According to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, only 3.8 percent of all cancer research funding allocated by the federal government goes to children, despite
Four Northwestern Mutual offices are being recognized as recipients of the company's inaugural Childhood Cancer Impact Awards (CCIA). The company will donate $50,000 on behalf of each office to fund projects with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and Starlight Children's Foundation (Starlight), the nonprofit organizations that Northwestern Mutual partners with to support its Childhood Cancer Program. Additionally, one office is named "most exceptional" for its efforts and receives an additional $50,000 grant.
"We have seen how together we can make a difference by helping others, including members of our own Northwestern Mutual family dealing with childhood cancer," said John Kordsmeier, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "We congratulate these four offices that have made fighting childhood cancer a part of their core values and the impact they are making."
The 2014 winners include : Northwestern Mutual – Los Angeles, also named "most exceptional"; Northwestern Mutual – North Carolina; Northwestern Mutual – The Columns Resource Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Northwestern Mutual – Maryland.
About the 2014 Childhood Cancer Impact Award Winners
Northwestern Mutual Mutual – Los Angeles (West), "Most Exceptional"
With the commitment of more than 100 members, Northwestern Mutual in Los Angeles raised more than $30,000 toward childhood cancer programs. The team dedicated in excess of 785 volunteer hours to Starlight, planning events and assisting with fundraisers. In addition, they donated two Starlight Fun Centers, mobile entertainment units equipped with gaming systems for patients fighting childhood cancer, to Ventura County Medical Center. Through the Northwestern Mutual Foundation and the CCIA grant, the office will donate $112,000 this fall to create a Starlight Site Teen Room at Mattel Children's Hospital, which will provide comfort, entertainment, and distraction for children going through cancer treatments.
Northwestern Mutual – North Carolina (South)
Northwestern Mutual in North Carolina raised $34,000 and dedicated close to 200 volunteer hours to different ALSF events and fundraisers. The office also donated Starlight Fun Centers and Tablets to three local hospitals that treat childhood cancer. With help from the CCIA funds, Northwestern Mutual with its Triangle offices in Raleigh and Durham, together with ALSF, presented a $100,000 research grant to two pediatric cancer hospitals. The Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center in Durham and the North Carolina Children's Hospital at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill each received $50,000 to fund a nurse researcher investigating the quality of care and life for childhood cancer patients and survivors.
Northwestern Mutual – The Columns Resource Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Central)
The Columns Resource Group in Minneapolis was able to raise $30,000 in 60 days across the state of Minnesota with more than 170 participants volunteering 250 hours in support of childhood cancer research. With the funds raised, the group donated five Starlight Fun Centers and three Starlight Tablets to four local hospitals. The office's CCIA grant was matched by ALSF, and $100,000 was recently presented to Dr. Brenda Weigel, director of the division of pediatric hematology and oncology, at the University of Minnesota's Cancer Center and Department of Pediatrics. These funds will help more children enroll in clinical trials at the facility.
Northwestern Mutual – Maryland (East)
The Maryland office logged close to 200 volunteer hours and developed a Childhood Cancer Program committee to organize its efforts. Working with Starlight, the office helped plan and execute several events for children battling cancer and their families, including movie outings and a behind the scenes tour of the M&T Bank Stadium with Torrey Smith, wide receiver of the Baltimore Ravens. Other fundraisers and programs throughout the year helped them raise more than $12,000 for childhood cancer research. This office's CCIA grant will directly benefit the University of Maryland Children's Hospital.
Source: Northwestern Mutual, northwesternmutual.com
