Jersey Mike’s teaming up with St. Charles charity this month to fight pediatric cancer

Illinois residents can raise money to help St. Charles’ Cal’s Angels fight pediatric cancer just by ordering Jersey Mike’s on March 26.

More than 80 Jersey Mike’s locations in Illinois are participating in the 15th annual “Month of Giving” and “Day of Giving” campaigns this month to raise money for Kane County nonprofit Cal’s Angels.

During the “Month of Giving,” customers are encouraged to “round up” their total by $1, $3 or $5, which will be donated to Cal’s Angels.

he month-long campaign will culminate on March 26 with the “Day of Giving” event, when 100% of all sales at every participating location will go to Cal’s Angels.

Additionally, Jersey Mike’s founder and CEO Peter Cancro has committed to matching up to $1 million of the total funds raised by the end of both events.

“I would like to extend a personal invitation to visit Jersey Mike’s Subs throughout the month of March, and especially on Day of Giving when 100 percent of sales – every penny – goes to help a great local cause,” Cancro said in a news release.

Cal’s Angels was founded in 2007 in honor of Cal Sutter, a 12-year-old from South Elgin who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005. He lost his battle with the disease in August 2006.

The nonprofit funds clinical trials and other cancer research at prominent children’s hospitals, helps the families of children with cancer pay bills, raises awareness and grants wishes for children battling cancer.

Cal’s Angels co-founder, board member and Cal’s father Tom Sutter is calling on Kane County residents to “Spread the word to everyone you know; Get out and go to Jersey Mike’s, especially on March 26.”

This is the first time Cal’s Angels will be the beneficiary of the Jersey Mike’s promotions, and Sutter said he was taken aback when he got the wonderful news.

“When I first learned about it, it made me well-up,” Sutter said. “That was pretty cool, like something out of the blue, you know, something unexpected.”

The nonprofit was nominated for the giving campaigns by Jim Shipman, an old friend of the Sutter family and the Cal’s Angels team who owns several Jersey Mike’s locations in the area.

Sutter said the promotions have raised over $500,000 for partnering charities in the past, which he said would go a long way in their research and in opening a new high risk cancer center at Lurrie Children’s Hospital, which will be unveiled this summer.

“If we hit that kind of number, we will easily be able to help hundreds of families,” Sutter said. “When we started Cal’s Angels, we didn’t go into this thing thinking we’d ever be able to fund a $4 million program... To have a franchise like Jersey Mike’s have 81 locations raise money for you for an entire month, that’s just unbelievable.”

Since Month of Giving began in 2011, Jersey Mike’s has raised more than $113 million for local charities.

“We are so honored that Jersey Mike’s chose us to be their Chicagoland charity to give back to,” Cal’s Angels co-founder and president Stacey Wahlberg said in a news release. “Having such a prominent partner in the community helps us spread awareness about pediatric cancer and each dollar raised will truly make a difference in finding a cure. The generosity of the entire Jersey Mike’s organization is overwhelming and we are very thankful.”

Cal’s Angels raises about $4 million annually and has raised over $27 million since its founding in 2007. For more information on the nonprofit’s initiatives and programs, visit www.calsangels.org.