Myakka City resident's dream is to help critically ill children

When Matt Baar was diagnosed with cancer at 14 years old, he was never told he only had a 15% chance of surviving the next five years.

“They kept a lot from me,” he said of his parents, Jim and Mary Jo Baar. “I’m always told I had a positive attitude, which I think helped.”

It was 2013, and Baar didn’t have an iPhone yet. He couldn’t research his odds of beating the rare abdominal cancer defined by a desmoplastic small round cell tumor.

But another comforting factor was that he had met most of his doctors because five years earlier, his brother Joey Baar was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Around that same time, Amanda Griffin Walker was an intern for the Children’s Dream Fund. She’s now the nonprofit’s executive director and is working with Baar on a fundraiser scheduled for Nov. 22 at his Myakka City home. 

The first annual Turkey Toss is a cornhole tournament, which will also include games beyond cornhole, as well as lunch, drinks, a DJ and a "Walk of Dreams" that will display photos and stories about some of the children who have received dreams from the Children's Dream Fund. 

“I’m definitely here to help, but Matt is the one making the dreams come true,” Walker said. “You can’t describe (the Baar family) as ‘nice.’ It’s so much more in depth. They are kind to their souls.” 

Both Baar brothers were granted dreams, and their father, Jim Baar, now sits on the fund's board. Joey Baar chose to visit Walt Disney World, while Matt Baar chose a trip to Hawaii. 

“I was still sick at the time, so I couldn’t take it all in,” Matt Baar said. “But it was such a fun trip. There was a luau, swimming with dolphins and a submarine ride.” 

Now, Baar wants to ensure that every child with a life-threatening illness in Manatee County receives a dream, too. 

Each dream costs $5,000, and Walker said there are 29 children in Manatee County on the waiting list.

The goal might be lofty in the first year, but Baar has already raised $24,000 between players and sponsors.

“I’ve learned that fundraising is a lot more work than I thought,” he said with a laugh. “But I enjoy doing it." 

He was also raised to be charitable. Mary Jo and Jim Baar are founding members of Manasota BUDS, a local nonprofit that supports individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

Because Mary Jo Baar was formerly Mary Jo Hunsader, Jim Baar has also created a legacy through the Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival's Charity Games. He handmade most of the games, some of which will be "reimagined" for the Turkey Toss to include more adult prizes, such as a free drink from the cash bar. 

Jim Baar is currently busy crafting drink stands to accompany each cornhole board, while Matt Baar is busy organizing and fundraising daily. 

The tournament is still seeking players, sponsors and raffle items. But some nice prizes have been secured so far, including a one-week boarding camp at the IMG Academy and a two-night stay at the Tampa Hilton Garden Inn.

File image

While they haven't been determined yet, the winners will receive prizes in addition to commemorative plaques. 

He describes the tournament as a learning experience, but the Turkey Toss is not Matt Baar's first foray into fundraising. 

A year before his diagnosis, he raised over $2,500 through a change drive to purchase a Touch2Play gaming system for the infusion center at All Children's Hospital, where Joey Baar had been receiving leukemia treatments. 

The hospital nominated Matt Baar to be the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero, and he was awarded $50,000 to give to his charities of choice — All Children’s Hospital’s Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Children’s Dream Fund.