American Lung Association

“If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.” - Michael Jordan

Adrian Karl Zuber (aka “Zip”) passed away on January 10, 2025 after a decade-long struggle with COPD, heart, and respiratory illnesses resulting from tobacco use.

In his youth, he was an extremely active athlete, ultimately focusing his attention on playing basketball.

Zip attended Shawnee High School, where he was part of the 1964-65 Shawnee High School Championship basketball team in Lima, Ohio. He was described as the lone Junior starter in a senior-dominated starting lineup.

He was awarded a full scholarship to play basketball for Bowling Green State University (BGSU), where he made sport’s history again, playing on the only NCAA team in BGSU’s history. He graduated with an Education degree and went on to obtain a Master's in Education from the University of Dayton.

Throughout his 33-year career as a teacher, coach, and counselor in the Lima Public School system, Zip was known as one of the toughest teachers. Yet, he provided numerous kids with structure and discipline they may not have otherwise received. While he had a tough exterior, his heart was always soft for those in need.

In lieu of flowers or other tribute items, Adrian’s family is seeking to continue his legacy of service by donating in his memory to the American Lung Association’s smoking cessation program.

More than 490,000 people die in the United States each year from tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. This makes smoking the leading cause of preventable death in the country.

We hope that Zip’s legacy will help at least one person break the cycle of addiction.

“Smoking is a handicap to life…. Haven’t you got anything better to do?” - Isiah Thomas and Reggie Theus

In honor of Austine's 75th birthday, we are hosting Mary Austine's March on Saturday, December 14th at 1pm. This will be a 1 to 2 mile walk, which will be held in person and virtually. All proceeds from this walk will be donated to the American Lung Association. We are determined to make this march for Austine a success and to support the American Lung Association in their work to battle lung disease.

The 10th anniversary of Lisa’s passing will be on 10/15/2024. She died from a very rare and aggressive form of a non-smoking small cell carcinoma and sarcoma lung cancer. Within 10 short months of her diagnosis she was gone.

Lisa was full of life and laughter. She married the love of her life (since 6th grade) and she loved being a mom. She was the best daughter and sister. She was everyone’s friend and always remembered birthdays and anniversaries with a mailed card. She refused to pay her bills online because she wanted to keep the post office in business. She wasn’t on social media - her social life was at their pool (known as Put-in-Benkey) or in person.

Shortly after her passing, a fundraiser was held for the American Lung Association’s Lung Force Walk in Cleveland. That first year, our team, Queenie’s Court, was the top fundraising team in Ohio (and among the top teams in the country) for non-sponsored teams, raising over $14,000! This was nothing short of a testament of love for Lisa and a desire to support research and treatment for non-smoking lung cancer.

Our donations have made a difference! The treatment for lung cancer has changed so much in these last 10 years. The experimental drug Lisa took is now the norm for patients and the side effects are much less than when Lisa took it.

When Deena and I started the fundraiser that first year we were hoping to have a team of 10 people walking who raised $100 each. What an incredible thing it was to witness a team twice that size walking and raising so much. We kept having to raise our goal! We sold t-shirts and accepted donations for 6 weeks. What a ride it was.

It is our hope to send a donation this year in memory of Lisa and in honor of all her friends and family who still miss her so much. If you can spare $10 for 10 years it will help us reach our goal.

Thank you for your interest in this campaign dedicated to the memory of our dear friend, Khash Chamlou. Khash's life was tragically cut short due to the relentless battle with lung cancer, a disease that unfortunately touches many lives around the world. His spirit, strength, and determination were an inspiration to us all, and we want to continue to honor his memory in a meaningful way. This is why we've set up this fundraising page. Your generous donation will not only serve as a tribute to Khash's incredible life but also support the vital work of the American Lung Association. This organization is committed to improving lung health and preventing lung disease through research, education, and advocacy. Every dollar you contribute will aid in their mission to fight lung cancer and help many others who are facing the same fight Khash bravely endured. In the face of our grief, we have an opportunity to turn sorrow into action. By contributing to this fund, you are supporting the ongoing battle against lung cancer, a cause that was tragically close to Khash's heart. Your contribution will make a tangible difference and stand as a testament to the love and respect we all hold for Khash. This is more than a donation – it's a commitment to honor Khash's memory and make a difference in the lives of others. We deeply appreciate your support and thank you for joining us in this meaningful cause.

