Why St. Jude Matters to Us

A Champion Mulch Family Story

When Matt Brun walked into the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® campus in Memphis for the first time, the contrast couldn’t have been more striking. Back home in Dayton, his days were filled with the earthy scent of mulch, the rumble of delivery trucks, and the steady rhythm of a growing landscape supply business. But here, under the bright Tennessee sun, the air was tinged with antiseptic, punctuated by the squeak of red wagons pulling children to their next appointments.

He wasn’t there as a businessman. He was there as an uncle.

His niece Maddy, barely 14 months old, had been diagnosed five months earlier with ependymoma—a type of brain cancer that no family is ever prepared to face. As he navigated the colorful, carefully designed hallways, Matt was struck by a conflicting swirl of emotions: the heaviness of seeing so many children in treatment, yet an undeniable sense of hope permeating every interaction.

“It’s a beautiful campus and we definitely felt we were in the right place,” recalls Maddy’s mother Julie. “It’s a mixed bag of emotions because you are surrounded by staff that are so kind and gracious, but you are also surrounded by a lot of sick children.”

That visit changed something fundamental in Matt. Beyond the concern for his niece, beyond the admiration for the medical staff, he found a purpose that would eventually bridge his personal experience with his professional life. Today, that purpose has grown into a formal partnership between Champion Mulch & Landscape Supply and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® – a connection built not on business strategy, but on deeply personal gratitude.

This is the story of how one family’s journey through childhood cancer created ripples that would eventually touch an entire community, and how a local business found its heart in supporting a world where no child dies from cancer.

• The Beginning of Maddy’s Journey
• Arriving at St. Jude
• The Treatment Experience
• Family Impact
• The Ronald McDonald House Experience
• The Journey Continues
• Why This Partnership Matters to Champion Mulch
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

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The Beginning of Maddy’s Journey

Before Cancer: Lucas, Ron, Maddy, and Julie

Before cancer entered their vocabulary, the Read family lived the ordinary rhythms of life that most of us take for granted. Julie and Ron juggled careers and parenting, with their kindergarten-aged son Lucas bringing the energy and chaos that five-year-olds specialize in. Baby Maddy, with her bright eyes and infectious giggles, had just begun to explore her world at nine months old. Weekends meant family gatherings, home projects, and the small moments that build a life together.

Then, without warning, the ground shifted beneath their feet.

“You never expect it to be your child,” Julie says, her voice still carrying traces of that initial disbelief. “One minute we’re planning her first birthday, and the next we’re sitting across from doctors using words like ‘tumor’ and ‘oncology.'”

Maddy was diagnosed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. The standard treatment path was clear but daunting: surgery followed by proton radiation therapy. But there was a complication — NCH didn’t offer the specific radiation treatment Maddy needed.

“Typically we would go to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital,” Julie explains, “but the radiation oncologist that knows the most about her type of brain cancer — ependymoma — is located at St. Jude.” That specialist was Dr. Merchant, known among medical professionals simply as “the ependymoma guy.”

It was a rare situation. While St. Jude typically accepts patients for specific clinical trials, there wasn’t one available for Maddy’s condition at that time. Yet Dr. Merchant reviewed her case and made an exception, accepting her for treatment outside the usual protocols.

“It was the best of both worlds,” Julie remembers. “We didn’t have to follow the guidelines of a clinical trial; we could just go there for the specific treatment she needed.”

The family found themselves facing a reality they’d never imagined: packing for an extended stay in Memphis, arranging for Lucas’s care back home, navigating leave from work, and preparing their baby girl for a journey that no child should have to make. Matt watched his sister’s family prepare for this upheaval with a mixture of helplessness and awe.

“When something like this happens to someone you love,” Matt says, “you realize how quickly priorities shift. Suddenly the daily concerns that seemed so important just… fade away.”

For the Reads, life had divided into clear segments: before diagnosis and after. Normal and new normal. Home and Memphis. And as they prepared to travel to Tennessee, they couldn’t know that they were about to become part of a community that understood exactly what they were going through — a community built specifically to carry families through their darkest days.

