More than 12,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in the US each year. This is the equivalent of two average size elementary classrooms being diagnosed with cancer every day.
In the early 50's, less than 10% of childhood cancer patients would have the word "cured" associated with their cases. Today, nearly 80% of children diagnosed with cancer become long- term survivors.
Our Role:
While research remains critical to finding a cancer cure, pediatric oncologists and child life specialists helped the Childhood Leukemia Foundation identify a more immediate need to help children with cancer and their family members cope with the emotional devastation of the cancer diagnosis. These concerns include, but are not limited to:
Dealing with a lengthy hospital stay
Helping the family acquire new coping strategies in order to manage a child's care.
Today the Childhood Leukemia Foundation works with more than 140 specialized treatment centers. The organization serves over 15,000 children nationwide with free program and service offerings for childhood cancer patients and their families.
Childhood Leukemia Foundation is a national non-profit foundation funded primarily through corporate partnerships, foundation grants and private donations. You can make a donation here at our web site.
Our Story:
CLF was officially founded in 1992. However, its story began years before when Childhood Leukemia Foundation founder, Barbara Reid, decided to buy a handheld video game for one of her sister's pediatric oncology patients. Taken by the power of this simple gesture, Barbara began to learn more about childhood cancer and the challenges facing the children and families in treatment. She quickly realized that while millions of dollars were pouring into the search for cures, very little was being done to help the children and their families cope with the various new challenges they faced on a daily basis.
Before long, Barbara began to spend every spare moment filling and delivering gift baskets to area hospitals and treatment facilities. One thing led to another and before she knew it, she found herself devoting so much time to the children that she quit her job and started the Childhood Leukemia Foundation.
More amazing than how a single act of kindness grew into such a clearly defined cause was how quickly this cause took shape and began to impact the lives of thousands of children and families throughout the country. Today, Childhood Leukemia Foundation is a national organization providing free programs to cancer patients and their families from coast to coast.
Mission
Our mission is to lift the spirits and enhance the quality of life of children living with cancer and to do whatever we can to make their lives (and their smiles) a little brighter!
Through our programs we help make kids feel better about their appearance, help them keep in touch with their friends and families, provide gifts for their hospital stays, and even help make special hospital requests a reality.
Our Programs
The Childhood Leukemia Foundation recognized the need of children living with cancer to be able to enjoy as many normal activities as possible. Each CLF program is designed to make these children feel better about themselves and to help families living with cancer cope during this difficult time.
All CLF programs are need-driven and free of charge to the child, family, or hospital.
