As the Unlock Their Tomorrow campaign comes to a close, we want to pause and reflect on what this community accomplished together. What began as a bold and hopeful idea grew into a powerful, family-led movement that reminded us all what is possible when people unite around a shared purpose.
Because of you, Unlock Their Tomorrow was not just a fundraising campaign. It was a declaration of belief in a better future for individuals living with SYNGAP1-Related Disorders (SRD) and for the families who love them.
This year’s campaign brought together 27 individual fundraisers, each launched because of a direct connection to someone living with SRD. Parents, caregivers, family members, and advocates stepped forward to share their stories and invite others to stand with them.
Led by the co-founders of CURE SYNGAP1, Mike Graglia and Ashley Evans, whose total for this campaign topped $486,000, our collective efforts raised more than $730,000, bringing us remarkably close to our ambitious $1 million goal. Our goal was intentionally bold. Reaching over $730,000 is not a shortfall – it is a testament to momentum. It shows what is possible when families lead and communities follow.
The numbers alone are extraordinary, but what they truly represent is an even more powerful: commitment; an urgency for a community that refuses to wait quietly while answers remain out of reach.
Our Why: Jansen
This is our family’s fifth time soliciting our community for support in just four years; we began fundraising within two weeks of Jansen’s diagnosis. Since then, we have committed to fundraising annually in the second half of each year. We started with galas, but for the last two years, we’ve jumped into CURE SYNGAP1’s community-wide initiatives—the Coast2Coast Clinics Challenge in 2024 and Unlock Their Tomorrow in 2025.
Is it humbling to ask for money? Absolutely. Do I have to carve out time to draft emails, create social media messaging, and track contributions? Yep! Like many, I feel I don’t have time to fundraise (or want to!). But for Jansen’s sake, I make the time. My daughter is our why. Day in, day out.
- For her, we participate in CURE SYNGAP1.
- For her, we ask friends and family to consider this cause as their charitable priority.
- For her, we dream of a tomorrow in which our 15-year-old can reason, converse, eliminate seizure meds, and manage daily life skills. Even if the gains are minimal, how can we not do everything in our power to help her achieve these basic goals?
We’re thrilled to have raised almost $120,000 in Unlock Their Tomorrow to round out a year of fundraising that also saw our son and his friends lead Sweets for SYNGAP1 last spring. Every single donation is meaningful to us, and we are grateful for friends and family who give of themselves for Jansen and CURE SYNGAP1. Now for the fun part: handwriting all the thank-yous!
We fundraise on behalf of CURE SYNGAP1 because our family firmly believes that disease-modifying treatments are on the horizon. However, these treatments require sustained funding to turn science into actual medicine for our sweet Jansen and so many others.
To me, the question isn’t about our WHY. It’s about WHY NOT?
It will take every single one of us in this community coming together to push for, and fund, our progress.
– Suzanne Jones, CURE SYNGAP1 Board of Trustees Chair
Our Why: Jayden
(Editor’s note: two fundraisers were set up for Jayden, raising a combined $15K)
Jayden is my one and only Grandson who I adore with all my heart. I started the fundraiser for the simple reason – to try and help with the research to cure SYNGAP1. There are only 1,707 children and adults in the world that share this medical problem that they were born with. And I know it doesn’t appeal to everyone who donates to causes like this.
We must find a cure for everyone so that they can live their life to the fullest!
When people donate it means they care. It was very hard for me to ask for donations because most people just want to donate to organizations that they are familiar with. I tried to explain to everyone I approached the importance of the CURE SYNGAP1 organization in raising enough money to find that cure.
Jayden is the happiest and sweetest little boy!! He is always smiling and laughing. His favorite things are being outside, enjoying riding his ponies, horses, tractors and playing at the farm. On the softer side, he loves his stuffed animals, his dog Opie, and his cow he rides inside. He is moving forward in his therapies, going to school, and starting to say a lot of words. Jayden is very, very close to talking!
One thing I learned is being happy and excited for every milestone Jayden accomplishes even if it took him a little longer. And I love seeing him be happy with himself when he does something great.
We would love to talk to anyone who wants to learn from us.
LET’S UNLOCK TOMORROW’S CURE FOR JAYDEN!
