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.