A HUGE "Thank You" to so many who supported our 3rd Annual Pumpkin Patch! We are thrilled to announce that the Foundation raised almost $40,000 between pumpkin sales, sponsorships, and donations during the month of October!
Cooper (age 4) at the Pumpkin Patch
September 23, 2012
It's that time of year again! PUMPKINS will be arriving on October 6th for the 3rd annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser. See Details in the link to a flyer below. Hope to see you there. If you are interested in volunteering, please email missycook@bellsouth.net
Pumpkin Patch Flyer 
June 1, 2012
Today the foundation was honored to receive a generous donation from The Primrose School of Cool Springs for a second time. Each year this amazing preschool hosts a Spring Fling and silent auction, which benefits a charity of their choosing. We were truly humbled that they chose The Cooper Trooper Foundation for a second year! They have a wonderful staff and very supportive families, who value the importance of giving back to their community. A special thank you to Tracy Grant (owner) and Susan Webb (director) at Primrose of Cool Springs! The Foundation is so grateful for your support of our mission to help families battling childhood cancer.
March 28, 2012
GREAT news! Cooper's MRI was all clear...no changes! We are so thankful for those who continue to faithfully pray on his behalf. Next MRI will not have to occur for 6 months (in October), which we are thrilled about. He continues to thrive and is an extremely active and happy 3 year old boy!
December 29, 2011
Cooper's last MRI on December 12, 2011 was scheduled to see if there had been any changes with the lymph node in question. Wonderful news is that the lymph node remained unchanged and does not appear to be cause for concern. However, this MRI did reveal a new and uncertain enhanced spot in the original area of his tumor. The Oncologists believed it could be a tooth that was below the gum, but were erring on the side of caution and decided to do a CT scan to see if they could tell from that more definitively. Today was that day and we went this morning for a CT scan. Thankfully, we received the GREAT news that the spot they saw, does in fact, appear to be a tooth and not recurrent tumor. We are so thankful and look forward with hope to his next MRI, which will be in 3 months. Thank you for all the prayers and support! We are blessed!
Nov 2, 2011
Wow! Wow! Wow! The Cooper Trooper Foundation would like to thank everyone who supported our 2nd Annual Pumpkin Patch! We are pleased to announce that we sold over $64,000 in pumpkins and this effort brought in more than $25,000 in funds for the foundation.
October 11, 2011
Story on the news about Pumpkin Patch
Local pumpkin patch helps fight against childhood cancer
September 21, 2011
Check out The Cooper Trooper Foundation at this website! We are in the South Region or you can find us under the "C's"
http://www.kidscancerfight.org/
September 16, 2011
An update on Cooper's MRI from Monday (Sept. 12). First, the great news is that there was NO evidence of tumor. We are thrilled and so thankful for that. Apparently, there is a lymph node that is of some concern, but may be nothing at all. However, Cooper's Oncologist would like to have Dr. Netterville (surgeon who did his 2 previous surgeries) look at the MRI and also is having us repeat an MRI in 3 months (instead of the 6 month track we were on). While it feels like we are taking a small step backwards, we are thankful that they are being cautious and will trust that all will be fine in 3 months. Please continue to pray with us that Cooper will remain cancer free! We know he is in good hands with these doctors and in the Best hands of all....Jesus Christ!
September 6, 2011
Check out Cooper and information about the foundation and our upcoming pumpkin patch on the local news today! Click below.
Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser: The Cooper Trooper Foundation (9/6/11)
Aug 25, 2011
The foundation is in active recruiting mode for volunteers for our 2nd annual pumpkin patch at the corner of Mallory and Cool Springs Blvd in Franklin. The patch will be open from the weekend of 10/7 through 10/31. Plan purchasing your pumpkins with a purpose. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities or would like more information about this awesome event, please e-mail info@coopertrooper.org.
May 17, 2011
In April, The Primrose School in Cool Springs hosted their annual Spring Fling event, complete with pancake breakfast, silent auction, inflatables, games, and other kid's activities. This year donations for the event and money raised through the classrooms and silent auction were generously given to The Cooper Trooper Foundation! A check was presented for $3000.00 to the foundation by the owner, Tracy Grant. A very special thank you for all the hard work in making this event a huge success to Susan (Director) and Leslie (Event planner/coordinator). The Foundation is honored to be the recipient of this generous gift.
