii.
The public is invited to this Saturday’s groundbreaking. Learn more at www.poisonfree.org and www.frontlineinitiative.org
The Garden will be supervised by Michael McGee, who will also provide hands-on instruction in healthy cooking, composting and other valuable information. McGee, Poison Free’s Environmental Director, holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, and has studied sustainable practices throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii.
The public is invited to this Saturday’s groundbreaking. Learn more at www.poisonfree.org and www.frontlineinitiative.org
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