Arriving at St. Jude

The drive to Memphis stretched before Julie and Ron like an emotional marathon. Each mile marker brought them closer to treatment, but farther from home, from Lucas, from everything familiar. With Maddy secured in her car seat, they crossed state lines carrying the weight of uncertainty and the fragile flame of hope.

St. Jude rises from the Memphis landscape like an island of possibility. As they approached the campus for the first time, the modern buildings gleamed in the sunlight — a stark contrast to the darkness of their situation. The architectural warmth seemed intentional, Julie thought, designed to wrap around families when they needed embracing most.

“It’s a beautiful campus,” Julie recalls. “We definitely felt we were in the right place.”

But beauty and reassurance came intertwined with the reality of why they were there. As they entered the main building, the full picture of St. Jude revealed itself in vivid detail: children with bald heads from chemotherapy, tired eyes above brave smiles, parents whose expressions mirrored their own mix of determination and fear.

“It’s a mixed bag of emotions,” Julie explains, “because you are surrounded by staff that are so kind and gracious, but you are also surrounded by a lot of sick children.” She describes seeing children who carry the visible weight of their treatment journeys, noting how the hospital still manages to create a cheerful atmosphere despite these challenges.

One of the most striking images — one that would become familiar during their stay — was the parade of red wagons that moved through the hallways like a gentle current. “The kids are being pulled around campus from appointment to appointment in red wagons,” Julie remembers. These wagons, too small for the enormous burdens they carried, somehow became symbols of both the childhood being fought for and the journey being traveled.

Yet amid this sobering reality, St. Jude achieved something remarkable: an atmosphere that acknowledged the gravity of their mission while refusing to surrender to it.

“Even with a lot of illness around you, they still make it as cheerful of a place as possible,” Julie says.

The cheerfulness wasn’t superficial — it was purposeful. Bright colors adorned walls that had witnessed countless anxious parents. Artwork created by patients hung in corridors traveled by worried families. Staff members greeted them not with clinical detachment but with genuine warmth. Each element seemed designed to say: This is a serious place that does serious work, but we haven’t forgotten there are children here.

For the Reads, that first day at St. Jude marked their entry into a world unlike any they’d known — a world where medical excellence met compassionate care, where cutting-edge treatment coexisted with the understanding that healing involves more than medicine. It was a world they hadn’t chosen to enter, but one that would soon show them what extraordinary care truly means.

As they completed intake forms and met with the medical team that would oversee Maddy’s treatment, Julie and Ron began to understand why Dr. Merchant was considered the best in his field — and why St. Jude had earned its reputation as a beacon for families navigating the stormy seas of childhood cancer.

The Treatment Experience

Maddy’s treatment plan unfolded like a carefully choreographed dance — one with steps no parent ever wishes to learn. Each morning began before sunrise, as Julie prepared her drowsy toddler for another day of fighting an enemy invisible to the naked eye but all too real on brain scans.

“St. Jude was absolutely awesome,” Julie says, her voice warming with the memory. “Everyone that works there is so nice and helpful. The doctors and nurses are top of the line. They make you feel seen and heard.”

The medical team moved with precision that comes only from specialized expertise. Dr. Merchant and his colleagues became navigators charting a course through dangerous waters, their confidence providing an anchor when uncertainty threatened to pull the family under. Each step of Maddy’s treatment was explained with a balance of honesty and hope — the rare combination that allows parents to prepare for difficult days while still believing in better ones ahead.

Proton radiation therapy — the reason they had come to St. Jude — required daily sedation for the 14-month-old. Maddy would lie perfectly still as targeted radiation treated her brain with microscopic precision, sparing surrounding tissues while attacking cancer cells. The science behind it was miraculous; the implementation was grueling.

“Maddy had a very hard time adjusting to the sedation she received every day for treatment,” Julie recalls. “Her sleep was so bad while we were down there… for both of us. It was a struggle emotionally having to care for her alone when we were both so tired and stressed all the time.”