March 9, 2011
Another clear MRI. Met with Cooper's Oncologist today and we will go 6 months between each scan until he is 5 years post-first clear MRI (Jan. 2009). Basically, he will have MRI's every 6 months until he is about 5 1/2 to 6 years old, at which time (considering all scans are clear of any changes) he will be discharged from seeing the oncologist and considered in complete remission! So thankful to God for the healing HE has done and for continued results that I am hopeful to be nothing short of amazing!
November 17, 2010
Cooper's MRI was clear and free of anything appearing to be a recurrence of cancer!! We are so thrilled and cannot thank everyone enough for lifting him up in prayer! God is so good and we are always reminded of this even more, when we await results after one of these MRI's. We will have one more scan in 4 months (March), THEN, if that one is clear.....we will get to wait 6 months between MRI's.
November 3, 2010
A HUGE thank you to all of the many volunteers who helped to make our Pumpkin Patch an incredible success! We raised over $12,000 for the foundation with this fundraiser and had a BLAST!!!! We would also love to thank ALL of the many people who came out and bought their pumpkins from us. We plan to be in the same spot next year!
Thanks again for your wonderful support!
Be sure to check out the blog for some pictures from the patch.
**On a "Cooper" note- please be praying for his upcoming MRI- it is November 15th. We are placing our faith in God for another CLEAR report. We will definitely keep you posted of the results!
Anyone who can help this Sat., Oct. 23rd- PLEASE arrive at the patch at 8:00am. We have 2000 more pumpkins being delivered and need all the help we can get. Thank you so much!!!
The Cooper Trooper Pumpkin Patch
October 10-31st
(at the corner of Cool Springs Blvd. and Mallory Lane in Franklin, TN)
Come Buy your Pumpkins for a Purpose!!!
Hours:
Sunday- 11am-7pm
Monday- 4pm-8pm
Tuesday- Thur.- 12pm-8pm
Friday- 1pm-9pm
Saturday- 9am-8pm
Special Kids Activities on Saturdays and Sundays!
September 4, 2010
So excited about our upcoming Pumpkin Patch! Thanks to ALL of those who have already volunteered time and energy to making it happen. We would LOVE to have your church group, school group, company, etc. volunteer for a couple of shifts! Just click on the Pumpkin Patch Calendar to see available times for shifts- then click on the "Volunteer at the Pumpkin Patch" link and submit a form with your availability and we will confirm with you.
October 10-31st
Pumpkin Patch Hours
Sunday- 11-7
Monday- 4-8
Tuesday-Thursday- 12-8
Friday- 1-9
Saturday- 9-8
August 24, 2010-
The Cooper Trooper Foundation Pumpkin Patch
The foundation will be hosting our first annual Fall Pumpkin Patch, October 10-31, 2010, at the corner of Mallory and Cool Springs Blvd in Franklin, Tennessee. We are very excited to be partnering with Pumpkins USA in providing a curbside type of patch giving you a convenient location to grab top shelf pumpkins for the season, a place for you to take some great fall pictures, and a weekend destination for kid activities without having to trek out too far from your own home. We hope to see you there!
August 16, 2010-
IT IS THE COOPER TROOPER FOUNDATION'S NIGHT AT THE NASHVILLE SOUNDS TONIGHT, FIRST PITCH 7:05
August 15, 2010-
CELEBRATION POSTPONED TO MAY 2011
The Cooper Trooper Foundation has decided to postpone our 2nd Celebration of the Foundation's mission to May of 2011 due to multiple scheduling conflicts. We will be providing updates on the new date and activities throughout the next few months. Plan for a celebration of the ages. We are going to have a blast to kick off the summer of 2011 and celebrate the foundation's 2nd anniversary.
July 13, 2010-
CELEBRATION,CELEBRATION!!!!!
