The proceeds from a local pumpkin patch will go towards pediatric cancer research and family support.
The Cooper Trooper Foundation was created in honor of 10-year-old Cooper Cook. He was diagnosed with cancer when he was only 8 weeks old.
Tricia Foretich said, "He was born early, he was premature and then at his checkup they found out that he had cancer and it's a very rare cancer. One in a million."
Foretich is a family friend and a volunteer with the Cooper Trooper Foundation. She said 100% of the proceeds from the pumpkin patch either go towards "courage kit" backpacks for siblings of kids with cancer, or to an endowment with Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Foretich said, "Because only one penny of every dollar goes to pediatric cancer research so we’re trying to give as much as we can."
Foretich said last year they raised over $250,000.
It's a family-friendly event. On Sunday kids like Nia Ekimogloy searched for the perfect pumpkin.
Ekimogloy said, "Every year we usually some people paint it and some people carve it. So they get to do whichever one they want and I'm going to paint mine and I'm going to put 'LOL's' and stuff on it."
Nia's mom said they love supporting a good cause.
Nanette Ekimogloy said,"They're making such a big difference this year, and they made it last year, and they made a difference in our family."
You can find the Cooper Trooper Foundation's pumpkin patch at the corner of Mallory Lane and Cool Springs Boulevard. They're open every day until Halloween and close around 7 or 8 at night. You can find out more information here.
