$50,000 childhood cancer research grant awarded to HSHS St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Jayme Owen
919-334-3779 jayme.owen@fleishman.com
GREEN BAY, Wis. (November 20, 2014) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven and donor-centered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, is proud to award a one-year, $50,000 grant to the HSHS St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center. This grant is one of 40 infrastructure grants awarded as part of the Foundation’s fall grant cycle totaling more than $2.5 million and surpassing last year’s total awarded during this same period.
HSHS St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center has been offering cancer treatment to children in Northeast Wisconsin and nearby Upper Michigan since 1979, and has been enrolling children in cancer clinical trials for more than 30 years.
Pediatric cancer patients are treated at the HSHS St. Vincent Hospital/Prevea Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinic in Green Bay. It is one of only five pediatric oncology clinics in the state of Wisconsin, and 90 percent of the children in the Northeast Wisconsin and Upper Michigan regions who are diagnosed with cancer are treated there.
“Without funding from generous organizations and individuals, we would not be able to enroll as many children from our community in lifesaving cancer research studies,” said John Hill, M.D., pediatric hematologist-oncologist at the HSHS St. Vincent Hospital/Prevea Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinic.
The availability of pediatric cancer clinical trials in Green Bay allows families to participate in cutting-edge treatment, while staying close to home. HSHS St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center also works closely with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to help children who require treatments that are unavailable in Green Bay.
This latest series of infrastructure grants, combined with the more than $24.7 million awarded in July to fund cutting-edge research, brings the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s funding total to more than $27.2 million awarded in 2014. Grants were awarded based on the need of the institution and its patients, anticipated results of the grant and local participation in St. Baldrick’s fundraising events and activities.
“These grants are critically important to saving children’s lives, and would not be possible without our dedicated volunteers and generous donors who believe kids deserve better than medicine is currently able to provide,” said Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
To learn how you can get involved visit www.StBaldricks.org, and connect with St. Baldrick’s on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo.
About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. St. Baldrick’s coordinates its signature head-shaving events worldwide where participants collect pledges to shave their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer, raising money to fund research. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has awarded more than $154 million to support lifesaving research, making the Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, and the new International Scholar grants train researchers to work in developing countries. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.
