775-825-0888
3550 Barron Way #9a • Reno, Nevada 89511
The northern Nevada construction and trade industries came together on September 24th to share their knowledge with the public, their friends and families, and our youngest cancer warriors. Dozers & Dirt is a unique event where children are invited into the cab of heavy construction equipment to learn how to operate excavators, loaders, scissor lifts, haul trucks, and bulldozers!
Several local childhood cancer fighters and survivors were in attendance at the event, including Emma. She was interviewed by one of our local media outlets during the event and shared her joy for seeing so many kids get to learn a fun new skill.
We want to thank our event sponsors, volunteers, vendors, first responders, and especially our equipment operators for their support of Dozers & Dirt!
Special thanks to our event committee: Brian Barger, Brian Dosh, Dana Taylor, Eric Pender, Eric Schacht, Jared Hosefros, Jeff McCaskill, Jesse Steverman, Jessica Hiatt, Joe Vietti, Kevin Linderman, Leslie Skinner, Liane Cinkovich, Megan Noin, Mike Soukup, Molly Dillon, Ron Brooks, Russ Pedersen, Sawyer Bullock, Seth Alexander, Shirley Folkins-Roberts, Stacia Calvillo, Tamara Dethmers, Tony Guerra, Ty Rogers, and Victoria Mason.
September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and one of many events aimed at spreading awareness for the disease was the second annual lighting of the Reno Arch. Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation was proud to host families, supporters, members of our fire and law enforcement agencies, and our medical community and city council representatives. We were joined by Nevada Wolf Pack Football and Cheer, who helped our countdown to the lighting on the evening of September 1st.
On September 10th, Pulling for our Little Heroes celebrated its 10th year. Weightlifting and Crossfit enthusiasts compete in rigorous workouts named after some amazing young heroes battling cancer. Teams of four battled it out in an incredible show of endurance and solidarity for the battle children with cancer fight every day.
One of these little heroes is Sawyer, whose family has been participating in the Pulling for our Little Heroes event for several years to help support northern Nevada’s youngest cancer warriors. Still, this year the event was more personal. In 2021 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, underwent several surgeries, and is now being seen regularly for follow-up care. This year we were presented a check for over $65,000, and the event has raised nearly $400,000 in ten years! Thank you to all the event organizers and athletes for ten years of support to NNCCF and for continuing to pull for our little heroes.
Jessica was born and raised in Reno, NV, where she graduated from Wooster High School and the University of Nevada, Reno. As the Events Manager, she will specialize in NNCCFs signature, community partner, and family events, as well as help represent NNCCF within the community to steward donor relationships. When she’s not working, she enjoys watching the Green Bay Packers, skiing at Mt. Rose, traveling, and spending time with her dogs, friends, and family.
Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation in partnership with Scheels hosted the 11th annual Know the Gold Radiothon earlier this month.
The event marked a special occasion, as it was the finale to the six month long fundraising campaign with a goal of $500,000 to be matched by the William N. Pennington Foundation. Our supporters topped all records and exceeded the goal by $105,000 thanks to the last minute additional matching goal from Panattoni Development, Alston Construction and an anonymous donor.
In twenty years, NNCCF has provided $5.6 million dollars in direct financial assistance to local children battling cancer. Donations to NNCCF assist Northern Nevada families by alleviating the financial and emotional burden of cancer treatments, travel costs, medical debt and loss of income.
“The Know the Gold campaign is an incredible grassroots effort to help motivate our community to support local children who are fighting for their lives,” said Fayth Ross, NNCCF’s executive director. “Thanks to our matching donor, the donations doubled, which makes an enormous impact to local families who have been affected by childhood cancer. We cannot thank this incredible community enough for all they do to support us and those who donated to help us reach and exceed our goal!”
The Know the Gold campaign is a community driven fundraiser that encourages local individuals, businesses, schools, churches and organizations to raise funds for children in the Northern Nevada region with cancer. It began in September 2021 during Childhood Cancer Awareness month. The campaign funds came from multiple events including a Christmas-themed horse show, a magic show, a blackjack tournament, a wrestling tournament, lemonade stands along with other events.
The Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation is the only non-profit in the region solely dedicated to helping Northern Nevada children and their families affected by childhood cancer. NNCCF’s programs and services include the Family Assistance Fund, Inspire survivorship program, Hope for the Holidays program and emotional support through No More Chemo celebrations and family activities. For more information, call (775) 825-0888, visit www.nvchildrenscancer.org or follow on social media @NVKidsCancer.
