By: Lindsey Gross
It’s official – we exceeded our Know the Gold Campaign goal of $250,000 and received the matching grant from the William N. Pennington Foundation. With the addition of a $50,000 anonymous gift and other donations received after the radiothon, we have reached a grand total of $309,657. We are pleased to announce the William N. Pennington was so impressed by our community’s generosity they have upped their grant to match the full amount we raised.

The five-month-long campaign kicks off each year in September when we rally supporters to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer. Individuals and businesses become our community partners and help raise money through hosting events like bake sales, CrossFit tournaments, golf tournaments, lemonade stands, etc. The campaign wraps up in January with an exciting grand finale radiothon. Every donation received allows us to provide more financial support to northern Nevada families. We are not federally or state funded, which means our nonprofit relies on the generosity of our community to help care for these children.

In January we received an unprecedented amount of new patient referrals. We certainly hope that this is not how the rest of the year will trend, but it is good to know we have the resources available to help these families and others in the coming months.

Last year, 57 percent of the support provided through our Family Assistance Fund went to travel costs and medical expenses. These expenses consisted of copays for emergency room visits, unpaid medical bills, emergency Care Flights, and gas to and from treatment. The remaining 43 percent went towards family care packages, emotional support, household expenses, rent or mortgage, and bereavement costs.

There is a great need in northern Nevada for financial and emotional support for families facing childhood cancer. Each family has a unique journey and we are here to help them discard worries and focus on their child’s health and recovery. There will be new faces that walk through our door and many returning as they continue to move forward through their cancer journey. As we progress through the year, we aim to grow our community of supporters as our NNCCF family grows with each new diagnosis.

A heartfelt thank you is in order for the William N. Pennington Foundation for their $250,000 match and additional $59,657. Without their challenge, we may have never achieved our goal. Their generosity inspired us to work with determination and face our challenges with courage.

Thank you to our radiothon sponsors: Cumulus Media and its stations KBUL 98.1, KKOH 780 AM, KNEV 99.5 and KWYL 102, Panattoni Development, Bonanno Concrete, Alston Construction, Granite Construction, Robin S. White (The Medical Profession, LLC), Scheels, Rounds Bakery, Chick-fil-A, Grimaldi’s, Conway Communications, and Intuit.

Madelyn is in the sixth grade, 11-years-old, and currently has a bald head. This is her third year shaving her head to support childhood cancer research at the Shave for the Brave event hosted by the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. Before each shave, Madelyn experiences a mixture of nervousness and excitement.  Although it can be a bit nerve-wracking, she does it in support of her grandmother who recently battled leukemia.

Madelyn’s mother, Laurie Bowman, explains that her daughter has a very special relationship with her grandmother, “Madelyn is a “mini-me” of her grandmother, Marilyn,” she said. “She calls her every morning and fills her in on everything.”

Madelyn is the captain of her team the “Shampoo Savers” and is driven to one day be “Knighted” on stage – an award given after shaving for seven years.

At the Reno event on March 16, 2018, more than 240 people shaved and nearly $200,000 was raised for childhood cancer research. The fundraising cutoff for this event ends in July.  If you are interested in helping NNCCF and the participants meet the $200,000 goal click here.

The annual Shave for the Brave event at the Reno Ballroom gathers participants from all walks of life. There are numerous reasons why people are motivated to raise money and shave their head for childhood cancer research, Madelyn’s story is just the tip of the iceberg. Many teams have grown over the past 11 years and one of the largest teams is Kylee’s Wish with 46 participants who collectively raised $38,365 this year.

Teams gather and work together to broaden their fundraising reach and inspire people to get involved. Team Kylee’s Wish and team Scientific Games hosted a barbeque, raffle and silent auction, and team Sparks Firefighters held a pre-shave for families, friends, and civil servants unable to attend the big event.

It is astounding to witness the support in the Reno, Sparks, and Tahoe communities for childhood cancer research. Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children in America.  But thanks to research and better therapies, more than 80% of U.S. childhood cancer patients now become long-term survivors.
Here’s a video by Jason Bean with the Reno Gazette Journal.

Photography by Christine Davis