As many people in Holliston know, The Timothy O’Connell Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2008 in honor and loving memory of Timothy O’Connell.  

Tim was a friend to all who met him and he continues to be a great inspiration. Timmy courageously battled acute myeloid leukemia between May 2007 and his death on Sept. 9, 2008, just two days after his tenth birthday. Tim’s warm smile, his gentle and loving spirit, his boundless hope, and his incredible physical and emotional strength will forever live with those who knew Tim and those who now know about Tim.  

Timmy’s absolute favorite food was a double layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting – now know to many as Timmy Cake. For the 12th year, a not-so-small army of volunteers will help Joanne, Tim’s mother, make about 300 Timmy Cakes.  Baking Tim’s favorite cake and sharing hundreds with the community as a fundraiser for Tim’s Foundation creates a way to celebrate Tim’s life, his birthday, and mark his passing. Many families have now formed their own traditions to enjoy their Timmy Cakes.

Everyone is welcome to purchase a Timmy Cake for $60 to support The Timothy O’Connell Foundation. As in past years, Timmy Cakes will be sold at Saint Mary’s Center Lobby on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 5:30 until 8 pm. On Sunday, Sept. 11, Timmy Cakes will be available from 8 am until 1 pm.   

In addition, the 10th and FINAL Tim’s Trot will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 3 pm at Holliston High School. Pre-registration at www.timsteam.org is open and is greatly encouraged!  Click on the EVENTS tab and then click on Tim’s Trot.  Check-in before the Trot will begin at 1:30 pm this year.  

Tim’s Trot regularly attracts over 900 runners, walkers, and strollers for the 1.9 mile course.  Trotters who register by Sept. 10 for Tim’s Trot will receive Tim’s Trot bags, Tim’s Trot t-shirts, magnets, angels, reminder bands – and will be entered to win one of seven Timmy Cakes that will be given randomly at the Trot.  

Timmy Cakes and Tim’s Trot, as well as other fundraisers, support donations made by The Timothy O’Connell Foundation to many organizations devoted to the needs of cancer patients and families during cancer treatment. The Foundation also supports families after the loss of a child to cancer through its support of bereavement programs. In addition, The Foundation supports research and development of treatments and cures for leukemia and other cancers.

Organizations on the “front line” of treatment and research such as The Jimmy Fund, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Be the Match (the National Marrow Donor Program), the American Cancer Society, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital-Boston, have been recipients of the Foundation’s giving.  

Organizations which provide less direct - but no less important - “treatment” to children and their families affected by cancer, including Make-A-Wish, The Children’s Hospital League, The Zakim Center, Flashes of Hope, Camp Sunshine, Give Kids the World, Super Sibs!, and the Ronald McDonald House are also supported by Tim’s Foundation.  

To date, the Foundation has awarded over $900,000 in gifts to these and other organizations, including $130,000 in scholarships to residents of Holliston, Massachusetts for post-secondary education in health-related fields.

Since 2014, Tim’s Foundation has funded a research laboratory at the University of Minnesota. This research project is named for Tim and researches AML with the FLT-3 mutation - the disease that took Tim’s life. The research at the lab is led by Timmy’s doctor from Children’s Hospital, Doctor Peter Gordon. The O’Connells are honored by Dr. Gordon’s dedication to Tim’s memory and they are very happy that they can help further research of AML. Over the last eight years, Tim’s Foundation has donated $200,000 to Doctor Gordon’s and Tim’s research lab.  

Please contact Joanne O’Connell at [email protected] for further information. Please contact her asap if you or your company would like to sponsor Tim’s Trot this year. T-shirt production with company logos will be finalized soon.