Letter to the Editor

Ralph Dantino: Thanks to Everyone

Letter to the Editor: A year after surgery, Fifth Ward Alderman Ralph Dantino thanks all the community members who have rallied together to show their love and generosity.

It has been a full year now since my family and I ventured out to the East Coast so I could undergo major surgery. It was a very tough decision to go ahead and have this surgery, but it in my mind proves out to be the correct one. In the past year I have more than understood the value of having a good family, having good friends, and living in the great community of Geneva. The decision 28 years ago for my wife Nancy and I to raise our family in Geneva was one of the best decisions of our lives. From the long list of people that have sent cards with their thoughts and prayers, to the many people that visited me in the hospital, I am forever thankful. We also were very fortunate to have the “Rally for Ralph” in early June which brought out …

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Beth Bales

A Supportive Community Rallies for Ralph

A rally to provide support for Ralph Dantino, battling a rare cancer, brought out hundreds of friends and family on a perfect June afternoon.

The community rallied for Ralph Sunday. Family, friends, co-workers, friends and co-workers of family members ... they all gathered at the St. Peter Knights of Columbus hall, Riverview Banquets, to enjoy picture-perfect June weather and a picnic atmosphere and to support Ralph Dantino. All proceeds from the afternoon, which included hot dogs, brats and potato chips, plus games for the kids, a cake walk, more baked goods that you can imagine and a raffle, will help the Dantino family defray medical expenses associated with Ralph’s three-year-plus battle against cancer of the appendix.  It’s a rare form of the disease, and Ralph’s battle has been hard-fought, including an intensive surgery last September in Baltimore. Complications followed…

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'Rally for Ralph' Contains More Than a Little Bit of 'It's a Wonderful Life'

On a perfect Sunday, Geneva comes out in force to benefit a Geneva man's fight against a rare appendiceal cancer.

So, Paula and I and Tricia are sitting at a picnic table, talking with Dennis Malone at Sunday's Rally for Ralph. And the man of the hour sidles up to the table to say hello. "You're not getting me just yet!" Ralph Dantino says to Dennis, a big grin on his his face, which today is beaming with energy and hope. "That's OK," says Dennis, the lifelong Geneva resident and owner of Malone Funeral Home. "I'm not in any hurry. You take all the time you need!" On this perfect Sunday picnic in June at Riverside Banquets, it only feels right to laugh and give the Grim Reaper a little NBA-style elbow in the ribs. Because this is a day that celebrates life and love and family and community. We got to the Rally early—Paula and I and Tricia (Kathryn was…

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Rally for Ralph and Win a Weber Gas Grill! (Woof! Woof!)

Yes, Ralph Dantino is a manly man. And so it's appropriate for a manly prize (gas grill) at this Sunday's Rally for Ralph. There are also Bears tickets and a 42-inch TV. Need we say more?

A Weber gas grill, a night at the Herrington, Bears tickets, a weekend in a Chicago condo and a 42-inch television set are just a few of the items to be raffled at the “Rally for Ralph” Sunday, June 3. If you're a man or a romantic, or both, you couldn't ask for a better set of prizes or a better cause for a raffle. The fund-raiser, with a casual picnic atmosphere, will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Riverview Banquets, 1117 N. Washington Ave., Batavia, along the Fox River. The afternoon of family fun will include games, music, the raffle, food for purchase and a cash bar. Proceeds will benefit the Dantino family of Geneva, to help defray medical expenses associated with Ralph’s three-year battle against appendiceal cancer, a rare form…

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Plans Finalized for 'Rally for Ralph' on June 3

Friends of Ralph Dantino of Geneva will hold a “Rally for Ralph” from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 3, at Riverview Banquets, 1117 N. Washington Ave., Batavia.

Friends of Ralph Dantino of Geneva will hold a “Rally for Ralph” from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 3, at Riverview Banquets, 1117 N. Washington Ave., Batavia. The afternoon of family fun will include games, music, a raffle, plus food for purchase and a cash bar. Proceeds will benefit the Dantino family, to help defray medical expenses associated with Ralph’s three-plus-year battle against appendiceal cancer, a rare form of the disease. His fight included a several-week stay at a Baltimore hospital in late 2011. Dantino and his wife, Nancy, have a long history of involvement in the Geneva community. Ralph is a former member of the Geneva Park District Foundation, Geneva School Board and Geneva Plan Commission, and currently represents the city’…

'Rally for Ralph' Dantino is June 3 in Batavia

Geneva 5th Ward Alderman Ralph Dantino is battling cancer of the appendix. Now, the community is coming together to help the family defray the huge costs of medical expenses.

A rally for 5th Ward Alderman Ralph Dantino will be held next month to help defray some of the costs of his continuing battle against cancer. It's called “Rally for Ralph,” and it’s a family-friendly, picnic-type affair. It will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 3, at the Knight of Columbus hall, 1117 N. Washington St., Batavia—the building along the Fox River just south of Geneva formally called Riverview Banquets. Tickets are $10 a family. There will be games, music, food and drink for purchase, a cash bar and a raffle.  The "Rally for Ralph" will help support the Dantino family, who have amassed medical bills as he fights cancer of the appendix. What: Enjoy a family-style picnic with games, music, food for purchase, cash bar, raffle, …

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