But the approach to care at St. Jude extended far beyond the radiation suite. The medical team recognized that healing a child means addressing every aspect of their development, especially when treatment threatens to derail it.

“Maddy also had speech, occupational and physical therapy while she was there,” Julie explains. These therapies ensured that while doctors fought for her life, specialists fought for her development, refusing to let cancer claim more childhood milestones than absolutely necessary.

For older patients, St. Jude even maintained a school on campus, allowing children to keep pace academically during treatment. “They set you up in housing while you are getting treatment,” Julie continues. “When you are in short-term housing you receive a daily stipend to eat in their cafeteria, and Dominos supplied a large pizza and a two-liter of soda every day if you wanted it.”

The practical support St. Jude offered eliminated barriers that might otherwise have seemed insurmountable. St. Jude covered travel expenses for two adults and Maddy, removing the financial burden of cross-country medical care. Every scan, every treatment, every therapy session came without a bill to the family — a policy that transformed the family’s experience, Julie emphasizes, still sounding slightly amazed by this reality.

The hospital campus pulsed with unexpected moments of joy that punctuated the medical routine. “Frequently there would be organizations that came in to throw parties for the kids or give away things to the families. There was a weekly farmers market,” Julie remembers. “They really tried to make this as positive of an experience as they could.”

The understanding at St. Jude extended to recognizing when families needed to reconnect with home. “There was a time period between initial testing and when treatment started, it was like a week in between, and they paid for us to go home during that time so we could be with our family. Then paid for us to come back. That was really nice.”

Through it all, what stood out most wasn’t just the medical excellence—though that certainly existed in abundance. It was the recognition that they were treating a child and supporting a family, not merely attacking a disease. While the radiation targeted Maddy’s cancer with scientific precision, the care enveloped the entire family with equal intention.

As Matt would observe during his visits, the St. Jude approach represented healthcare transformed by compassion—where medical protocols and human understanding worked in perfect harmony, where every staff member from surgeons to cafeteria workers seemed united by a single mission: to deliver hope, one child at a time.

Family Impact

While Maddy and Julie settled into the rhythm of treatment in Memphis, life continued its reluctant forward march back in Ohio. The family found itself stretched between two worlds—divided by geography but united in purpose. Ron shouldered the weight of maintaining work and home while caring for Lucas, whose kindergarten year now unfolded against the backdrop of his sister’s illness.

“My husband and son stayed back home while Maddy and I were down there,” Julie explains. The separation carved new hollows into an already difficult situation. “It was hard on my son being away from us for two months, and my husband just felt helpless since he was home.”

Lucas, at just five years old, couldn’t fully grasp why his mother and baby sister had disappeared to a faraway place called Memphis. His world had been upended without warning, and the concept of cancer remained beyond his understanding. He moved between the homes of grandparents, uncles, and aunts, while Ron balanced work responsibilities with maintaining some semblance of normalcy.

While Matt traveled to Memphis to provide support, his wife Kasie helped with support efforts back home, helping to care for Lucas when he stayed with them. Their son Ethan, who was close in age to Lucas, became an important companion for his cousin during this difficult time, providing a sense of normalcy through play and friendship when Lucas stayed at their home.

“Our family was very helpful, especially with Lucas,” Julie remembers with gratitude. “He would stay at my parents’ house, or my brother’s or my husband’s brother’s house. He would play with his cousins and have fun. That was the biggest help so we didn’t have to worry as much about him.”

The distance created a strange paradox for Julie—physically separated from Lucas while emotionally tethered to him through daily video calls that never quite bridged the gap. Every goodnight kiss blown through a phone screen carried the weight of missed bedtime stories and absent hugs.

In Memphis, Julie navigated a different kind of isolation. Despite being surrounded by other parents in similar situations, the night hours brought a particular loneliness as she cared for Maddy without her husband.

