Turnkey Event: Fight Cancer, Stay Positive (FCSP) Foundation and Dunk for a Cure 

Geoff Shudtz was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in December 2017, when he was 34, and his son, Emerson, was just three weeks old. At the time, no oncologist in Geoff’s Richmond, VA community had ever treated a pancreatic cancer patient as young as Geoff. During his challenging treatment, which included chemotherapy and immunotherapy, he chose to fight strong and remain optimistic that he would survive, and he never let cancer win. Geoff created the mantra “Fight Cancer, Stay Positive,” a saying he lived by that would later inspire his family and friends to carry on his legacy. 

Geoff’s wife, Julie, remembers their long conversations while he was undergoing treatment, and how intense his resolve was to help other patients and their loved ones. “Geoff believed we weren’t going through this experience for nothing. We always hoped to make life better and easier for someone else struggling with pancreatic cancer. I do believe researchers can figure out this disease with more time, resources, and treatment options so patients can live longer.” 

After Geoff’s passing in 2019, Julie and several close friends and relatives created the Fight Cancer, Stay Positive (FCSP) Foundation—naming their organization after Geoff’s mantra—to fundraise for research and connect cancer patients with the support they need. None of Geoff’s friends or relatives had prior fundraising or event-planning experience, but they were determined to follow Geoff’s selfless example and make a difference for others battling this disease. Jonathan Mayer, a close friend of Geoff’s and a member of the FCSP Board, was involved with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and wanted to adapt their successful concept of creating a fundraising event that is inexpensive, easy to replicate, and inclusive for all ages, including children like Geoff and Julie’s young son. Building on this concept, FCSP Board member Troy Karnes proposed the dunk tank idea, and the FCSP Board immediately loved the concept, knowing it was just the type of funny, family-friendly, down-to-earth event Geoff would have appreciated and enjoyed.  

Following their first virtual event in 2020, the FCSP Foundation hosted their first in-person dunk tank event, Dunk for a Cure, during the summer of 2021 in Richmond—Geoff’s hometown and where Geoff, Julie, and Emery lived. “Our tradition is for Emery to throw the first ball at the Richmond event, where I am the first person to get dunked,” Julie shared. “FCSP and pancreatic cancer have been so integrated into Emery’s life, and I’m confident that the older he gets, the more he will admire and be inspired by how much his dad has accomplished to positively impact pancreatic cancer patients and their families.” 

Since 2021, Dunk for a Cure has raised close to $1 million, and FCSP is committed to pursuing its inspiring goal of surpassing the $1 million mark this year to support Lustgarten’s pancreatic cancer research program, with a focus on early detection. FCSP chose to partner with Lustgarten because of Lustgarten’s commitment to funding ground-breaking research and because Julie’s sister-in-law, Kristin, a nurse anesthetist and Geoff’s advocate during his pancreatic cancer treatment, relied on Lustgarten as a resource for information and clinical trials. “We’re committed to early detection, given that Geoff had two siblings, a son, and four nephews who all share a portion of his DNA, and we’re excited by Lustgarten’s extensive research in this area,” Julie added.  

In addition to Richmond, Dunk for a Cure events are now held annually in Washington, DC, where Geoff, Julie, and several of their close friends lived before having children; Denver, home of Board member and close friend Troy; and Cincinnati, Julie’s hometown and where her family still resides. FCSP is considering events in Charleston, South Carolina, and Minnesota, where FCSP Board members have ties, plus a potential event in Charlotte, NC, which would be the first Dunk for a Cure not organized by a Board member.  

“Hosting a Dunk for a Cure event in your community is not only a fun and relatively easy undertaking, but also a great way to support Lustgarten, as money raised at the event helps fund Lustgarten-sponsored research. Plus, FCSP provides a step-by-step kit to plan and implement the event,” Julie emphasized. “Dunk for a Cure is accessible for everyone and is not limited by who could donate because of how wealthy they are. Attendees don’t need to fundraise to participate.” 

According to FCSP Board member Jonathan Mayer, “We’ll provide everything you need: fundraising platform, t-shirts to all dunkees who sign up two weeks prior to the event, insurance, and all the guidance to ensure your Dunk for a Cure event is a huge success. We can even discuss reimbursement for the dunk tanks.” 

In 2024, the FCSP Foundation helped a Richmond private middle school organize a dunk tank event in memory of a student’s parent who passed away from pancreatic cancer a few months after diagnosis. In just three weeks of fundraising, the event garnered $35,000, all of which was donated to the Lustgarten Foundation’s research efforts.   

“Dunk for a Cure fundraisers are so successful that in 2024, the four Dunk for a Cure events (excluding the Richmond middle school, where FCSP only provided the fundraising platform), raised about $150,000,” Jonathan explained. “For every $1 we spent, we brought in $10. We are confident that each event can be put on for $2,500 or less and can raise around $20,000+.” 

When Geoff was undergoing treatment, one of his goals was to make his local Richmond hospital, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center, a thriving center for pancreatic cancer care. Now, with FCSP support, the center’s pancreas program has become Virginia’s leading resource for pancreatic cancer care and the first of its kind in the Richmond area. The FCSP Foundation is also committed to making a difference in the specific communities where Dunk for a Cure events take place. FCSP builds relationships with, and provides funding to, accredited, research-driven hospitals like Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, and local pancreatic cancer experts like Andrew Waters, PhD, at the University of Cincinnati. 

Julie is determined to expand Dunk for a Cure beyond its four current locations, uniting patients, families, researchers, clinicians, and organizations like the Lustgarten Foundation, as Geoff would have wanted. “Geoff’s superpower was his unique ability to bring people together. He was always at the epicenter, and he still is. He knew how to make ordinary, mundane things fun, and how to create his own hope in the midst of facing pancreatic cancer,” Julie shared. “Geoff stayed positive and strong, and I’m trying to follow his example.”