The Cooper Trooper Foundation is pleased to announce that our 2nd Annual Celebration will be at 7PM on Saturday, August 21st. It will be at the recently renovated James Sayers House, which serves as the beautiful clubhouse of the neighborhood, Taramore, in Brentwood. The neighborhood's address is:
9501 Elgin Way, Brentwood, Tn 37027
The James Sayers house is in front of the pool on five acres of green space. The event will be hosted by the foundation providing band, beer, and heavy hors d' oeuvres as an opportunity for a grown-up night out. We will be honoring our first inductees into The Cooper's Troopers Hall of Fame (our largest fundraisers over the last year) and providing a brief update on what is on the horizon for the foundation over the next year.
The foundation is requesting donations to support our mission and cover the expenses of the evening. These can be made by utilizing the donations link below or donating that evening.
Cooper Trooper Celebration Donation
Please join us as we would like to have as many people there as we possibly can to celebrate. If you plan on attending, could you please send an e-mail to missycook@bellsouth.net or missycook@coopertrooper.org. This will assist us in planning to provide a great evening of fun.
Thanks you so much and spread the word!
July 12, 2010
Calling ALL Runners!! If you are interested in running in the Murfreesboro Half Marathon in October to raise money and awareness for The Cooper Trooper Foundation- NOW is the time to register! We would love to have you be a part of our Cooper Trooper Team!! The first thing you need to do is register for the race on-line (see link below). It will ask if you are running for a group- please enter "The Cooper Trooper Foundation"! Then, just send me an email
missycook@bellsouth.net
letting me know that you would like to be a COOPER TROOPER in this race and we will get you all the info you need. Register ASAP as the spaces for runners fill up FAST!!
2010 Murfreesboro Half Marathon | The Middle Half
We raised over $7000 for the foundation this past April in the Country Music Marathon and had a BLAST! Come join us as we kick off another great time of training, fundraising, and running for a GREAT cause!
June 18, 2010
On this past Monday, The Cooper Trooper Foundation delivered 200 Caring and Courage Kits to TC Thompson's Children's Hospital in Chattanooga. Rod and several supporters of the foundation were able to share some of the kits on the spot with siblings in the treatment area with their brother or sister. It was a great day and a huge accomplishment towards the foundation mission and goals. We would like to thank Ashley Williams, the oncology-hematology child life specialist for her kind welcome and helping us in coordinating the amount of kits needed to take care of TC Thompson's Hospital for one year. An awesome day for the foundation.
At TC Thompsons': From Left: Rod Cook, Laila, Emily, Levi and Ashley Williams, Child-Life Specialist, TC Thompson's Children's Hospital!
To see the news story published by Erlanger Hospital about this event, visit:
http://www.erlanger.org/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=21&action=detail&ref=237
June 3, 2010
If you are interested in running the Murfreesboro Middle Half 1/2 Marathon in October, please LET US KNOW!! We are looking for some "Cooper's Troopers" to hit the pavement and raise support for The Cooper Trooper Foundation.
1. Register on line for the race as soon as possible (it fills up fast):
Go to www.themiddlehalf.com
2. Email Missy of your intent to join the Trooper Team
missycook@bellsouth.net
We will be getting out information soon to those wanting to be a part of the Cooper's Troopers for this event with more details. Invite your friends to join you!!!
April 24, 2010
A HUGE thank you to our runners in the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon!! It was awesome to see you out there (in extremely threatening weather, I might add) running your hearts out in your yellow "I'M A TROOPER" shirts for The Cooper Trooper Foundation! I cannot begin to describe how honored, blessed, and proud we felt to see all of you! At this point, over $6000 has been raised due to your efforts and donations continue to pour in!! I am having trouble loading pictures currently, but hope to get some up at some point. (If you took any- please email them to me as well) I will also attempt to put some pictures on The Cooper Trooper Foundation Facebook page.
On another note, Bricks was a great success last Tues. night! Thank you to everyone who came out- we had quite a crowd!! Your support is amazing!
At Bricks Cafe: From Left: Donna Driscoll, Rebecca Lee, Brad Lee holding son Mack!