“It was a struggle emotionally having to care for her alone when we were both so tired and stressed all the time,” she recalls. “But we got through it. We were both homesick. But we got through it, one day at a time.”

That became their mantra: one day at a time. Some days brought small victories—a good blood count, a completed treatment without complications, a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Other days delivered setbacks that tested their resolve. But through it all, they found strength in the community that rallied around them, both in Memphis and across the miles in Ohio.

Friends performed quiet acts of service that spoke volumes about true support. “Our friends paid for our house to be cleaned twice a month for four months,” Julie shares, still touched by the gesture. “That was amazing. Some of our friends did our yardwork. Basically just doing the necessary stuff for us so we could focus our time on the important things.”

The division of their family between two states meant they relied heavily on their extended support network. “My friends and family also started a GoFundMe, which was nice, and a lot of others made food for us or bought us gift cards for restaurants. All of it was so appreciated.”

What Julie came to understand during this time—what Matt observed as he helped support his sister’s family—was that coping with childhood cancer is never just about medical treatment. It’s about managing the ripple effects that touch every aspect of family life: the emotional toll on siblings, the strain on marriages, the practical challenges of maintaining households and careers while fighting for a child’s life.

The most valuable support, Julie discovered, often came in the form of anticipating needs rather than asking about them. “I think the biggest suggestion I have for friends and family is instead of asking what they can do or what we need, just do it,” she reflects. “I know when people ask me how they can help, I was not great at telling them, or I couldn’t even think of anything they could do.”

During those two months in Memphis, the Read family learned to bend without breaking. They discovered resilience they didn’t know they possessed and accepted help they never thought they’d need. Though physically divided, they remained united in their determination to bring Maddy home healthy—to eventually restore their family circle to wholeness, even if that wholeness would forever bear the marks of their journey through cancer.

The Ronald McDonald House Experience

After the initial phase of treatment, Julie and Maddy transitioned from short-term housing to their new temporary home—the Ronald McDonald House. What began as a simple accommodation solution quickly became a sanctuary that would frame their Memphis experience for the next two months.

“Maddy and I stayed at RMH for about two months,” Julie remembers. “It was a big part of our experience. It was our home.”

Stepping through the doors of the Ronald McDonald House for the first time, Julie was struck by how the space managed to feel both communal and personal. The building hummed with the quiet energy of families sharing a journey no one had chosen, yet finding surprising moments of normalcy within extraordinary circumstances.

“They provided us with a nice room,” Julie explains. But the physical accommodations were just the beginning of what made the Ronald McDonald House special. The carefully designed spaces anticipated the needs of families whose lives had been upended by serious illness.

“They also had a big kitchen area for the families,” she continues. “Each of us got a big section of a refrigerator, and they had multiple stoves, ovens, and microwaves that families could use.” These practical arrangements addressed a fundamental truth about extended hospital stays: while medical treatment occupies the daylight hours, families still need to live their lives in the spaces between appointments.

“That way we could make food for our families that we know they would like,” Julie reflects. “They also make a continental breakfast every weekday.”

Beyond meeting basic needs, the Ronald McDonald House created a structure that somehow felt like home while accommodating the reality that its residents were living through one of life’s most challenging chapters. Like a lighthouse offering shelter from the storm, it provided both safety and community.

“They had a pantry that had a ton of snacks and easy meals that we could take and use, free,” Julie recalls. “Businesses and churches would sponsor dinners for everyone, and that usually occurred a few times a week.”

The practical provisions extended beyond food. “We also had washers and dryers we could use,” she says. “Luckily, I had my car, but they also had a shuttle to St. Jude, grocery stores, shopping centers.”

For Maddy, and especially for Lucas during his visits, the Ronald McDonald House offered something equally important—spaces designed for childhood. “There were multiple playrooms for the kids, craft rooms, game rooms,” Julie remembers. “Lucas really liked this when he visited. To this day, he still tells me he wants to go back.”

These play areas served as more than mere distractions; they became sacred spaces where children could momentarily escape the shadow of illness and simply be kids. The sound of laughter bouncing off colorful walls provided a different kind of medicine—one that treated spirits while doctors treated bodies.