Know the Gold Campaign: A Huge Success!Last February, Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation celebrated its 11th annual Know the Gold fundraiser and radiothon hosted at Scheels in partnership with Cumulus Media. The event marked a special occasion, as it was the finale to the six month long Know the Gold fundraising campaign with a goal of $500,000 to be matched by the William N. Pennington Foundation. Our supporters topped all records and exceeded the goal by $105,000 thanks to the last minute additional matching goal from Panattoni Development, Alston Construction and an anonymous donor.
Know the Gold is a grassroots community fundraising campaign made of up small and large donations. This year it included funds from a Christmas-themed horse show, a magic show, a black- jack tournament, a wrestling tournament, lemonade stands, and more! We cannot thank this incredible community enough for all they do to support us and each of you who helped us reach and exceed our goal. In twenty years, NNCCF has provided $5.6 million dollars in direct financial assistance to local children battling cancer. Donations to NNCCF assist Northern Nevada families by alleviating the financial and emotional burden of cancer treatments, travel costs, medical debt and loss of income.
NNCCF received an incredible amount of support over the holiday season. We kicked off December 2021 with our annual Hope for the Holidays event. Thanks to 34 sponsors, we spread holiday cheer to 37 families and provided immense relief to families with the knowledge that there would be presents under the tree come Christmas morning.
Santa and Mrs. Claus came to visit for our Holiday Drive-Thru that was held outside of the NNCCF building. Thirty families received big Santa bags to take home, all while being greeted by Olaf, Rudolph and the Reno Fire Department Engine 6. Learning Express was incredible during the holidays! Between sending characters to a celebration for one of our Angels, assisting Santa during the Holiday Drive-Thru, leading a toy drive for our NNCCF kids and providing a generous cash donation – these dynamic ladies did a ton for providing help, hope, and courage to our youngest cancer warriors.
December also brought a visit from our special friend, Willie, who has donated truckloads of toys to our organization for years. Thank you to wonderful Willie. We appreciate all the happiness her gifts brought to our kiddos. Being able to see our families in person after the long-awaited visits due to COVID-19 precautions was a tremendous gift to our staff members. Spreading holiday cheer and putting smiles on our cancer warriors’ faces put so much joy in our hearts. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated and made all of the Winter events possible!
Meet EmmaThe author of “Holidays at NNCCF” article, Emma Johnson, joined the NNCCF team as our marketing intern in November 2021. This UNR sophomore isn’t a stranger to NNCCF as she’s been with us since 2016 when she was first diagnosed with both brain and spine cancer. Emma’s conquered cancer twice and aims to coach a university-level women’s basketball team someday. We love having Emma’s perspective, creativity, enthusiasm, and hard work on our team – THANK YOU, Emma!
Conversations can be hard, and having a conversation with a child or teenager who has been diagnosed with cancer can seem nearly impossible if worried about saying the wrong thing. Speaking from experience as someone who has been on both ends of these difficult conversations – I know that it can be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be. When meeting someone who has just been diagnosed or is in active treatment for childhood cancer, it can feel as if you are walking on eggshells and you might not know how to ask questions about how they are doing. In all honesty, the person you are asking probably won’t mind your curiosity. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was fourteen; I was a freshman in high school and my biggest worry was which parent was going to take me to basketball practice. As time went on and treatment started, I could feel people around me start to be a bit more guarded when it came to starting conversations, especially when I had to leave my port tube in and wear it to school. Once this started to happen, the strange looks came with it. Most days it wouldn’t bother me because we were young and kids in high school can’t fully gather the concept of people going through treatment unless they have seen, experienced, or asked about it. What actually bothered me was when my teachers would stare at the tube that hung out of my chest. Through my entire cancer journey, I always preferred people to ask me why I had a tube in my chest rather than stare at me and make me feel like an outsider because of it.
To prepare for this article, I conducted an interview with a peer. We talked about what she felt were the hardest conversations to have, the questions she wanted to ask, and some subjects that she felt were hard to bring up when asking about my cancer experience. These were the six main points:
As a patient I never minded when people would ask what type of cancer I had been diagnosed with. There is a really good way to word this question in order to not sound disrespectful as well. Starting your sentence off with “If you don’t mind me asking” or “if you are comfortable telling me “, is a good way to go. Test the waters with the conversation and don’t start with this question right off the bat, this will make the person you are talking to feel like a human rather than a patient.