April 10, 2010
The Cooper Troopers have been training hard for The Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon coming up on April 24th! We are honored to announce that they have raised over $3000 for the Foundation due to their efforts thus far!
We will be hosting a Pre-race Rally at Brick's Cafe in Fieldstone Farms on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, from 6:00-9:00 pm!
2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Franklin, TN 37069
615-791-0709 www.brickscafe.com
Spread the word to anyone in the area who would like to join us! A portion of the proceeds from sales at this event will be given to The Cooper Trooper Foundation! (*****A HUGE THANK YOUto Jamie Schuer for setting this up and to David at Bricks for hosting the event and supporting our foundation)!
March 11, 2010
Sooooo excited to share the news........ Cooper's MRI is CLEAR! Thank you so much to everyone who has prayed with us and continues to pray for us. We are so grateful and filled with joy at God's faithfulness! The next MRI will be in 4 months and if all is clear, we get to "graduate" to having an MRI every 6 months! Yipppeeeee!!!
March 10, 2010
We are home from Cooper's MRI- he did great, in true Cooper the Trooper "fashion". Now, for the waiting- please pray for clear results!
Today Cooper was featured in a local on-line magazine called Brentwood Home Page. I am going to tr y to post the link so you can check it out!
http://www.brentwoodhomepage.com/news.php?viewStory=1674
March 7, 2010
It's hard to believe, but it is that time again...... Cooper's 4-month MRI to check for any recurrence of the cancer will be this coming Wednesday morning, March 10th. Please pray for him, as God brings him to your mind. Pray for a smooth MRI and especially for a clear report! We will update as soon as we know anything- most likely by Friday!
March 1, 2010
Things are definitely in full swing with our Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon runners training and fundraising on behalf of our cause!!! We have already received well over $1000 on behalf of different runners coming in with on-line donations alone. Way to go Cooper Troopers!
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Andy Brookover (Our CMM race coodinator) with Cooper
February 17, 2010
Don't forget- Tomorrow night is our kick-off organizational meeting/reception at The Courtyard by Marriot in Cool Springs from 6:30-8:30 for those running in or who may know someone running in the Country Music Marathon. Andy Brookover, our official race chairperson will be getting everyone "pumped up" about this event! Come join us if you are in the area!
February 6, 2010
The Cooper Trooper Foundation is very excited to announce that Andy Brookover has accepted the position of event chairman for the 2010 Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Andy brings unbelievable passion, commitment, and high energy to our running team , the Cooper's Troopers, for this cornerstone event for the foundation. The foundation is very fortunate to have Andy as the leader of this important campaign to raise funds to provide and deliver Cooper Trooper Caring and Courage Kits to well siblings of pediatric cancer patients. Thanks Andy for being you and being the leader of our team! To join our race team, the Cooper's Troopers, for this race or any other one in your area. Please send an e-mail to info@coopertrooper.org.
The foundation will be hosting a Cooper's Troopers team social on February 18th, 2010 from 6:30-8:30 at The Courtyard by Marriott in Cool Springs (off of Carouthers in Franklin,TN ). Mark your calendar and save this time if you are on our local Cooper's Troopers team or would like more information. This will be an opportunity for you to meet Andy, the entire team, and for us to share training information, fundraising ideas and tips.
January 12, 2010
Check out the article in the paper today on The Cooper Trooper Foundation and our first delivery of kits to Vanderbilt.
From Left to Right: Amanda Ellefson, Vanderbilt Onocolgy Child Life Specialist, Dr. Mehgan Pine,Cooper's Oncologist, Missy with Cooper, Janet Cross, Director of Child Life, Vandberbilt Children's Medical Center, and Rod. Colby and Carson Cook in Front.
December 31, 2009
Today marked a major milestone for The Cooper Trooper Foundation! The first 50 Cooper Trooper Caring and Courage kits were delivered to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. We were so excited to watch our mission and what we have worked toward, become a reality! Janet Cross, Director of Child-Life Specialists, and Amanda, the Child-life Specialist for the Oncology unit were there to receive the kits. Dr. Pine, Cooper's Oncologist, was also there to be a part of this event with us, as well as Paul (Board member) and Tessie LeGuenec. Channel 4 News came out and did a story, which was on the local news tonight, and Bonnie Burch from The Tennessean newspaper interviewed us for an upcoming story in the paper. We cannot tell you the joy that we feel in being able to help other families as they journey together through a diagnosis of childhood cancer!
