46 Mommas National Press Release

 Via: http://46mommas.com/

46 Mommas: Shave for the Brave 2011 St. Baldrick’s Foundation Head-Shaving Event to Help Conquer Kids’ Cancer!

 Press

BALD MOMS MAKE A BOLD STATEMENT DURING CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Download this press release in PDF format.

LOS ANGELES (September 13, 2011) — It takes 46 Mommas in Washington, D.C., to Conquer Kids’ Cancer! The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to funding childhood cancer research, announces the second annual 46 Mommas: Shave for the Brave event taking place at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21. In addition to the 46 Mommas, NBC Washington's, Angie Goff, will emcee and serve as a celebrity barber for the event. Each of the 46 Mommas has heard the dreaded words “Your child has cancer,” and decided to get bald during September in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Why 46? Because on average, each weekday 46 families receive the news that their child has cancer. Comprised of 46 mothers from across the U.S., the 46 Mommas are on a mission to raise awareness and funds for life-saving childhood cancer research and inspire others to join in the fight toConquer Kids’ Cancer. By shaving their heads in solidarity with not only their children, but every child affected by cancer, the 46 Mommas hope to raise $1 million. Having raised more than $319,700 this year for kids’ cancer research, the group has already surpassed last year’s event total.

“To see 46 mothers come together to take a stand against a disease that threatens their children’s lives, is powerful,” says Kathleen Ruddy, executive director for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Although they are from all walks of life, they share in an experience that will bond them forever, fighting childhood cancer. They have directed their energy toward a positive endeavor and have been triumphant in their efforts to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. St. Baldrick’s is honored to have the support of the 46 Mommas.”

The 46 Mommas are honored to have several sponsors supporting their efforts. Champion level sponsors include BIO, Granted Peace Services, Inc., Inspire, PR at Partners Salons and Spas, Tim Coburn Photography, von Elling Imageworks and KPMG LLP.

Do your part to support the 46 Mommas and St. Baldrick’s! To locate or organize an event in your community,sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org. You can also become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join our letsCONQUER movement and visit the St. Baldrick’s YouTube and Vimeochannels.

About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, a child’s best hope for a cure. Since the Foundation’s first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $76 million in childhood cancer research. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.

About the 46 Mommas

We ARE 46 Mommas on a mission to raise awareness, raise funds for research and inspire others to help fund a cure for childhood cancer.

Each year a new class of 46 Mommas is inducted into the cause to empower and engage mothers of children with cancer. The number 46 is significant. On average, each weekday, approximately 46 families receive the news that their child has cancer. Through increasing awareness of childhood cancer and raising funds for childhood cancer research by shaving our heads, we hope to one day be a group that no longer needs to exist.

Support the 46 Mommas by visiting the 46 Mommas event page or website and become a fan on Facebookor follow them on Twitter. Contact the 46 Mommas at info@46mommas.com.

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Meet The Mommas & Our Honored Kiddos

We still need you, though. "Many hands make light work." The 46 Mommas have issued a $10 Challenge. Via our FaceBook fan page:

"Take our 2-Weeks-to-go-$10-challenge! Help us get closer to our goal of $1Million for St. Baldrick's. If each 1 of our fans donates $10 we'll be $95,630 closer to helping fund lifelong cures! Can you skip 2 coffees this week? Pass on a trip to the movies? Or brown bag lunch? Donate the $10 you save to our event (or the Momma of your choice) to help CONQUER kids' cancer!"

To take this challenge, you can donate on my noggin here: http://www.46mommas.com/mindifinch/

To view what we have raised for our campaign, so far: http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/46mommas/

I want to thank each and every one of you who have donated, so far. While it may not seem like much, I know that you have opened your heart to a world no one really wants to know anything about. I thank you for the piece of your heart that you have offered to all kids. If you've been meaning to make a donation and can make one before the shave, it would help me get that much closer to my goal of $5,000.

If you would prefer to mail a donation in:
St Baldrick's Foundation
1333  S. Mayflower Avenue, Suite 400,
Monrovia, CA  91016

Donation form with my name and participant ID already completed.

Love, love, love...

Mindi

~Momcologist

People Against Childhood Cancer (PAC2) Update ~ September 2011

Such vital information to share. Not my words. Just getting the word out. 
Mindi
~Momcologist

PAC2 Update ~ September 2011

Welcome to National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Here's to a day soon when it's not needed. Until we get there we fight on and we see hundreds of events and efforts by the entire childhood cancer community going on this month.  Today we'd like to share some news about events in Washington DC this month, along with great news about a cooperative and collaborative effort by the community. 

National Public Service Announcement

Numerous national childhood cancer organizations and dozens of local and regional ones have taken unprecedented steps to collaborate and support the production of a radio Public Service Announcement and the KidsCancerFight.org website. The PSA is running nationwide during the month of September! This project developed from the PAC2 Workshop in March 2011 organized to bring the childhood cancer community together to identify collaborative ways to make the work of childhood cancer organizations more efficient and effective. In the Workshop the membership group (consisting of over 30 childhood cancer organizations) elected to develop a national PSA for use as a call to action in the fight against childhood cancer. The PSA (listen to 8 year old Tony here courtesy of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation) encourages listener's to visit the website KidsFightCancer.org where they can browse and connect directly with numerous national and local childhood cancer organizations. Please share!

