Featured Charity: Kids Beating Cancer (KBC)

No greater motivating factor inspires and leads others to join a cause and change the world, than the suffering and death of a child. Kids Beating Cancer was created in 1992 by Margaret Voight Guedes in memory of her son John Voight, who lost his battle with leukemia earlier that year.  To this day, turning personal tragedy and adversity into triumph is the core influence that drives Kids Beating Cancer to serve Central Florida’s sickest children.

Kids Beating Cancer eliminates financial barriers so that every child who is diagnosed with cancer, leukemia, and other life threatening diseases in need of a marrow or stem cell transplant can receive life-saving treatment when they need it. 

Through Kids Beating Cancer’s advocacy and support, Orlando has now become a place of healing for todays’ children as well as future generations of children diagnosed with leukemia, cancer and 72 other malignant and non-malignant life threatening diseases.

How your support can make a difference:

Since 1992, Kids Beating Cancer has funded over 2,200 donor drives, served 5,600 kids, and raised $9 million dollars. Kids Beating Cancer has tested over 34,000 potential donors, resulting in 31 marrow and blood stem collection requests last year alone for patients that would die without a transplant.

However, the cost to fund all of these achievements and the impact on families facing pediatric cancer is immense. You can help though.  By supporting KBC through workplace giving, planned giving, as an Ambassador, as an intern or volunteer, or all sorts of other opportunities – the cure starts with you.

Here are some specific programs you can support:

• “Fund the Match” Program: funds the lab testing cost to determine if a family member is a match for a child in need of a transplant, funds the donor search for an unrelated donor when family members do not match, funds donor procurement, and the patient pre-workup, all costs never covered by Medicaid, so children get transplantation, without delays, cost per child $10,000 - $45,000.
• “My Room” Program: creates a ‘safe, fun, place’ for a child to use during their transplant. A customized, themed hospital room is done according to each child’s preference, such as Disney Princess, Hello Kitty, or Spiderman with bedding, games, and toys corresponding with the theme and other age appropriate items.  The transplant process is lengthy, coupled with an extended stay away from the familiarity and comfort of the child’s own space, causing children to become very homesick. “My Room” puts the child’s distinct fingerprint on the room they will be calling home for many months.
• “Karing for Kids” Program: provides children battling cancer, leukemia, sickle cell, and related life-threatening blood diseases, and those in need of a bone marrow or cord blood transplant, and their families, with information, play therapy for the kids, and individualized support services to survive the day-to-day, critical, and complex needs that occur while their child is in treatment. This unique program empowers the family with the tools to better cope and survive as a family unit, regardless of the outcome of the ill child.

Upcoming Events:

Hats & Heroes Ball

• When: October 6, 2012
• Where: The Waldorf Astoria Orlando
• What:  Featuring the soon-to-be Broadway bound, Michael Andrew and his 18 piece Atomic Big Band, proceeds from the gals will support programs of the Kids Beating Beating Cancer Pediatric Transplant Center at Florida Hospital for Children.  The 12th patient to be transplanted at the Kids Beating Cancer Pediatric Transplant Center and the first with an unrelated donor found painting to be therapeutic during her transplant. Her beautiful art has been turned into a silk scarf and those scarves are available online. The proceeds will support “Fund the Match” at the Transplant Center, funding medical expenses not covered by insurance or Medicaid.

For more information about the Hats & Heroes Ball, click here.

Want to learn more about Kids Beating Cancer?

Web Site: www.kidsbeatingcancer.com
Contact: For media relations and campaign enquiries, contact Chief Media Strategist, Ashley Blasewitz at ashleyblasewitz@costadevault.com or call 407.657.4818. 

Connect with Kids Beating Cancer:

  www.facebook.com/KidsBeatingCancer
  @KidsBeatCancer
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7MDnzzk-xc