Matt Safley Music's 2024 Breathe Easier Fundraiser supports the American Lung Association, and is in honor of his mother, Holli, who lost her battle to stage-4 lung cancer in 2020. This diagnosis was extremely unexpected—Holli never smoked and lived an active and healthy lifestyle.

Not only was Holli one of Matt's biggest supporters in his musical career, she inspired him to become a professional musician. Through her 40-year career as an instrumental music teacher, she touched the lives of thousands of elementary school, middle school and high school students with her passion and dedication to music education.

Your donation will go directly to the American Lung Association to support their mission to improve lung health, prevent lung cancer, and combat lung diseases through public education, scientific research, medical treatments, tobacco cessation programs, and air quality improvement.

Matt Safley Music will match the first $250 raised. The goal is $1,000. Ongoing now through April 30!

Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause!

There's no better way to honor someone's legacy than to continue it. My grandmother recently passed away after a long and courageous battle with lung cancer. She was such a huge inspiration to me and many others throughout her lifetime. As an ER nurse for decades, she touched the lives of thousands of patients and left everlasting impacts. I hope to impact others the way she did. That's why I'm raising money to support the American Lung Association in her honor. This amazing organization works to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education, and advocacy. I hope through this fundraiser to aid this organization in making further advances in research and treatment. After all, if we can make a difference in one person's life, then we're well on our way to honoring that amazing legacy. Together we can make a difference!!!

More information about the American Lung Association: The American Lung Association is an amazing organization dedicated to furthering research and discoveries about lung health! All money donated helps fund cancer research, treatment development, and lung education! 100% of all donations will go directly to this organization.

Hi, our names are Wyatt Walter, Andy Quach, & Ethan Gillfillian and this is our IB project. The reason you should donate to our cause is so we help put a stop to lung cancer. The way it will help is because the money is going toward lung cancer research so we can help one day put a stop to lung cancer.

On April 16th, Michael, Timmy and I will be running our first half marathon in honor of our Grandma, Mary Mullarkey. We lost her in April 2021 after a long hard fight with COPD. For those of you who are not familiar with COPD it is formally known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

My cousins and I want to take this opportunity to draw attention to the American Lung Association. We chose this foundation because it is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. They provide resources to help quit smoking, education on clean air quality and how to incorporate it into your home and life, and are constantly reaching new milestones through research on how to detect lung disease.

We are going to celebrate our Grandma by challenging our lungs and supporting each other through an uncomfortable but ultimately rewarding race. We ask that you join in the fight against COPD and all lung disease by donating in our Grandma's honor to help fuel our fight on April 16th, while we run for her!

Anything helps, and we thank you in advance for your support!

Join us for our Family-Youth Scholarship Bowling Tournament benefiting the American Lung Association.

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. Their vision is a world free of lung disease including, asthma, COPD, COVID-19 and lung cancer. Your support in our tournament can help take provide the funds needed to make progress towards this vision.

Sunday, November 14

12:00 pm | Bowlero North Brunswick

Register and Donate:

$120 Entry Fee per Team of 4

First Place Prize: $300

Youth Prize: USBC Smart Scholarship

Participants will bowl 3 games on the same pair of lanes. Total pins over the team average will determine the champions. Teams must have a minimum of 1 adult and 1 youth.

Please send the following team member information to [email redacted]:

We can't wait to bowl with you and thank you for supporting our Bar Mitzvah project. Remember, when you can't breathe, nothing else matters.

Joseph & Joshua

In honor of Austine's birthday, on December 14, we are hosting Mary Austine's March on Saturday, December 11th at 2pm. This will be a 1 to 2 mile walk, which will be held in person and virtually. Any proceeds from this walk will be donated to the American Lung Association. We are determined to make this march for Austine a success and to support the American Lung Association in their work to battle lung disease.