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

President Obama declared September National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, as you likely know. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month represents an annual opportunity for supporters nationwide to focus on and bring awareness to the challenges of childhood cancer. This year, there will be a series of events taking place in Washington, D.C. to help achieve our common goal to eliminate childhood cancer. Our organizations have come together to coordinate efforts, educate lawmakers, and ensure that our voices are heard in the nation’s capital.

Visit Childhood Cancer Awareness Month - Washington DC Activities to read more about the efforts of St. Baldrick's, 46 mommas shave for the brave, Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy, Hyundai Hope on Wheels and the Fall 2011 PAC2 Workshop!

46 mommas shave for the brave

These ladies, moms of children effected by childhood cancer, stood proud and bald in front of a national television audience on the Stand Up To Cancer broadcast last Fall. This team supports the efforts of the St. Baldrick's Foundation, and has a long history here at PAC2!   This year they are shaving at Union Station on Wednesday, September 21!  Visit 46mommas.com to learn more about these incredible moms.

Creating Hope Act

On Thursday, September 22nd, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX-10) and Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-1) will be introducing the Creating Hope Act in the House of Representatives.  If passed, this bipartisan legislation would incentivize pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs for rare pediatric diseases, such as childhood cancers.  Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Scott Brown (R-MA) have introduced a companion bill in the Senate. Read more about the Creating Hope Act.

Childhood Cancer Summit

On Friday, September 23, 2011, the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus will host the second Childhood Cancer Summit on Capitol Hill. The event will feature a panel of experts speaking on the challenges and opportunities in pediatric oncology drug development. Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy (CCCA) is pleased to be working with advocates and Congressional champions to help educate lawmakers and the public about these critical issues. The Summit, which is targeted toward Members of Congress, Hill staff, and advocates, is an educational forum to bring awareness to the unique issues facing children with cancer, survivors, and their families. The event is at the Capitol Visitors Center (CVC) Auditorium on September 23, 2011 from 8:30 to 10:00 AM. The event is open to the public, no registration is required.

Panelists will include: 

• Dr. Peter Adamson, Chair of Children’s Oncology Group (COG), will discuss reauthorization of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) and Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA), including his recommendations for improvement of these two laws;
• Dr. Ron Portman, Development Lead, Pediatric Center of Excellence, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Chair of BIO’s Pediatric Drug Development Committee, will discuss the pharmaceutical industry’s perspective on pediatric cancer drug development - challenges, process, and recommendations from industry;
• Dr. Eugenie Kleinerman, Head of the Division of Pediatrics at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, will discuss clinical trials, effects of adult drugs on children; and
• Nancy Goodman, Executive Director of Kids V Cancer, will discuss the Creating Hope Act and incentives for pediatric cancer drug development.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Following the Caucus, on Friday, September 23, Hyundai Hope on Wheels will hold a Press Conference, open to the public, at which they will make a major announcement on the work that Hope on Wheels is doing on behalf of pediatric cancer. An important highlight of the event will be the recognition of four local hospitals that are September Hope Grant winners: Georgetown University Hospital, Johns Hopkins, Inova Fairfax and Children’s National Medical Center. The ceremony will immediately follow the Childhood Cancer Summit discussed above. Both events will celebrate the progress we have made in fighting pediatric cancer, while continuing to raise awareness around the issue.  This event follows the Childhood Cancer Summit in the CVC and is open to the public, no registration required.

PAC2 Workshop

On Thursday, September 22 PAC2 will hold its second Workshop. The Fall PAC2 workshop will build on the success of the Spring 2011 Workshop by continuing to focus on the issues and opportunities within the childhood cancer community and how our community can collectively respond. The workshop will have three themes:

• COMMUNICATING: We will update attendees on current projects and discuss existing barriers that the larger group can help overcome - this helps to reinforce one of the core values of PAC2: action.
• INSPIRING: We will learn from experts outside the childhood cancer community about how other diseases and causes have effectively marshaled resources to help achieve their goals - this helps to reinforce the core PAC2 value of innovation.
• IDEATING: We will explore pending projects and propose new ones - this helps to reinforce another core value of PAC2:collaboration.

We are honored and thrilled to announce that the Workshop will feature a wonderful pair of keynote speakers: Ronnie Tepp and Michael Manganiello of HCM Strategists, the co-authors of the report Back to Basics: HIV/AIDS Advocacy as a Model for Catalyzing Change. The Wall Street Journal says “[the report] analyzes the factors that helped patient advocates drive research into and drug development for that disease" and stresses the importance of “creating a sense of community among advocates so that different groups are driving towards a common goal”.

Following their keynote, the group will engage in break-out sessions to identify and target fundamental, community-wide issues and opportunities.  Teams from various organizations hope to cooperate to accelerate movement towards our shared goal of a 100% durable cure rate for childhood cancers, while minimizing long-term side effects for patients.

Any questions or comments, please contact us at info@PeopleAgainstChildhoodCancer.org. Thanks for all you do.

PAC2

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  -  Margaret Mead