Welcome!

The 2009 St. Jude Benefit Meet is on pace to set a record for the number of participants. With more than 2,500 tumblers and gymnasts registered, the event is also on pace to set attendance records.

The St. Jude Benefit Meet is already recognized as the largest for-charity meet in the nation with one-hundred percent of proceeds from the event going directly to St. Jude.

Participants from seven states will compete at the Peoria Civic Center on January 17th and 18th. The event is scheduled to run 8:00am to 9:00pm on Saturday and 8:00am to 8:00pm on Sunday.

Dear Coaches, Athletes and Families,

For over 15 years, my three daughters have supported and participated in the St. Jude Benefit Meet.  We never gave it a thought that one day our lives would be so drastically affected by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In november 2005, our 12-year-old daughter Morgan (a level 8 gymnast at Rising Stars Academy) was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, an aggressive malignant brain tumor. Within weeks we were at St. Jude in Memphis, our lives changed forever.

There is no place in the world like St. Jude. As soon as we walked through the doors we felt a sense of peace and hope. Every person, procedure, room and building exists to help our child and so many others. St. Jude is not a sad place, but a place full of the sounds of children bravely facing the fight of their lives. Parents support each other, while the doctors and nurses made us feel as though our daughter was their number one priority. As a parent it is difficult to express how much it means to know that strangers are generously contributing to help save our child. We thank God each and every day for St. Jude and for all the wonderful people who make their existence possible.

Morgan is now in remission. She is back in the gym with her friends 4 days each week and is training for Level 7, making a difference. Thirty years ago this diagnosis would have meant certain death. There are still so many children and so much cancer left to conquer. But St. Jude will not give up until childhood cancer is beaten. We want to encourage all teams and families that receive this information to become a part of this meet. With your help, we can fight this battle together.  Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Pam, David & Morgan Rathke