It is 100% okay to ask someone how they are doing, when it comes to the mental aspect of someone’s cancer battle. It’s also helpful to take into account how old they are. A teenager is easier to approach because they are able to put their feelings into words, but don’t push. Instead of diving right into the how are you doing mentally question, ask how they are and how treatment is going. If they are struggling a bit mentally they might bring it up to you. This open-ended question lets the person know that you care how they are doing without them feeling uncomfortable.
Not everyone fighting cancer will look the same. Everyone responds to their chemo and other therapies differently, as the side effects can present themselves in many different ways. Some will lose their hair, some won’t. I never lost my hair, but was always very sick. Over the years I received a lot of speculation on my diagnosis due to the lack of hair loss, even though internally I could feel the effects of the chemotherapy. If you don’t understand why some kids have certain side effects that others don’t, do some research! Approaching someone about their side effects is not always the best way to go, so it’s always encouraged to be more educated on cancer and cancer treatment.
A quick “how are you” is the best way to ask. Simple, sweet, and it’s easy to answer especially for the younger kids.
It’s better to not overthink when approaching these types of questions. “How is treatment going” works perfectly fine, and if you are confused on how treatment works it’s okay to ask about that as well. Older kids might explain their treatment plan if they are comfortable; In my experience I always preferred when people asked me directly, especially when I had the tube in my chest if they were confused.
The simple answer to this is no. At the end of the day, we are humans and having cancer should not be a reason to be treated differently. Make conversation about other things that are happening in the child’s life and bring up other topics than their diagnoses. When being diagnosed, most of our conversations involve treatment, so it’s a breath of fresh air to be able to talk about other things every once and a while.
Don’t over complicate these interactions! As long as you are respectful and mindful with how you ask questions and approach the conversation, you should be fine. Remember no matter the diagnosis their cancer does not define them.
This article was written by Emma, cancer survivor, NNCCF support recipient, Inspire Scholarship awardee, and NNCCF Intern
Baseball fans and childhood cancer advocates joined together at Greater Nevada Field on June 22nd for an evening baseball extravaganza! Supporters played catch on the field where the Reno Aces play, got to shake hands and hear baseball stories from Mike Krukow, enjoyed an elevated ballpark dinner, and helped raise funds for northern Nevada’s youngest cancer warriors. The homerun derby wowed spectators as local legends battled it out, and we ended the night with a spectacular fireworks show. Local childhood cancer dad and Nevada Baseball Alum, Don Price, competed in the homerun derby and also took the stage to share his family’s experience after his son, Brady, was diagnosed with leukemia and received support from NNCCF. It was an honor to have Brady in the house to help shag balls during the derby and even autograph a bat for our winner, Blake Lalli, who hit eight homeruns!
Jayden is a funny and charismatic young man who beat cancer in 2019! He stopped by the NNCCF office for a visit recently to tell us all about his new adventures. He is a recipient of the Inspire Scholarship and is attending Western Nevada College for a degree in Fire Science. This summer he is volunteering as a rookie fire fighter for Carson City District BLM. We are so proud of Jayden and can’t wait to see what fun lies ahead for him!
AmazonSmile is a way to give to your favorite charitable organization every time you shop with Amazon. When you shop using AmazonSmile, you’ll find the same Amazon storefront you know and love, with the added bonus that they will donate a portion of every purchase to the charity of your choice at no additional cost. Visit smile.amazon.com to get registered and select NNCCF! The Smith’s Inspiring Donations program makes fundraising easy by donating to local organizations based on the shopping you do every day; all you have to do is shop at Smith’s and swipe your Shopper’s Card. Visit smithsfoodanddrug.com and sign in to select NNCCF under ‘Inspiring Donations’!
Brooklynn is a creative, kind 16-year-old girl diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. Brooklynn, her mother, and her sister live in rural Nevada and travel to Reno for her weekly chemotherapy treatments. She recently had surgery to remove a tumor and is recovering with poise. Another year of chemo treatment and this beautiful soul will kick this cancer to the curb! This young lady is close with her family and is always wearing the prettiest earrings and outfits. She doesn’t let her diagnosis get in the way of her fashion or positive attitude. She is always a joy to be around, and it’s hard not to feel the warmth of her heart when she is near. This family has a difficult road ahead, but this young lady continues to battle cancer with grace and optimism.
NNCCF is dedicated to serving each family individually and strives to alleviate the financial and emotional strain that follows a cancer diagnosis. Since inception, the foundation has helped northern Nevada families with $7 million in direct financial assistance. We thank our community for your unwavering support of our youngest cancer warriors!
