September to Remember
We celebrated our September to Remember this weekend! The day was filled with education, information, and vital awareness.
We honored those trailblazers making a difference and celebrated warriors that are no longer with us.
We are grateful to everyone who helped make this event Amaysing.
So often, sickle cell disease goes unnoticed. It remains the most underfunded disease, and patients frequently face the most biased treatment from the healthcare community. Our mission doesn't stop here, we will continue to spread awareness 24/7, 365.
The world is a better place when we spread love and humanity.
— The May5Foundation
We were truly honored to celebrate our Honorees. Thank you for your service, your passion, and your unbreakable commitment to humanity. Congratulations to each of our honorees on this deeply deserved recognition!
Jesse Mays Shining Star Award
Senator Larry Selders
Leona H Mays Excellence Award
Averil Jones Turner
Supporters of the Year
Bruce and Andrea Tanner
Heart of A Warrior Award
Joni Hicks
Advocacy Award
Shataka Figgins
Amaysing Kid Award
Azariah Manchester
Honoring Our Fallen Warriors
This weekend, we paused to honor the lives, courage, and enduring legacies of our fallen Sickle Cell Warriors. Though they are no longer with us in body, their impact, strength, and spirits remain forever etched in our hearts. They are gone, but they will never be forgotten.
We were deeply privileged to welcome the incredible families of ; Charissa Jones( Honor Wall), Lydia Mays (Honor Wall) ,Jesse Mays( Honor Wall), Elijah Powell ( Honor Wall), Sherell Jones( Honor Wall Inductee), and celebrate fallen warriors ; Amber Dawson, Genesis Jones and Daryl Rosborough, who are standing in their stead to receive these honors and share their powerful stories.
To the families: thank you for carrying their torch, for speaking on their behalf, and for continuing to teach us what true resilience looks like.
Your strength inspires our community to keep fighting, advocating, and remembering—every single day.
Thank you to our sponsors
Dr. Alsandor Cuevas
Mays Development Group
Dr. Gerald Leglue
Attorney Maurice Hall
Thank you to our Vendors
Once In A LyfeTyme
SCARF
Denym Squeez’d It
Lucare Wigs
Special Thank You To
Grace and Compassion Church
The Wisham Family
Battle Ready To Fight Sickle Cell
We were “Battle Ready” in Alexandria to Fight Sickle Cell.
What an inspiring evening that was dedicated to raising awareness and supporting individuals and families impacted by sickle cell disease.
This month has been amaysing as we travel to increase awareness, share information and education to improve public knowledge and support of Sickle Cell Disease!
There’s No Stopping Us, SCARF does it again!!
Rooted in Community 2026
The 2026 Sickle Cell Symposium took place in Austin, Texas, at the Church of Christ at Eastside. This important event emphasized the urgent need for continued research, advocacy, and blood promotion related to sickle cell disease. Additionally, it focused on enhancing community outreach efforts to raise awareness and support for those affected by this condition. The Symposium served as a platform for collaboration and dialogue among stakeholders to improving the lives of individuals with sickle cell disease.
Amaysing Warrior Celebration 2025
Our 2025 Celebration Honoring our Amaysing Sickle Cell Warriors , Drew Dowden and Phillip Mullin, and Celebrating the memory of Jesse Mays, Lydia Mays, Elijah Powell, Charissa Jones was "Amaysing".
There was nonstop Education, Information and Awareness!
It was a day filled with purpose, celebration, and impact.
This wasn't a moment, it was a movement to uplift, honor, and raise awareness for those living with Sickle Cell Disease.
Grief and Loss Camp
With compassionate volunteer staff, specialized activities, and the goal of healing kept foremost in the mind of all involved, we make sure that our "Amaysing Kids" are in an environment of support and love that empowers them to embrace grief and progress towards healing
Our Grief Camps are open to children ages 5-15 and include the following activities ;
^ Outdoor Play & Activities
^Animal Therapy
^Arts & Crafts
^Peer to Peer Sessions
If there is a grieving child in your life that could benefit from Amaysing Camp, please fill out the registration below;
Amaysing Kids Program
Sickle Cell Awareness
Sickle Cell Is Their Superpower
A superpower is described as an excessive or superior power. Superpowers are not just associated with superhuman or supernatural entities. The everyday person may have not thought about the attributes they consistently use to conquer their days, weeks, and years.
These superpowers or attributes may come in all different forms too. Everyone will see different superpowers depending on how they see these characteristics working in their lives as practical tools. The tools sickle cell warriors use are Strength, Courage, and Perseverance.
Sickle Cell is a Warrior’s Superpower
***WARRIORS CAN***
“One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity." --Albert Schweitzer
S CIRCLE 2025
Sickle Cell Shouldn't Be A Death Sentence!
Equality in healthcare is a must! The bias treatment of sickle cell patients in emergency rooms and bias among medical professionals are resulting in increases of trauma and death among sickle cell patients!
We are not “DEI”, and Sickle Cell Research should never be something that has to “Yield a return on investment “.
The recent budget cuts and biased labeling of sickle cell research and care is detrimental to warriors quality of life!!
We are continuing to lose more and more warriors. Many warriors are experiencing more crisis and hospital visits and the bias in healthcare continues to grow!
We will continue to advocate for better emergency practices, more education for medical personnel, increase in accountability while demanding more policy and legislation for the sickle cell community.
These are the faces of the May5Foundation fallen warriors wall!
Look at their faces and remember “They Mattered" !
This is why we will never stop fighting!!
