Syd Rocks

Join Giving Rocks Foundation for a fun, unique, family-friendly and rewarding afternoon event to collect rocks by walking the New Buffalo, Mich., public beach.
The rocks collected will be used for necklaces (called Syd Rocks) that are sold to raise money for medical research for Langerhan’s Cell Histiocy-tosis (LCH).
There will be activities for all ages, including necklace making and sandcastle building, as well as awards for the best rock and most rocks collected. Snacks and cold drinks are included in the price of admission.
The mission of Giving Rocks Foundation, a registered 501c3 non-profit charitable organization, is to fund medical research for LCH, Pediatric Cancer and Hematological diseases.
Money from Walk The Beach for Syd Rocks will be raised through participant registration fees and sponsor donations.

About Sydney Martin
But how did it all start and who started it?
Sydney started her rock necklace business when she was only 8 years old. She found beautiful rocks on the beach of Lake Michigan and turned them into necklaces with a simple string.
The necklaces were a hit among family and friends. She saved up the money she earned and planned to use the money for something important. Now she knows what that is.
In Sept. 2007, at 10 years old, after a lesion was discovered in her cheekbone, Sydney was diagnosed with LCH, Langerhan’s Cell Histiocy-tosis, a rare blood disorder. The cause of the disease is unknown and it is estimated that Histiocy-tosis affects one in 200,000 children each year in the U.S.
LCH is considered an “orphan” disease, meaning there is no government funding allocated to research the best treatments and ultimately a cure. After a biopsy confirmed Sydney’s LCH diagnosis, Sydney underwent surgery to have a port implanted in her chest to receive six months of chemotherapy along with high doses of steroids. Although Histiocytosis is not classified as Cancer, it requires some of the same treatments.
Sydney has been doing well since she stopped treatment and plans to continue making and selling her rock necklaces until a cure is found for LCH.
One-hundred percent of the money earned from her Syd Rocks for LCH necklaces will be donated for medical research to find a cure for LCH and $10 from each t shirt sale will be donated to the Giving Rocks Foundation established to help other charities and projects Sydney has come to know and love.
As a result of the success of the rock necklace business, the Martin family started a foundation called the Giving Rocks Foundation and they have raised more than $158,000 to date.

Walk the Beach

Where: City of New Buffalo Beach and Pavilion, 100 Marquette Drive, New Buffalo, Michigan 49117

When: Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013
(Registration begins at 3 p.m. EST; Walk begins at 4 p.m. EST)

Cost: $35 per adult/$100 per family/children
under 12 are free.

For more information:
www.walkthebeach.sydrocks.com