Pass the Smile for Ben - December
Pass the Smile for Ben is a Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) fund set up in memory of Ben Crowther to raise awareness and funds for research into rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer that Ben suffered from.
The team behind Pass the Smile for Ben are Ben Crowther’s family: Mum Sarah, Dad Scott and brothers Harry and James. There are assisted by an amazing team of volunteers who fundraise for Pass the Smile throughout the year.
Since their work began, the Pass the Smile team has raised well over £120,000 for research into rhabdomyosarcoma. The team has organised some amazing events for Pass the Smile including painting the town gold in 2019, 2020 and 2021 for the 'Go Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness month' in September. Ben's mum, Sarah Crowther is involved in Go Gold international and raises money and awareness of childhood cancer each September by mobilising the community, especially in Earlsdon and Whoberley, where Ben was well known and much loved. The size of the community effort has grown year on year and 2021’s ‘Bennis the Menace’ theme was an amazing community celebration.
Ben’s dad, Scott Crowther, has also set up a Christmas tree collection to raise money for Pass the Smile and Myton Hospices equally. This initiative has been running for 3 years and raised £38,000 for rhabdomyosarcoma research in 2021 alone.
Pass the Smile for Ben has brought both the communities of Earlsdon and Whoberley together. Each year, their fundraising and awareness efforts get bigger and bigger. The community mobilisation is part of the reason why the Pass the Smile for Ben team has been so successful and fundraising for childhood cancer awareness month is now a much-anticipated event in the communities’ calendars.