The thoughtfulness extended outdoors as well. “They also had a nice playground and lots of bikes for the kids to ride,” Julie says.

Even parents received moments of respite. “They would have people come in to give parents a quick massage and have music and other activities for the kids,” Julie recalls. These small kindnesses acknowledged the physical and emotional toll that caregiving takes during a medical crisis.

What Julie and Maddy found at the Ronald McDonald House was more than accommodation—it was a community built around shared understanding. No explanations were needed for middle-of-the-night departures to the emergency room, for tears shed in hallways, or for celebrating seemingly small medical victories that represented enormous personal triumphs.

“They tried to make it as accommodating as they could,” Julie reflects. “Many families stayed at RMH for up to six months.”

During their two-month residence, the Ronald McDonald House became the backdrop for countless memories—some difficult, others unexpectedly sweet. It was where Maddy played after a particularly good day. Where Julie found moments of connection with other parents who truly understood. Where Lucas, during his visits, discovered that even in this strange chapter of their family story, joy could still be found.

What began as simply a place to stay while Maddy received treatment transformed into an integral part of their healing journey—a place that understood that recovery happens not just in hospital rooms, but in the quiet moments between treatments, in kitchens and playrooms, in community and in rest.

The Journey Continues

Today, the busy halls of Champion Mulch’s Dayton office seem worlds away from the medical corridors of St. Jude. Yet for Matt, the connection remains as vivid as the day he first walked those Memphis hallways. The journey that began with his niece’s diagnosis has evolved, but never truly ended.

The impact of Maddy’s journey extended to Matt’s immediate family as well. His wife Kasie and son Ethan, though not physically present at St. Jude, followed every update with anxious hearts and provided steadfast support from home and continue that support today.

Maddy, now a kindergartner with a bright smile and boundless energy, bears little outward resemblance to the toddler who once rode in those red wagons. “Maddy is doing great!” Julie shares, her voice lifting. “She was first diagnosed at 9 months old, then it came back when she was 3.5 years old. She has been cancer free since January 2022.”

Like a sapling that’s weathered severe storms, Maddy has grown with remarkable resilience. “She is thriving in kindergarten and is making friends, trying to live a normal life,” Julie continues.

The road hasn’t always been straight. When Maddy’s cancer returned in 2022, the family faced another crossroads. “They recommended a treatment plan that we did not want to follow at that time,” Julie explains. “It was just too aggressive, and we didn’t want to risk it at her age.” That decision led them to OSU for Maddy’s most recent radiation treatment, where they continue annual follow-ups.

Though their active treatment at St. Jude has concluded, the institution remains a lighthouse on their horizon—always visible, ready to guide them should storms return. “Although we no longer have to follow up with St. Jude, we are always considered a patient, so if we would need them in the future, we can go back,” Julie explains.

For Lucas, now older and more aware, the aftermath of his sister’s illness presents its own challenges. “Now he gets upset because although Maddy has made a lot of strides, she is still behind in areas and acts younger than her age,” Julie shares. “It bothers him that she is a little different than kids her age.”

This reality—the after-effects that linger long after treatment ends—is rarely discussed in cancer narratives that prefer neat endings. The Read family lives in the complex space where celebration of Maddy’s cancer-free status coexists with the ongoing adjustments to developmental differences and delayed milestones.

Yet through it all, they maintain their practice of taking life one day at a time. Each school morning with Maddy grabbing her backpack represents a victory. Each developmental milestone reached, even if later than expected, is cause for celebration. Each clean scan marks another step further from danger.

For Matt, watching his niece transform from patient to kindergartner has been nothing short of miraculous. His visits to Memphis, seeing the comprehensive care system that supported not just Maddy’s medical needs but the whole family’s wellbeing, left an indelible impression. The seed of an idea began to take root—a way to translate gratitude into action, to connect his business with a cause that had become deeply personal.