Contents of a Cooper Trooper Caring and Courage Kit
December 15, 2009
tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Our First Delivery of Cooper Trooper Caring and Courage Kits:
Early next week, 50 Cooper Trooper Caring and Courage Kits containing our T-shirt, book, bracelet, and 1 brochure for Super Sibs! and 1 brochure for Art with H pt type="text/javascript"> eart will be delivered to Vanderbilt Childrens Medical Center. Missy and I are very excited about this milestone as it marks our first "real" delivery of care and love to family units battling pediatric cancer. It's hard to believe that just over 12 months ago, Missy and I were about take Cooper into his seco nd surgery. During this time, we decided to make this cause happen and early next week will mark the reaching of our goal of providing something tangible and real to the entire family to help them battle and fight this terrible disease in a better way "Together". We told each other we wanted to start making this happen in 2009 and we are going to do it thanks to all of you. If anyone would like to be involved in the delivery or assembly of these kits, please drop us a line. Merry Christmas and God Bless.
Rod and Missy
November 25, 2009
Organizational Update:
Today is a very special day for The Cooper Trooper Foundation. On the eve of Thanksgiving and exactly one month from Christmas, we have received official notification from the Internal Revenue Service that our application for tax exempt 501 (c) (3) status has been approved. We are an official public charity. This means all contributions and donations from this past May 11th, 2009(our date of incorporation) qualify as tax deductible and all donations and contributions going forward qualify for tax deductions if pursued by the donor. It also means that all gifts and donations can be matched by employers and we can pursue more corporate sponsorships for fundraising events.
I cannot emphasize enough how HUGE this status is for our organization and how much this is a wonderful blessing for our mission.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Missy and I would like to thank each of you for your support and prayers in making this cause come to life . We would also like to thank one special person, who we feel is a special blessing to us, Kolin Holliday, our legal counsel. Kolin has been a God send to us and our organization. Without Kolin's dedication, generous spirit, and loving heart through this process, we would not be here today. It is a tedious process to obtain the status of a public charity with the IRS. Kolin, thank you for all you have done in getting us to this special place as an organization. We are blessed to know you and cannot say enough how much we appreciate you.
Our First Delivery of the Cooper Trooper Courage Kits:
We have began the process of ordering the contents of 50 Cooper Trooper Courage Kits that will be assembled and delivered to Vanderbilt Children's Medical Center next month. This accomplishment will fulfill one of our goals for the year of touching families in 2009 diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Keep an eye on our web-page for photos and information on this event.
If you have any questions about our tax-exempt status or would like to get involved more with the foundation, please call us.
Also, if you do not have a specific charity that you support on yearly or an on-going basis, can we ask you to join us in making our mission come to life? We want to you to be a Cooper Trooper.
Thanks and God Bless,
Rod
November 12, 2009
Praise Jesus!!! Prayers have been answered once again- The MRI was clear!!!!!!! Thank you all so much, most of all for your prayers, and for the calls, emails, and kind words. We feel so blessed and stand in awe at the outpouring of God's love through you as we go through this journey with Cooper!
We meet with his oncologist next Wed. and will have the next MRI in 4 months. She said today that we would go every 4 months for the next year and if those are all clear, we can start going every 6 months.
Thank you, Lord! Your faithfulness and love are amazing!! Our lives are truly in YOUR hands alone!
November 1 1, 2009
Thank you for your prayers and many kind words today. Cooper was able to have the MRI and we were home by 11:00am. He was a total "trooper" as usual- not even fussing this morning, even though he hadn't eaten since about 6:30 last night! We are now just WAITING! This is the hardest part. We typically hear something by Friday afternoon after having a Wed. morning MRI. So, please keep praying for a good report and we will update as soon as we know something! Thank you again!