– Jamie English, Jayden’s Mom
– Audrey English, Jayden’s Grandma
Our Why: Camden
When we first decided to start a fundraiser for CURE SYNGAP1, we did it for one simple reason: Camden has no other option. He will have SYNGAP1-Related Disorders his entire life.
There are no approved therapies. There is no cure. And when you receive a diagnosis like this, one that reshapes every part of your child’s future, you are faced with a choice. You can live in helplessness, or you can take action.
We have had moments of helplessness. We still do. They come in flashes during the hard days – the setbacks, the seizures, the struggles. But we also know this: without action, change will not come. And we cannot walk this road without hope for something better.
That hope is what led us to this campaign.
Our community helped us raise just over $18,000, and what always amazes us is how many friends and family step forward when we ask. Every time, we are reminded how deeply supported we truly are. When someone donates, it is never just about money. It is validation. It is comfort. It is love in action.
Each gift, whether one dollar or one thousand, tells us: We see Camden. We see you. You are not alone.
That kind of support is powerful. It carries us through the days when the weight of this diagnosis feels heavy. It reminds us that Camden’s story matters to more people than just us.
A diagnosis like SYNGAP1-Related Disorders can leave you feeling powerless. There is no roadmap. There is no timeline. There are no guarantees. For a while, that uncertainty felt suffocating.
But through this community, we learned something important: hope grows when families take action together.
The families we have met through CURE SYNGAP1 inspire us daily. They remind us that even in the face of impossible odds, progress is possible. When you surround yourself with people who are asking questions, funding research, sharing their stories, and advocating for their children, hope becomes something you can hold onto.
Participating in this campaign helped us feel like we were part of that movement. Not just observers, but contributors. Not just parents hoping for change, but parents actively working toward it.
For us, unlocking Camden’s tomorrow means giving him as much independence as possible.
It means helping him communicate his thoughts, feelings, and needs. It means giving him tools to share his story and advocate for himself. It means creating a future where he feels safe, valued, and understood, even when we are not there to speak for him.
If Camden can one day express himself freely, navigate the world with confidence, and feel secure in his place within it, that would bring us profound peace.
That is what we are fighting for!
Asking for support is never easy. There is vulnerability in sharing your story, and even more in asking for financial help. But every message of encouragement, every donation, and every note of kindness reassures us that opening up is worth it.
Our friends and family continue to remind us that we do not walk this road alone. Their generosity does more than fund research. It shields our vulnerability. It lifts our spirits. It gives us strength.
– Craig Bower, CURE SYNGAP1 Volunteer
Why Fundraising Matters
The funds raised through Unlock Their Tomorrow directly support CURE SYNGAP1’s mission to accelerate research, advance therapeutic development, and strengthen caregiver resources.
Your support matters to help:
- Fund researchers working to answer critical questions about SYNGAP1
- Move potential therapies closer to clinical trial readiness
- Build the infrastructure needed to sustain long-term progress
This funding matters because time matters. The sooner research is supported, the sooner answers are found. The sooner answers are found, the sooner treatments can be developed. The sooner treatments are developed, the sooner our families’ suffering is eased.
Progress does not happen on its own – it happens because families and supporters choose to make it happen!
If we do not ask the questions, and if we do not fund the work, no one else will.
Fundraising transforms helplessness into action. It turns fear into purpose. It allows families like ours to move forward with intention instead of waiting in uncertainty.
We are closer than ever to the future for which SYNGAP1 families are fighting.
If you are a SYNGAP1 parent, caregiver, family member, or advocate, we invite you to consider joining us and getting involved in 2026. Share your story. Create a fundraiser. Host an event. Build a team. Volunteer. You do not have to do it alone. We provide the tools, the platform, and the support. All you need is your voice.
If this campaign showed us anything, it is that progress accelerates when families stand together!
Thank you to every fundraiser, every donor, and every supporter who made Unlock Their Tomorrow a success. Because of your dedication to our SYNGAP1 cause, the future is closer, brighter, and more possible than ever.
As we move into 2026, our work continues, and we’re excited for what’s ahead. Stay tuned for Sprint4Syngap —our next opportunity to come together and make a difference for SYNGAP1. With your partnership, we will continue to push, innovate, and fight until “cure” is no longer a goal, but a reality.
We are profoundly grateful for your dedication to our SYNGAP1 cause, because together, we are not just fundraising…
We Are Unlocking Their Tomorrow!
