The Hillsdale streets lay quiet Saturday night, Jan. 22, as heavy snow blanketed the county. While most people stayed home during the storm, 200 braved the weather, gathering at Savarino's Restaurant to encourage and raise money for Jill Shreffler, Hillsdale resident, wife of a Charger football coach, mother of three and a cancer patient.
In July 2004, Shreffler was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer even rarer in adults. The next month Shreffler began the aggressive chemotherapy treatments that have continued to shrink the cancer until her recent surgery removed most of the growth from her neck Jan. 14.
The combination dinner, reverse raffle and silent auction raised well over their goal of $15,000 for the Shreffler family. At the dinner, her husband, Nate Shreffler, acknowledged the contributions of former and present football players, classmates, friends and family saying, “Thank you—not just for being with us tonight, but for being with us all through this.”
John Waldvogel, a friend of Nate's from their days as Hillsdale students and Delta Sigma Phi brothers, helped plan the fundraiser. He said talk about the dinner began at the Charger football game in Ford Stadium last fall as some of Shreffler's classmates and graduated players wanted to help.
Kathy Petersen, wife of Dean Aaron Petersen and a local nurse, became friends with Jill Shreffler when delivering her baby shortly after the couple moved back to the area. Petersen joined the effort early on and said their success was because of “a great response from the community.”
Petersen mentioned members of the college, the town, St. Anthony's Church and Delta Sigma Phi who made the evening possible. Some local businesses also pitched in: Aeroswift Printing printed raffle tickets for free; John and Colleen Savarino donated the hall rental and a portion of the dinner cost; Lynne Williams, president of Mauck Elementary School, was integral to the planning; Andy Losick advertised the event on the Charger Web site; others donated gift baskets and money; and many others contributed generously on Jill Shreffler's behalf as well.
Shannon White, Jill Shreffler's sister, came up from Dayton, Ohio, for the event. She has been making the three-hour trip every three weeks during Shreffler's treatments, and she says they “are as close as sisters can be.”
White said: “[Hillsdale] is an amazing place. They've been here less than five years and we walk in and see all these people here who opened their hearts to them and it's just amazing.”
At the dinner Nate Shreffler said Jill begins the next series of radiation treatments this week. Calling the road ahead the home stretch , he said, “We're positive everything is going to turn out just fine.”
“She has been incredibly strong this whole time—Nate too—they're definitely examples of strength and faith,” Kathy Petersen said.
Nate Shreffler also said they are “grateful for all the support we've gotten—it's inspiring because when you get down to the bad days, then you get those phone calls, cards and e-mails, and it means so much.”
“It's not exceptional for Hillsdale; it's just another example of just how special this place is,” hesaid.