Cancer/Health Research Fundraiser and Berner Gift Bonanza
February 14- March 31, 2026
Goal of our 2026 Health Research Fundraiser:
Raise $40,000 to Fund Cancer/Health Research
What Better a Gift to Give the Canine Love of Your Life!
There is probably not a Berner lover out there that hasn't had their lives impacted by histiocytic sarcoma in one way or another. This cancer takes our Berners from us far too often and far too soon. The objective of this fundraiser is to raise $30,000 for the research by Dr. Christopher Contag at Michigan State University using an emerging technique to target and kill cancer cells, focusing on histiocytic sarcoma. The additional $10,000 will go to the BMDCF to fund future studies that impact the health of Bernese Mountain Dogs.
Cancers begin with changes in normal cells that are not detected by the regular immune system. As a result, tumors can grow unchecked. To fix these changes we need treatments that can reach inside the cancer cells. Current treatments fail to do so. In this research, engineered bacteria (quasi-organelles) are developed that can enter into cancer cells and deliver cancer fighting proteins from within. In this research project the focus is on histiocytic sarcoma (HS) a cancer Bernese Mountain Dog owners are all too familiar with.
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Our current fundraiser is to help fund the initial steps of this project to find a novel treatment for HS. The first phase will involve the efficiency by which quasi-organelles can enter cells in laboratory settings. This will be followed by determining their efficacy and safety in dogs with HS. If successful, this research could lead to a new class of cancer therapies.
The BMDCF is committed to funding cancer research in Bernese Mountain Dogs. As a major concern in the breed, research on HS is a priority for all of us. The Berner community has shown its commitment to cancer research in the past and we hope that you will continue to do so by making a donation to this fundraiser. Thank you for your support.
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Donate through our Donate Now Button or contact Joye Neff for information on how to send a check.
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Donations to the BMDCF are tax deductible, something that can be used to help offset the tax liability from RMDs from IRAs, and for other tax planning purposes. Subject to IRS regulations.
Please help us reach our goal!
A Berner, maybe yours, is counting on you!
As you are considering your donation to our current fundraiser, lets have some fun by winning some wonderful prizes!
Let's go shopping in the Berner Gift Bonanza Gallery and pick out the free prizes you want to win! We have assembled many lovely Berner items to give to those of you with Berners in your life or those of you who wish you had a Berner in your life. All you have to do is to request your FREE tickets and then decide which items you would like to spend your tickets on. There are three categories of tickets: STAR, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Here is how it works:
Send an email to Joye Neff (joye.neff@gmail.com) and ask her for:
20 FREE tickets for the STAR prizes
40 FREE tickets for Tier 1 prizes
100 FREE tickets for Tier 2 prizes.
Please include your mailing address and phone number so that we will be able to mail you the wonderful prizes that you are going to win!
Then tell Joye how many tickets you want to spend on which items in the Gallery.
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EXAMPLE: "Joye, please give me:
20 FREE STARS tickets and put 10 in STAR-1 and 10 in STAR-3.
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40 FREE Tier 1 tickets and put 20 each in Item 1-A and 1-H.
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100 FREE Tier 2 tickets and put 10 tickets each toward Gallery item numbers 2-2, 2-44, 2-22, 2-33, 2-45, 2-54, 2-62, and 2-81, 2-99 and 2-105.
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Here is my mailing address and phone number..."
It's that simple!
You may also request that Joye send free tickets to your Berner friends, mentors, or people you admire. The unexpected surprise will make their day!
Winners will be chosen by random drawing for each prize and prizes will be mailed to each winner following the drawing.
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No donation is necessary to win prizes.