Why Fox Chase?

In 2019, my Father was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Fox Chase Cancer Center was my Dad’s cancer center of choice. In his own words,

“Being at Fox Chase has been very comforting. They’re more like friends to me, and that has made all the difference.”

Every year since his diagnosis I have dedicated one whole month of my ceramic sales to cancer research. Meaning 100% of proceeds for a month each year are donated to Fox Chase Cancer Center in my Father’s name. Last year you guys helped me get his name up on the “Tree of Life”, which you can read about here! My ultimate goal and hope is to help fuel future treatment advancements. Over the past 4 years I can proudly say I’ve been able to donate a total of $5,800- with the help of people like you! Last year, I had the pleasure of specifically selecting The Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute as our donation recipient. I’m really trying hard to keep this short and sweet, so you can read about The Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute here! Dr. Sanjay Reddy, who was my Dad’s surgeon, is a part of the team at Greenberg, which made last year’s donation very special. Check out the photo below of me handing a big, goofy check over to him! Although my Father did not have a success story and succumbed to the disease in March of 2021, I am passionate about continuing to contribute to the efforts that Dr. Reddy and his team put into the future treatment of Pancreatic Cancer patients. If we can help make just a single patient’s experience better- that’s all that I could ask for.

A little bit about the work: 

Each piece has been handcrafted in clay by yours truly and fired just as any other ceramic piece would be. If you knew my Dad, or know his history, he had a passion for cars. In 2017, he acquired O’Neil Collision Center in Hatboro, which my brother, Kevin, and I inherited after our Father passed. Each of my pieces have been sprayed completely in automotive paint at our shop, making them unique to my personal career experiences and family history. If you are not a car buff (I’m not really either!) you may not know that each vehicle has a specific paint code that correlates to its VIN. This paint code tells collision facilities like us what color to mix up to match the paint on the vehicles we repair. Each piece has been sprayed in a genuine, factory, paint code, so you might have even seen these colors out on the road!

The Results are in!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone that had a hand in this event. To everyone that helped me make this a reality, to everyone that came to the opening reception, participated in bidding, or made a generous donation- I have every one of you to thank for contributing to the success of the show. We were able to raise a total of $4,800. 100% of these proceeds have been donated to The Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute at Fox Chase Cancer Center in memory of my father, Jamie Brett.

Props where props are due!

A huge shout out to Hannah of Gold Door Gallery for welcoming my every idea and making dreams come true!

Thank you, Halie, for capturing everything through the lens and documenting every single moment perfectly!

Big ups to Danny for seeing the vision & designing all promo gear!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Zach who helped me handcraft every single pedestal, each specific to the piece they are holding.

& Last but certainly not least.. I could not have gotten any of these pieces done without the help of our shop painter, Riki, who held my hand through refinishing each and every piece!!

I am also grateful for WMMR and all local Hatboro businesses that helped me promote this event. I am proud to be a part of such a supportive community.

In Loving Memory of James G. Brett

(Feb. 27th, 1964-Mar. 12th, 2021)