The experience changed his perspective on what matters most—both personally and professionally. The landscape supply business that once simply provided materials for gardens and outdoor spaces now represented something more: an opportunity to contribute to a different kind of growth—the research and treatment that helps children like Maddy have their own futures.

As Matt moved through his days at Champion Mulch, speaking with customers about their landscape projects, the contrast between everyday concerns and life-or-death struggles remained stark. Yet he also recognized that businesses have unique power to create positive change—to build bridges between everyday commerce and extraordinary causes.

The journey that began with a devastating diagnosis has transformed into something unexpected: a mission to connect Champion Mulch’s success with the life-saving work of St. Jude. For the Read family, for Matt and his family, and now for Champion Mulch, the story continues—branching in new directions while remaining rooted in profound gratitude for the care that saved Maddy’s life.

Why This Partnership Matters to Champion Mulch

Some business partnerships are born of strategic opportunity. Others emerge from mission alignment or market advantages. But the collaboration between Champion Mulch & Landscape Supply and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® springs from somewhere deeper—a place of profound personal gratitude and purpose.

“This isn’t just another corporate sponsorship for us,” Matt explains, his usual business demeanor softening when he speaks about St. Jude. “When you’ve walked those halls, when you’ve seen firsthand what they do for families like ours, it changes you. It changes how you think about your responsibility as a business owner.”

The decision to create this partnership received wholehearted support from Matt’s immediate family. “When I shared this vision with Kasie and Ethan, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation,” Matt explains. “Though they never walked the halls in Memphis personally, they’ve been part of this journey from day one. Ethan has witnessed his cousin’s incredible resilience growing up, while Kasie has been a steadfast pillar of support for our extended family throughout. This cause resonates just as deeply with them as it does with me.”

Partnering with St. Jude represents planting seeds of hope that will grow into life-saving research. Each yard of mulch sold becomes more than landscape material—it becomes part of a larger mission to ensure other families receive the same exceptional care that Maddy did.

What began as a grassroots initiative in 2020—when Champion first introduced a yard sign discount program with donations to St. Jude—has now evolved into a formal partnership. Since that first year, Champion has steadily grown its commitment to the cause, with each season bringing increased support. Beginning January 1, 2025, this relationship enters a new chapter as Champion Mulch officially commits to donate $0.50 from every yard of mulch purchased at any retail location or online. It’s a straightforward mechanism, but one with profound implications for both organizations. The partnership continues to include the popular discount program that started it all: customers who place a “Champion Mulch and Landscape Supply, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®” yard sign on their front lawn will receive $3.00 off each yard of mulch purchased.

There are multiple ways customers can support this life-saving partnership:

• Yard Sign Discount Program: Place a St. Jude/Champion Mulch sign in your yard and receive $3 off per cubic yard of any type of mulch you purchase
• Add-On Donations: Add a donation of $1, $3, or $5 to any purchase at checkout (100% of donations will go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to support its mission: Finding cures. Saving children.®)
• Direct Donations: Visit https://www.stjude.org/ChampionMulch to make a direct donation to St. Jude
• Coupon Enhancement: Customers using our coupons from Clipp and Town Money Saver magazines who also agree to place a sign in their yards can receive an additional $3 off their total order

“We’re in the business of helping people improve their outdoor spaces,” Matt reflects. “But this partnership lets us be part of improving lives in a much more fundamental way.”

The alignment feels natural. Both Champion Mulch and St. Jude prioritize quality and expertise in their respective fields. Both organizations value community and service. And both understand that their work impacts families during significant moments in their lives—whether creating beautiful outdoor spaces or providing life-saving medical care.

For Champion Mulch’s team members, many of whom have followed Maddy’s journey through Matt’s updates over the years, the partnership brings new meaning to their daily work. Loading mulch, processing orders, and delivering materials now connect directly to supporting research that helps children fight cancer.

“When I shared this partnership with our team, the response was immediate and enthusiastic,” Matt says. “Everyone wanted to know how they could help, how they could be involved. That’s when I knew we were making the right decision.”

