The Nancy Chellemi Award is given out to a person (or organization) who embodies the true spirit of the Crescent Beach Challenge through his or her contributions to the event.

2008 Nancy Chellemi Award - Tom Glikes

2007 Nancy Chellemi Award - Avery Schroeder

The fourth Nancy Chellemi Award was presented to Avery Schroeder.  Avery could not be there at the event but her mother Kim and sister Teddie were there on her behalf.  Avery was diagnosed with Leukemia on April 8, 2005 when she was 11 years old.  Avery has been undergoing treatment ever since.  While she has gone through the worst of her treatments, she still must receive chemotherapy to keep the cancer in remission.  She was attending a cancer camp for kids during the CBC but hopes to make it out next year. 

What makes Avery so special is the positive spirit she carried with her throughout her ordeal. She organized parties for other kids in the hospital when she too was in so much pain.  She picked up the spirits of the hospital workers who were administering painful treatments to unfortunate children.  All this time, Avery also was a big fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Atlanta Light the Night walk as well as other activities raising awareness and money for cancer victims.  Avery missed quite a bit of school time but continued to be a great student catching up on work on days she wasn’t feeling the ill effects of her treatments.  She will admit she isn’t the fastest swimmer or fastest runner in high school but she participated in team sports maintaining as normal a lifestyle as was possible for her – plus she enjoys sports.  Her mom and sister are very proud of her and we are too.  The CBC wishes all the best for Avery and hopes that she can come out and join us at the beach!

2006 Nancy Chellemi Award - The Stringer family

The 3rd annual winner of the Nancy Chellemi award was presented to the Stringer family for hosting the Kickoff Party for both the 2005 CBC and 2006 CBC events. The Kickoff party held at the Island Massage and Skin has been a great addition to the weekend as it gives extra time for folks to get together – which is really what the CBC is all about.  The party has also been extremely helpful to the Committee volunteers because early registration at the party has lightened the load for the next morning.  Carolyn and her husband Steve (BooBoo) and their sons Leif, Dylan, and Taylor, daughter Shayna are also great competitors (ask Josh Hellstrom - Beat Boo!)  .  The CBC wishes to thank Carolyn and the Stringer family for getting the Kickoff Party going and making the event so much more fun for the rest of us.

2005 Nancy Chellemi Award - Kemp Howell

Kemp, who lives in Gainesville with his wife Teri and daughters Courtney and Alyssa, is a community leader whose ability to bring people together to help fight cancer is legendary.   Not only has Kemp served on the CBC organizing committee since its inception in 1999, at the same time he has served two terms as Chair of the Alachua County Chapter of the American Cancer Society (and an active member when not serving as Chair).  And, he runs an annual golf tournament that raises money to support ROCK Camp, which benefits kids with cancer.  For the CBC, Kemp serves as the spokesperson and the spiritual leader of the group.  The lei ceremony he started several years ago exemplifies his contributions to the event.   The CBC community is grateful for all the contributions Kemp and his family have made in making the CBC a successful grass-roots event.

2004 Nancy Chellemi Award - Hunter Parrish

The 1st Annual Nancy Chellemi Award was handed out to Hunter Parrish at the 2004 Crescent Beach Challenge. During the past four or five years, Hunter has donated close to $1000 by tirelessly selling peacock feathers in his neighborhood in Longboat Key (near Sarasota). His hard work has been noticed by some of his neighbors who from year to year might match his collected donations. Besides his monetary contributions, Hunter has participated in every CBC event since 1999. The CBC is grateful for Hunter's support, as well as that of his parents, Becky and Benny Parrish.

Hunter B. Parrish Bio 9 Years Old In the 3rd Grade at Anna Maria Elementary Hobbies: Collecting Sharks Teeth, Baseball cards Favorite Sports: Soccer, Tennis, Surfing, Fishing, and Baseball I have attended every CBC and am now doing the runs and last year I did my first paddle board. I am looking forward to the next CBC and trip to Costa Rica this summer.