On May 25th, the North Lyon County Firefighters put on a different uniform. The team took over as servers at the Black Bear Diner in Fernley, NV and graciously donated tips earned during the dinner rush! It was a blast to watch the community show up and put them to work. When asked what they thought of the event they said, “We had so much fun working with NNCCF. It was our pleasure helping local children and their families in need during the worst times of their life. We look forward to making this an annual event! ”
Amelia is a kind little girl who was diagnosed with leukemia at age four. She loves playing with her brothers and sisters, and especially loves dolls and playing dress-up. This little warrior princess endured three years of treatment and in July of 2022 she conquered her battle with cancer and rang the No More Chemo Bell surrounded by friends and family! The Bell Ringing pays tribute to the hard journey Amelia has faced and is an important milestone signifying the end of treatment for her and her family.
Please help us congratulate Holly Aycock as she takes on the roll of Executive Director, we are thrilled to have her expertise and leadership. Holly joined NNCCF in 2021 after retiring from a 20 year career at the University of Nevada, Reno in the Athletics Department. Also, please help us welcome back Brigette Cole as she returns to her role as Programs & Services/Assistant Executive Director after a year-long sabbatical full of travel and time spent with family- ask her about Italy next time you see her!
Tournament of Hope
August 29, 2022
Montreux Golf and Country Club
Arch Lighting Ceremony
September 1, 2022, 6pm
Reno Arch, 345 N. Virginia St.
Dozers & Dirt
September 24, 2022
Rilite Aggregate Pit
Natalia’s Night
September 28, 2022
Various Locations
Alston Construction | Ames Construction | Bonanno Concrete, Inc. | Capital Glass, Inc. | Cashman Equipment | CBRE | Ferroni Foundation, Inc. | Granite Construction | J.A.G. Plumbing MDB Trucking | MN|G | Panattoni Development | Panelized Structures, Inc. | Renown Health Foundation | The Roberts Family | Saint Mary’s Fitness Center | Sierra Nevada Construction | Tectonics Design Group | Turner Construction | The Medical Profession The Phillips Family Foundation | The Row | Umpqua Bank | Vasko Electric, Inc. | Victory Woodworks | Washoe County Sheriff’s Office | Wood Rodgers
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Amelia is a kind little girl who was diagnosed with leukemia at age four. She loves playing with her brothers and sisters, and especially loves dolls and playing dress-up. She is happy and full of life, especially when she is with her amazingly loving family. This little warrior princess endured three years of treatment and in July of 2022 she conquered her battle with cancer and rang the No More Chemo Bell surrounded by friends and family.
Amelia’s family said they couldn’t have done it without the help of medical staff and Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation (NNCCF).
“They helped, obviously, with the medical bills, but it’s more… you get to enter almost like a community that you never knew before by meeting the other families.”
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Know the Gold Campaign
January 27, 2023, was the finale of our Know the Gold Campaign. This 6-month campaign started September 1, 2022, when we lit the Reno Arch Gold for childhood cancer awareness month. Our goal was to raise $500,000 as the William N. Pennington Foundation would match donations dollar-fordollar up to $500,000. We not only hit our goal, www.nvchildrenscancer.org | 775-825-0888 | @nvkidscancer | info@nvchildrenscancer.orgbut surpassed it because of this fantastic community. More than 1,200 donors made this possible. Thank you to everyone who helped our efforts these last six months. You hosted golf tournaments, weightlifting and fitness competitions, coin drives, lemonade stands and helped raise awareness. Because of you, we are able to provide financial and emotional support for children with cancer in northern Nevada. Thank you to our sponsors, including Scheels, KBUL 98.1, KOH 780 News Talk, Wild 102.9, and 95.5 The Vibe. Most importantly, thank you to the William N. Pennington Foundation!
Celebrating the Holidays NNCCF Style
The NNCCF team is still reveling in the joy that was had during the holidays. Thank you to everyone who sponsored a family during the 2022 Hope for the Holidays program. We are grateful to our northern Nevada community for making this holiday season so special for young childhood cancer warriors and their families. Thirty-one sponsors adopted families and helped give the joy of the season to 44 families with a new diagnosis and in active treatment. The sponsors ensured that everyone in the house received gifts beautifully wrapped under the tree.