The partnership also resonates with Champion Mulch’s customer base of landscapers and homeowners across Southwest Ohio. Many are families with children of their own. Others have been touched by cancer in some way. All understand the value of supporting an institution that refuses to send families a bill during the most challenging time of their lives.

As the region’s premier landscape supply company, with locations in Dayton, Moraine, Englewood, and West Chester, Champion Mulch recognizes the platform they have to raise awareness as well as funds. This partnership isn’t just about financial support—it’s about spreading the message of St. Jude throughout their community.

“We have an opportunity here,” Matt explains, “to turn everyday landscaping projects into something meaningful. Every bag of mulch, every bulk delivery becomes part of something bigger than beautifying a yard—it becomes part of finding cures and saving children.”

For Matt, the journey from concerned uncle to corporate partner with St. Jude represents a full-circle moment—a way to transform personal gratitude into community impact. What began in the anxious corridors of a Memphis hospital will now flourish in the gardens and landscapes of Southwest Ohio, connecting customers to a cause that changes lives one child at a time.

Conclusion

The red wagon that once carried a toddler named Maddy through the halls of St. Jude has completed its journey. Today, she walks confidently into her kindergarten classroom, cancer-free since June 2022. But the impact of those days in Memphis continues to ripple outward, touching lives far beyond the Read family.

As we launch this partnership between Champion Mulch & Landscape Supply and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, we’re reminded that the most meaningful connections often grow from personal experience. What began as one family’s medical journey has grown into an opportunity for our entire community to participate in the life-saving mission of St. Jude.

“When something touches your family this personally,” Matt reflects, “you don’t just want to say thank you—you want to do something that matters. This partnership is our way of saying thank you in a way that helps other families find the same hope and healing that we did.”

Beginning in January 2025, every yard of mulch you purchase from Champion will help support St. Jude and their commitment to Finding cures. Saving children.®. It’s a simple action with extraordinary potential—turning everyday landscaping decisions into contributions toward childhood cancer research.

We invite you to join us in this mission. When you choose Champion Mulch, you’re not just improving your landscape—you’re helping ensure that families facing childhood cancer never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.

In our next article, we’ll share more specific details about how this partnership works and the various ways you can participate. For now, we simply want to share the heart behind this initiative—a story of family, hope, healing, and the difference that exceptional care can make in a child’s life.

Because at Champion Mulch & Landscape Supply, we believe that the most beautiful landscapes are built on foundations of purpose and compassion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How exactly does the Champion Mulch and St. Jude partnership work?
A: Beginning January 1, 2025, Champion Mulch will donate $0.50 from every yard of retail mulch purchased at any of our locations or online. We’ve also created special programs like our yard sign discount that gives customers $3 off per cubic yard when they display our partnership sign.

Q: How do I get a yard sign to participate in the discount program?
A: Yard signs are available at all Champion Mulch locations. Simply ask for one when you make your purchase, or request one when placing your delivery order.

Q: Do business/commercial accounts also support this partnership?
A: Yes, both residential and commercial accounts contribute to our St. Jude partnership! We donate $0.50 for every yard of mulch purchased from any of our four retail locations, regardless of whether it’s bought by homeowners or landscape professionals, with the exception of our larger wholesale customers who require semi-truck deliveries due to their high-volume orders. These larger partners will have other opportunities to support the cause.

Q: Why did Champion Mulch choose St. Jude specifically?
A: Our owner Matt’s personal experience with his niece Maddy’s treatment at St. Jude showed us firsthand the extraordinary care they provide. We believe in their mission to ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live, and their commitment to sharing research globally.

Q: What is the fundraising goal for this partnership?
A: Our fundraising goal is $80,000 this year. Although that goal seems daunting, we know with your generous help we can meet it.

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From January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, Company will donate to St. Jude $0.50 of the purchase price for every yard of mulch purchased at any Company retail store

100% of donations will go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to support its mission: Finding cures. Saving children.®”

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