Press Release –
Shirley Folkins-Roberts Named to the St. Baldrick’s Advocacy Advisory Committee
(Reno, NV)- The Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation (NNCCF) announced today the appointment of Shirley Folkins-Roberts to the Advocacy Advisory Committee for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest non-government funder of childhood cancer research grants, is on a mission to give kids a lifetime by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. St. Baldrick’s supports virtually every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick’s ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the development of new therapies, to life-saving clinical trials.
The St. Baldrick’s Advocacy Advisory Committee acts as an opportunity to communicate with families and the medical community for national higher level policy consideration. Together with this group of public policy experts, physician-scientists and parents of children with cancer join to advance federal legislation on behalf of children with cancer. Their efforts lead to increased federal funding for research, improved regulatory policies and work to ensure the needs of children with cancer are not an afterthought when government agencies tackle cancer issues.
Folkins-Roberts has been a dedicated advocate, leading NNCCF families and teams to Washington D.C. to advocate for childhood cancer funding since 2006. After knowing a family personally impacted by childhood cancer, she became one of the co-founders of NNCCF and served on the Board of Directors for 14 years before leading the organization as the executive director. I She is a member of the Rotary Club of Reno Central, the Board of Directors for REMSA, was appointed to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Rare Disease Advisory Council. As NNCCF Executive Director, Folkins-Roberts oversees direct family assistance, programs and services, donor development, events and day to day operations of the organization.
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The Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation is celebrating 20 years of providing help, hope and courage to local children battling cancer. NNCCF is the only non-profit in the region solely dedicated to childhood cancer and has provided $5.6 million in direct financial support to families. NNCCF’s programs and services include the Family Assistance Fund, inspire survivorship program, Hope for the Holidays program and emotional support through end-of-treatment celebrations and family activities. For more information, call (775) 825-0888, visit www.nvchildrenscancer.org or follow on social media @NVKidsCancer.