Community Partner Spotlight
On February 1st, 2023, Bethlehem Lutheran School invited NNCCF to Carson City to celebrate their 7th Annual Penny Wars. The students have held this friendly competition since 2017; each grade competes against the other for pride and bragging rights. The class totals are determined by students depositing pennies in their class jar for a positive addition to their total, and silver change into other classes to drop their total negatively. Since this tradition began, Bethlehem Lutheran School has raised more than $34,000 for childhood cancer warriors and proves that every penny counts. When asked what hosting this event means to the school, the staff and students said, “Hearing the results of our week of fundraising is the highlight of our year and our National Lutheran Schools Week celebration.” This annual event is an excellent example of an NNCCF community partner. We love to see kids helping kids!
To become a community partner contact: Tiffany@nnccf.org
The 2nd Annual Take a Swing at Childhood Cancer was a huge success!
A little rain was not enough to slow down the fun at the 2nd Annual Take a Swing at Childhood Cancer. NNCCF families reveled in the chance to mingle with former major leaguers, Reno Aces players, and Nevada Wolf Pack players and alums. San Francisco Giants broadcaster and all-star pitcher Mike Krukow warmed up the crowd with stories from his career and personal life. Former Nevada Wolf Pack softball star Britton Murdock Nunn surprised the field by winning the Home Run Derby. A silent auction and dazzling fireworks show capped off this successful evening. Our thanks to everyone who braved the weather and supported the show. NNCCF was pleased to host 50 tables for the event.
It’s always a treat when a diehard baseball fan meets his idol. Such was the case at the NNCCF Take a Swing at Childhood Cancer event, when 25-year-old Ian met with San Francisco Giants broadcaster and former all-star pitcher Mike Krukow. Ian, a Down Syndrome warrior who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, has not let this interfere with his love of baseball. He is a San Francisco Giants super-fan and keeps track of all their players, statistics, and games. He is also an alum of UNR’s Path to Independence program. Our thanks to Ian for throwing the first pitch and to Mike Krukow for making Ian’s night so special!
INSPIRE!
On June 19th, the NNCCF team awarded Inspire Scholarships to 28 young cancer warriors. The scholarships will support their continued college, trade, or vocational education. Each of these winners wrote essays about how their experience with cancer impacted the pursuit of both their academic and personal goals. The result was an inspirational collection of stories that demonstrated the courage, determination, and hard work of these amazing young people. We are grateful to all the donors who made these scholarships possible. We look forward to watching these winners continue to work towards their dreams!
Community Partner Spotlight
Hats off to The 395 Craft Beer and Spirits for supporting NNCCF through Thursdays on the Blacktop at the North Valleys Shopping Center. They parked the 395 Beer Trailer at the event and donated the proceeds to NNCCF, raising $5,000.00! Participants also enjoyed food trucks, raffles, and an evening of live music. It was a great way to have fun while raising funds that support our northern Nevada families. We hope to see everyone back on the Blacktop next summer!
If your business would like to learn more about becoming a community partner, email Tiffany at Tiffany@nnccf.org.
Remembering Renate
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of NNCCF pioneer, Renate Neumann, just a few days following her 84th birthday. Renate and her husband, Peter, helped establish and support the Angel Kiss Foundation, which merged into the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation in 2009. As a skilled pilot, Renate loved the outdoors and spent much of her time skiing, scuba diving, and backpacking. Renate was a gifted portrait and landscape artist who loved – and was loved – by all who were fortunate to know her. On behalf of the childhood cancer community, we will be forever grateful for her efforts in establishing support services for northern Nevada’s youngest cancer warriors.
Shave for the Brave
The 18th Annual Shave for the Brave was a huge success!
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our 18th Annual Shave for the Brave! The evening was amazing, and 175 heads were shaved and $154,500 was raised. The NNCCF team is still reveling in the love and bravery they experienced. It was very powerful to see men, women, and children choosing to shave their heads in support of what childhood cancer warriors often don’t have a choice in.
Every year around St. Patrick’s Day, we ask the community to “Shave for the Brave” and go bald to support childhood cancer research. In partnership with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, NNCCF’s Annual Shave for the Brave events have raised over $3.3 million since 2006. We have shaved more than 4,000 local heads! Part of NNCCF’s mission is to advocate for increased research funds, hoping that one day our kids will be cancer-free.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Introducing Queen Era!
This is sweet Era. Her family came together to shave in solidarity with her when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. No one fights alone in this family, and the NNCCF team couldn’t agree more. The warriors that we assist become part of the NNCCF family, which is why we really want a cure!
This warrior had the honor of knighting the League of Legendary Heroes at our 18th Annual Shave for the Brave. Each year we have one of our kiddos on stage to honor those who have participated three or more years at our event. This year, Era’s parents made this one-of-a-kind sword for the ceremony. It’s never too late to start your journey to knighthood; mark your calendars for next year’s event on March 4th, 2023 and shave your head for childhood cancer research!
