Children's Cancer Research Fund
| Founded | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Key people | Elizabeth Crippen Allen, chief executive officer |
| Website | childrenscancer |
Children's Cancer Research Fund is a not-for-profit organization focused on raising money to fund research for childhood cancer. In addition to funding research, they also provide support programs for families affected by cancer.[1]
History
[edit]Children's Cancer Research Fund was founded by Diana and Norm Hageboeck in 1981 after their daughter died of leukemia.[2] The organization officially registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit in February 1998.[3]
In 2013, the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund was established to designate funding specifically for osteosarcoma research. It's administered by the Children's Cancer Research Fund and donations fund research at the University of Minnesota. The fund honors Zach Sobiech, a musician who died of osteosarcoma in May 2013 at age 18.
In 2023, Elizabeth Crippen Allen was hired as the Chief Executive Officer, replacing former CEO Daniel Gumnit.[4]
Events
[edit]The first fundraising event, "Dawn of a Dream", honored the Hageboeck's daughter, Katie, who died of leukemia. Since 1981, the Dawn of a Dream fundraiser has raised over $22 million for Children's Cancer Research Fund.[5]
In December 2013, 5,000 people gathered in the rotunda at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as part of the first "Clouds Choir", an annual event that raises money for the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Research Fund. During the event, participants pay tribute to Zach Sobiech while singing his hit song "Clouds".[6] In 2019, 6,000 people attended the event, along with celebrities from the film Clouds: Justin Baldoni, Neve Campbell, Tom Everett Scott, Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Iseman and Fin Argus.[7]
In 2015, Great Cycle Challenge USA was launched to support Children's Cancer Research Fund. The event encourages participants to set a goal for riding their bike over the course of a month and to ask their family and friends to support them as they ride their bikes to raise awareness for cancer research.[8] Over the history of Great Cycle Challenge USA, more than 230,000 people have participated from all 50 states, raising more than $24 million for Children's Cancer Research Fund.[9]
Research
[edit]Since its inception, the Children's Cancer Research Fund has invested over $186 million to research and support programs.[2] In 2014, money raised through the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund helped support breakthrough research. With funding support from Children's Cancer Research Fund, the osteosarcoma research team at the University of Minnesota discovered Semaphorin-4D (SEMA4D), a gene associated with the cause of osteosarcoma.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Forbes And SHOOK Research Raise $1 Million For Children's Cancer Research During Third-Annual Top Advisor Summit". Forbes.com. March 14, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "About Us - Children's Cancer Research Fund". Children's Cancer Research Fund. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
- ^ "Childrens Cancer Research Fund - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica". ProPublica. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
- ^ "CCRF welcomes new leader – Elizabeth C. Allen". Children's Cancer Research Fund. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Getting the Most Impact Out of Your Charitable Giving". mspmag.com. December 19, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Joy (6 December 2013). "In fight against cancer, 5,000 sing 'Clouds' at Mall of America". Star Tribune. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Staff Reports (13 December 2019). "A very special cast of thousands sings 'Clouds' in tribute to late Minnesota teen". Star Tribune. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ KARE Staff (23 May 2019). "Great Cycle Challenge participants ride together to fight cancer | kare11.com". Kare 11. NBC. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Huggins, Pat (23 July 2020). "Grantville's Travis Stauffer ready to ride against childhood cancer". Lebanon Daily News. Gannett. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Moriarity BS, Otto GM, Rahrmann EP, Rathe SK, Wolf NK, Weg MT, Manlove LA, LaRue RS, Temiz NA, Molyneux SD, Choi K, Holly KJ, Sarver AL, Scott MC, Forster CL, Modiano JF, Khanna C, Hewitt SM, Khokha R, Yang Y, Gorlick R, Dyer MA, Largaespada DA (2015). "A Sleeping Beauty forward genetic screen identifies new genes and pathways driving osteosarcoma development and metastasis". Nat Genet. 47 (6): 615–624. doi:10.1038/ng.3293. PMC 4767150. PMID 25961939.
