Help and Hope Happen Here

Meet Amy McCallum, who is the Director of Jimmy Fund Golf. This fundraiser is the largest charity golf program in the country and has raised $140 million dollars in its 38 years of existence, including 8.2 million dollars in 2019.  Amy will speak about the 150 tournaments that Jimmy Fund Golf hosts each year, except for 2020 when the Covid Pandemic allowed only 20 tournaments to be held along with 30 adjunct events. Even so, this program was still able to raise nearly 5 million dollars for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Meet Tara Daniels,  who was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2009 at the age of 16. Tara is now a 3 time cancer survivor, having relapsed for the first time in 2012 and the second time in 2016. That  relapse included a bone marrow transplant. As she approaches the 5th year anniversary of her bone marrow transplant later this year, Tara is doing well and has quite a story to tell about her journey over the past 12 years.

Meet Michael and Robby Surprenant  who will talk about Robby's 1 in a hundred million diagnosis of a cancer known as Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor, which he was diagnosed with in 2014 at the age of 11. This cancer is normally diagnosed in people 60 years old. Both father and son will detail a long journey that has been a successful one as Robby has persevered through a difficult time during the last 7 years.

Meet Dr. Doug Hawkins, who is the Group Chair of the Children's Oncology Group, which the only international organization that focuses exclusively on children's and adolescent cancer research. Dr. Hawkins will speak about the many initiatives and innovations that are helping children all across the world have a better chance to live longer and healthier lives than many of their less fortunate peers were able to. 

Meet John Berardi who is the Director of the Jimmy Fund's Little League Program. This program was founded in the 1980's by John's father George, along with former Red Sox players Mike Andrews and Rico Petrocelli. Kids who are in the age group of 7-13 years old have a chance to play either baseball or softball in the summer , while at the same time having the opportunity to raise money for Pediatric Cancer patients who have to battle with their own individual cancers each and every day.

Meet Dr. William Evans from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Evans is the former Director and Chief Executive Officer of St. Jude from 2004-2014, and has been an active participant with one of the most important Pediatric Cancer hospitals in the world for the past 42 years.

Meet     Lisa Cleary:

Lisa is the mother of Nick, who was diagnosed with high risk Neuroblastoma at 22 months old. After undergoing a difficult treatment process at Children's Hospital in Boston, Nick is doing well and is now a 7 year old 2nd grade student. Lisa speaks about the many challenges that Nick has faced and the good news that he is looking at a promising future.

Meet Dean Crowe:

Dean started the Rally Foundation as a way to help in this ongoing Pediatric Cancer fight. Dean will talk about the 20 million dollars that her foundation has now given out in grants to Pediatric Cancer researchers and oncologists, her Rally Kids programs, her total passion for helping all of these patients, and the fact that 93 cents out of every dollar raised goes towards their Mission of defeating all forms of pediatric cancer. 

Meet Ruth Hoffman:

Ruth is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Childhood Cancer Organization, which is located just outside of Washington, D.C. This is the largest grassroots Pediatric Cancer organization in the United States, and was founded by a group of influential parents who met while their children were all undergoing treatment for various forms of cancer at a local hospital in 1968.  Ruth talks about joining this organization as its CEO in 1998 and how it has evolved into such an important piece of this fight to eradicate Pediatric Cancer. 

 Meet Kathleen Ruddy:

Kathleen is the Chief Executive Officer of the St. Baldrick's Foundation which is located in Los Angeles. Kathleen will talk about the concept of head shaving as a way to raise money for Pediatric Cancer and how this foundation has grown from its initial event on St. Patrick's Day of 2000 which raised $104,000, to the point where it has now given out $317 million dollars in research grants. The St. Baldrick's Foundation is now the largest private funder of of Pediatric Cancer research grants in the United States.