Children's Fundraisers Saw Huge Success

When North Andover lends a hand, the town motto might as well be "Give Big or Go Home."

Last Saturday, supporters of Tommy Cox -- the 10-year-old boy who lost a leg in a recent boating accident -- had a fundraiser at Jaime's in which volunteers sold t-shirts and wristbands.

Down the road at the VFW, crowds gathered at a fundraiser for Gabby Morgan, a 7-year-old girl battling cancer.

Both events were huge successes.

"On Saturday, we made $3,100 including 5 percent of sales from Jaime's," said Dina Papi, friend of the Cox family and organizer for Tommy Strong. "This week alone, we've recieved $7,400 in funds, which has brought our fund raising up to $19,000!"

When he is stable, Tommy is set to be transferred from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire to Spaulding Rehab in Boston. And when he comes home, his family will have to remodel their home to accommodate his needs.

The fundraiser for Gabbi was sold out and raised an astounding $28,000, North Andover Police Sgt. Tim Crane -- who helped organize the event, said.

That's right, $28,000. Crane gives much of the credit to Morgan family member Aggie O'Brien.

"Aggy O'Brien was a critical part of this," Crane said. "She was the one who was the main juice in this thing."

Gabby was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: a form of cancer that interferes with production of white blood cells in the bone marrow.

There will be another fundraiser for Tommy on Oct. 26 at the Stevens Estate. At that event, Pepi said the goal is $30,000. Visit www.tommystrong.com for more information or to order tickets.

There are no specific events planned yet for Gabby in the near future, but there is an ongoing fundraiser at GabbyRoad.org. Gabby will be in Boston for six months and then may need a bone marrow transplant, Crane said.