November10, 2009
Tomorrow morning we go for another MRI! We have to be there at 7:30am and he is the first scheduled case, so hope fully we will be out of there by noon. Pray that he will be able to be sedated to have the procedure. He has been sick over the last few weeks with lots of "lung" issues and has been doing breathing treatments around the clock, so they may end up sending us home if his lungs don't sound clear enough to prevent possible complications with anesthesia. Hopefully, this won't be a problem and we can press forward. I really do not want to wait any longer, which would push us into having the MRI right before Christmas. And, of course, PLEASE pray for a completely clear MRI result.
Thank you to all of you who have already been praying for Cooper and our family. It really does mean more than I can express in words. Your prayers are truly what sustains us during these moments of uncertainty about what could be around the corner. Thankfully, our God already knows and holds us tightly in His hand. He is faithful and good no matter what our circumstances may "feel" like! There is a peace and reassurance in knowing that Cooper is His child and that He will never leave or forsake us!
As soon as we have ANY news, we will post it on this page!!
October 22, 2009
No new updates really! Cooper's next MRI is scheduled for November 11. Please continue to pray for another clear report! We are so hopeful for good news and are resting in whatever God has in store! It would be so nice to enter the holiday season with another "cancer free" MRI!
As far as our 501(c)3 status, we are anticipating some news within the next few weeks. The IRS has responded with a few requests for additional information, which has now been submitted. Our lawyer, Kolin, feels optimistic that we will get some good news within a few weeks!!
October 5, 2009
Congratulations and a HUGE "Thank you" to all of those who ran/walked the 1/2 marathon on Saturday and for all of those who worked at the Cooper Trooper Water Station!!! Everyone finished the race and the day was a great success in bringing awareness to the foundation! It was so much FUN too!
September 30, 2009
Upcoming Events:
Murfreesboro "Middle Half" 1/2 Marathon: October 3, 2009
Come out and support our runners and visit The Cooper Trooper Foundation WATER STATION at Mile 7.5.
Thank you to the following people who are running on behalf of Cooper and the Cooper Trooper Foundation in the Middle Half:
Noland Cummins, Brad Lee, Molly Westmoreland, Jeremy Westmoreland, John Keveren, Alyson Whetsone, Tricia Foretich, Holly Marcus, Traci Scheer, Brian Scheer, & Missy Cook
Chicago Marathon: October 10, 2009
A huge thank you to John Goolsby who is running the Chicago Marathon on behalf of our cause and Cooper. His efforts in bringing awareness and support to the foundation have been awesome.
Cooper on the news:
http://www.wsmv.com/news/20205030/detail.html
http://www.wsmv.com/video/19276222/index.html
http://www.wsmv.com/news/19262658/detail.html
http://www.wsmv.com/video/20207444/index.html
Most Recent Cooper Prognosis Moving Forward (8/09) 
Today we saw Dr. Pine, Cooper's oncologist, for his follow-up appointment after the last MRI. It was somewhat "uneventful", which is actually a wonderful thing in our world right now. She informed us that the tumor board, which meets regularly to discuss different cases, met and decided that the next course of action for Cooper will be to wait 4 months between MRI scans (the next MRI is Nov.11) until he is 2 years old. If there continues to be NO recurrence of cancer, then he will get to wait 6 months between MRI's until the age of 5. At that point, if there has been no recurrence of the fibrosarcoma, he will probably wait about a year between MRI's until he is a teenager and so on.....
So, we are just enjoying our precious little blessing and all that comes with being a healthy one year old- sticking everything in his mouth, exploring his world, learning to walk, talk, and hold his own with his older brothers- even the occasional sign of a temper streak when things don't go quite his way! We don't know what the weeks, months, or years ahead hold for Cooper and our family. We don't know what the next MRI might show. All we know is that we will continue to pray for the cancer NOT to return and will have FAITH in our God who is Great and holds us in His hands as He works ALL things together for HIS purpose! We are filled with JOY as we watch how God has worked and are hopeful for what is to come. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. We are so grateful for your love, prayers, and support for our family! Will you continue to pray for Cooper's health and support The Cooper Trooper Foundation as we strive to provide support for other families who are experiencing a similar journey?
