May you rest with peace dear Ned

Words cannot express the hole that we feel in our hearts today (March 11, 2013) as we say good-bye to Ned.  He was an example of endurance, service, compassion, love, and just plain grit!  I know there was a great reunion in heaven today and those who truly loved Ned just gained an unstoppable guardian angel.  We will miss you until we see you again sweet friend.  We love you without end!

Together we can do hard things!

Event Results are in!!!

We are happy to report that with the help of an entire community of people the benefit dinner for Ned was a phenomenal success!  The event generated $47,736 for the help and support of Ned and his medical bills.  Thank you all for your "ANYTHING"!  It is clear that when hundreds of "ANYTHING'S" were brought together a miracle truly took place.  I am honored to have witnessed it!

Ned Toponce

Eleven years ago Ned was diagnosed with Topical Melanoma and had surgery to have it and some lymph nodes removed.  All was well.  In the last week of October, 2012, Ned began changing.  He became very quiet and withdrawn.  His speech started to become garbled.  He seemed confused and couldn't carry on a complete conversation without getting confused.  Early in the morning of October 28, 2012, Ned's wife took him to the ER thinking he might be having a stroke.  That wasn’t it at all!  Ned had 18 tumors in his brain and 2 in his lungs.  Their beautiful, blissful world came crashing down around them.  Ned was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma.  Since that time he has undergone chemo, radiation and numerous trials.  He was put on a relatively new medication that specifically treats the Melanoma, but leaves him with little energy.  It is classified as a "hazardous" medication, meaning it is probably burning up his insides.  Ned was hospitalized again on January 13th with a collapsed lung.  

Ned has always been a very active person, never taking the time to sit down to relax, always having to do something, and ALWAYS serving others.  Now he is forced to sit, which in and of itself is a very hard obstacle for him to overcome, let alone all that is going on inside of him.  He continues to remain positive and an inspiration to us all. 

 Ned and his family really need our help!  In addition to the mounting medical costs associated with the treatment of his cancer, they need to see and feel how much they are loved and appreciated.  Please join us in doing ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND!

Dinner Celebration for Ned, "I Can Do Hard Things":

Event Date: March 2nd, 2013

Time: 5-7pm

Location:  

                  Shepherd Union Ballroom

                  Weber State University

                  Ogden, UT 84408 (Click for Map)

 

Activities:  5-7pm--Dinner provided on by Bella's Fresh Mexican Grill in Farr West

                   Bake Sale

                   Live Music

                   Balloon Launch

 

Dear Friends,

We appreciate the outpouring of love and support for Ned Toponce's Anything for a Friend Benefit Dinner/concert on Saturday March 2nd.  

We have had 400 dinners generously donated by Joe Cottam, owner of Bella's Fresh Mexican Grill in Farr West and are thrilled to be so close to selling out (23 dinners left) and once the 400 meals have been sold we will be done with the dinner registration, but please don't miss the opportunity to come out anyway and enjoy Mindy Gledhill's music, participate in the silent auction, and buy from the bake sale.  

I can’t think of a better scenario that getting to eat dessert first and then go out to eat dinner after the inspirational balloon launch at 7pm.  See you all there!

Sincerely,

Becky Anderson

Executive Director and Friend of Ned

*****Check out Dinner Attendees by Clicking here!*****

 

 

                  

 

                  

 

WE ARE SO EXCITED THAT MINDY GLEDHILL WILL BE PERFORMING AT THE EVENT!!!

Check out her website and listen to some of her incredible music!

Mindy's Biography

The Life and Transcendence of Mindy Gledhill

— Written in four very compelling, bite-sized chapters —

 

1. Oh, romantic youth!

A magical time during which our young heroine hears music from the most unexpected sources.

It would be very convenient if Mindy Gledhill had come forth from the womb wailing in perfect pitch, or if she had taught herself piano at age two. Convenient, but untrue. Everybody loves the myth of the genius artist. But to perpetuate it here would deny Mindy of the work, effort, and sacrifice it took to become an artist.

Mindy spent most of her gangly youth in Eureka, California, where she was shaped by a range of music, from hymns and Sunday school songs, to her older sisters practicing Rachmoninov on the family piano—then blasting Wham! from boom boxes. And while most third-grade kids can barely carry a tune, our young heroine found herself harmonizing with everything from the microwave to the honking horn of the family van.

