People

Brotherly love prompts cancer fundraising

“It is truly amazing how something so tragic can turn into something positive,” says Fred Laferriere, immediate past president of the Kiwanis Club of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, referring to the death of his brother and his subsequent fundraising crusade to fight his brother’s killer: cancer.

The icy annual Willoughby Lake Dip, which takes place on New Year’s Day, is only one of the cancer fundraisers initiated by St. Johnsbury Kiwanian Fred Laferriere.

“It all began in July 2000,” Fred says. “My brother Jake had returned to Maine to participate in an annual race on July 4. It was days after that race that Jake took himself to the doctor for abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent treatment for the cancer but soon learned the cancer had progressed and the treatments weren’t working. Jake spent his last days surrounded by his family and friends. He died on August 14, 2000.

“During my grieving, I knew I wanted to do something to help fight this disease,” Fred continues. “On January 1, 2001, with a few relatives by my side, I jumped into a local lake. I considered this my survival run. If I survived this, I would organize an event where many relatives and friends would raise money to donate to the American Cancer Society (ACS).”

Fred survived the frigid submersion, and a year later—January 1, 2002—the first official Willoughby Lake Dip took place.

“With about 20 family members and friends, we ‘dipped’ ourselves into 35-degree (Fahrenheit) water to raise money for the ACS,” he says.

The event has taken place every January 1 since.

In the early months of 2005, the ACS asked Fred to consider organizing the first Caledonia County Relay for Life. (The Relay for Life is an overnight walk in which teams of people solicit donations for the ACS. Each team has at least one member walking at all times throughout the 12- to 14-hour event.)

“It was a challenge I could not refuse,” Fred says. “The results of the first relay were simply amazing. Our goal was to raise US$50,000. When the final tally came in, it was a staggering $128,000. It was truly unbelievable.

“For the second relay we had a goal of $150,000. Again, when the total was revealed the community was astonished: We had raised more than $209,000!

“It has been my motto that ‘It’s all about a community that takes up the fight.’ These results clearly prove that this community is ready and willing to take up the fight.”

Fred’s community includes his Kiwanis club, which has supported his efforts from the beginning.

“The club had a team of 16 members participate in this year’s relay,” Fred says. “There were numerous other club members who were participants on other teams at the relay. Not only did members of the Kiwanis club participate in the relay, but several of them also participated in the 2006 Lake Dip. The support of the club has been great. We are a very spirited group!”

As a surprise, his co-Kiwanians worked diligently—even editing his Kiwanis newsletters so he would not know they were nominating him for one of the area’s most prestigious awards, the Northeast Kingdom Chamber Citizen of the Year. Fred received the award this past spring for his tireless fundraising efforts.