Cystic Fibrosis has developed a new and promising fundraiser! Marie and Tom Lott of Sooke, BC, have produced a jazz album that they hope will be picked up by CF Foundations across Canada to raise funds to help find a cure for this most cruel disease. The Lott family first became actively involved in fund raising for CF Foundation of Victoria in 2005. With their history of preparing meals at the Sooke Royal Canadian Legion, Marie brought up the subject of “doing just one more for CF”. Tom and Marie would sponsor it fully, managing the buying, the solicitation around town for door prizes and Silent Auction items, as well as the setup in the hall, the cooking and the serving. In no time, the whole family and many friends were enthusiastically on board with the concept, jumping at the opportunity to be part of the event. Expectations for a return of a “couple of thousand dollars” were met and exceeded when the final total came in at $5000 – more than double the amount they had hoped for! Its startling success turned it into an annual event. So far, the donations raised have reached nearly $35,000. A good friend of the family who had been so helpful over the years, musician John Pimm, approached Tom and Marie one afternoon with yet another idea. How about producing a CD that could be sold across Canada? He suggested that the cost would likely be modest because he was sure that friends he knew in the business would gladly volunteer to be a part of the project. True to his prediction, when John approached the ‘willing’ and explained the purpose and potential of the idea, they eagerly committed themselves to it. As a result, nine of the eleven tunes on the album were written, arranged and performed by volunteer artists. The album cover photo shows Tom and Marie’s granddaughter, Kirstin, at two years of age. Her expression was one that the whole family rallied around. The family attended seminars where they learned of the great strides that have been made in the fight against this generic disease. They learned of the procedures to help keep lungs clear, and the medications required to digest food and fight potential infections. They learned how to be ‘babysitters’ for this precious and vulnerable child. Tom and Marie pray that, with your help added to other continuing fundraisers, this disease can be beaten. Tom and Marie are very happy to say that Kirstin is now a beautiful 18 year old attending college with the goal of being a Red Seal Chef. She certainly has the drive and the focus to make this happen!