2. Exodus and adversity.

The throes of adolescence, the thrill of Neruda, and the thirst for the perfect smoothie.

If there is anything particularly exotic about Mindy (besides her beauty), it would be her family’s exodus to Madrid when she was 13. While in Spain, Mindy picked up a second language, discovered new types of music, and engaged in romantic activities like reading Neruda and wandering around the Prado. Certainly, Spain taught her many things, but most of all it taught that singing is as much about passion as it is about style.

At sixteen, her family migrated to Utah and the land of Mormons. There she endured the awkwardness of high school, wrote her first songs, and was snubbed by both the high school chamber choir and the high school play. This, of course, only made our heroine more determined, and she immediately took a job making smoothies so she could pay for voice lessons.

Clearly, Ginseng-mango-yogurt smoothies really do help your voice.

3. The sum of all effort.

How our heroine rebuffed suitors, married a furniture designer, then created an album, label, and a family (though not in that order).

In college, Mindy became a media music major. As a student, she focused on both music and repelling the advances of strange men. But when our heroine found someone to share a life with, she wisely married, and with her husband created an amazing artistic achievement: two very blonde boys.

At the same time, Mindy labored to create her first album. The Sum of All Grace proved to be an inspirational, faith-based endeavor—an artistic response to the challenges of being a wife, mother, student, and a spiritual being. It also reflected her “less is more” aesthetic, presenting arrangements that focus more on vocals and lyrics than on ornamentation. Her effort resulted in two Pearl Awards (Best Inspirational Album, New Recording Artist) in 2005, followed by another Pearl Award (Best Inspirational Song) in 2006 for her contribution on a compilation album. Consequently, some assumed that Mindy only wanted to be a Christian artist. But our heroine felt there was more to music—and to personal experience—than could be contained by a single musical category. So she left her label to explore new avenues as an independent artist.

4. Encore!

Mindy experiences the thrill of creativity, the joy of independence, and the excitement of collaborating with award-winning producers.

Declaring independence proved to be a good move. Excited by new risks and expanded freedom, Mindy discovered a greater sense of confidence and possibility. Her sophomore effort, Feather in the Wind, reflects that. Although the album explores a greater range of musical and vocal styles than her previous work, Mindy’s songs still remain poetic and nostalgic—and deeply meaningful. Clearly, it’s an album in which Mindy's true voice began to emerge, growing more distinctive and moving with every effort into the hands of industry pros in New York, Nashville, and finally, on her second independent album, into the hands of highly acclaimed, L.A.-based producer, Stuart Brawley.

Juno-nominated producer/engineer for artists like Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and Lenka, Stuart Brawley was a dream come true for Mindy when after hearing her music, he said “yes” to producing her album. With Stuart on board, songs in hand, and cat-eye glasses in place, Mindy ventured to North Hollywood to dive into the recording process. In the studio she was joined by talented artists like Jamie Wollam, the current drummer on tour with Tears for Fears and Joe Corcoran, who has engineered for The Dave Matthews Band and Lenka.

Of the recording, Stuart later said, “With Mindy, it was spontaneous, instinctual. It was apparent that we were all on the same page from the moment we started and within a day we knew we were at the beginning of making an awesome record.” The result? Anchor: a bubbly CD with undeniably catchy tunes. Laced with color, charm, and vintage flair, Anchor reminds that life is sweet and full of wonder.

While it seems that life couldn’t get any sweeter for our heroine, in the middle of making plans with Stuart, Grammy-winning producer, Finn Bjarnson, invited Mindy to sing three tracks on Kaskade's "Dynasty" album which hit #1 on the iTunes dance charts and #5 on all of iTunes the week it released.

These days, Mindy can be found just about anywhere on the map, gracing audiences with songs of romantic whimsy. When she’s not performing or recording, she can be found perusing thrift stores for vintage dresses or scanning the classifieds for a potential new addition to her instrument collection, of which her favorites are her 1857 pump organ and her 1980s Yamaha keytar.

 

 

Check out the cool T-Shirt Design for the Event! 

 

 Here is the another design that will be offered.  They will be sold at the event for $10!

 

Organizing Committee Meeting:

We will be holding the next organizing meeting Tuesday February 26th at 6 PM at the Oakforest Church house.  We look forward to seeing you and hearing your ideas!  For inquiries please contact Becky at becky@anythingforafriend.com  See you there!