Casey’s Closet
Please help us celebrate our Board President, Casey Stiteler. In 2001 Casey was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In 2014, along with the help of his parents, Casey formed the non-profit Casey’s Project, which provided toys, books, stuffed animals, laptops, and video equipment and donated them to hospital pediatric wards. In 2017 Casey’s Project was dissolved, and they donated the remainder of the funds to NNCCF. Our extensive toy closet offers an escape from treatment and a way to reconnect. Children battling cancer are encouraged to choose a new toy from the closet when they visit. Seeing the joy this brings is genuinely heartwarming. We honor Casey’s Project and dedicate the toy closet in our office to him by naming it Casey’s Closet.
2023 Action Days!
Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation (NNCCF) Co-Founder and Board member Shirley Folkins-Roberts, Assistant Executive Director Brigette Cole, and two NNCCF families joined with over 300 childhood cancer advocates nationwide to request funding for pediatric cancer. They participated in the 2023 Childhood Cancer Action Days at Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and ask them to fully fund the Childhood Cancer Star Act and Childhood Cancer Data Initiative for another year. We were thrilled to be joined by the Tyler Robinson Foundation to unite northern and southern Nevada foundations and families to share their stories and the importance of research and funding for childhood cancer. With increased funding, treatments will become more targeted, and we will get closer to finding a cure as a nation.
Attendee Caleb, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at 14, says, “It’s been inspirational to meet with our congressional representatives and see their concern for our journeys and requests for better treatment.”
Community Partner Spotlight
On April 24th, 2023, the Washoe County Sherriff’s Office hosted the 11th Annual Guns and Hoses Golf Tournament. This was a record-breaking year! We also want to thank everyone who contributed to helping this event run smoothly and all the participants. Shout out to our young warrior Tyler as he shared his journey to kick off the day’s festivities. Our love for this community partner event runs deep as it is a friendly competition between the local Sherriff’s office and fire stations to fundraise for childhood cancer! It was great seeing Tyler play alongside our first responders; we can’t wait for next year!
To become a community partner, email Tiffany@nnccf.org for details!
Spring Fling
We were thrilled to host our annual Spring Fling at the NNCCF office. Our kiddos were welcomed by the Easter Bunny and received baskets full of seasonal goodies thanks to Learning Express Toys of Reno, NV. We love our family events and the joy on these warriors’ faces. We could not host these events without the help of our fantastic community supporting our mission. Thank you for helping us brighten their lives.
Press Release
(Reno, NV) – The Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation (NNCCF) Board of Directors is pleased to announce Shirley Folkins-Roberts as the new Executive Director. She is a long-standing advocate for childhood cancer and was a founding member of the foundation.
“NNCCF is in a great position to continue its mission with Shirley’s leadership,” said Ryan Gilbrech, president of the NNCCF Board of Directors. “She is passionate about helping the families in northern Nevada battling childhood cancer, and comes with 15 years of dedication to the foundation.”
Folkins-Roberts has been an advocate for children with cancer since 2003 and has a long-standing history with the foundation. She is a co-founder of NNCCF, served on the Board of Directors, and led teams of Nevada families to Washington D.C. to advocate for childhood cancer research funds. In her Executive Director role at NNCCF, Shirley will continue to procure sponsorships, oversee event logistics, advocate for more research funding, and help northern Nevada families navigate their journey through childhood cancer.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with our staff and supporters to fulfill a passion of mine and my family’s as we continue to serve northern Nevada kids in the fight,” said Folkins-Roberts.
Shirley comes to NNCCF with a background in northern Nevada’s development industry and worked for Panattoni Development Company. Since 2004, Shirley has been involved in more than three million square feet of commercial real estate development. Shirley earned her Juris Doctor from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Shirley became a member of the California Bar in 1993 and the Nevada Bar in 2010 and has practiced with private firms in both states. She is an active member in the community helping organizations and serving on various boards such as Rotary Club of Reno Central and REMSA.
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The Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation (NNCCF) is the region’s only nonprofit dedicated to helping local children and families affected by childhood cancer. Its goals are to alleviate the financial and emotional strain of childhood cancer by providing financial assistance, emotional support, advocacy for increased research funds, and awareness of childhood cancer. NNCCF encourages ongoing enrichment for children and young adults diagnosed with cancer through educational and scholarship programs. For more information, call (775) 825-0888, visit www.nvchildrenscancer.org or follow on social media @NVKidsCancer.
