Submitted by Kristi Walters
Doctors and research assistants with Xenograph Project, together with junior board members and senior board members Kristi Walters, Scott Ortis, James Childs and Jim Kline. Sid Strong Foundation gifted $30,000 to the Xenograph Research Project,nan ongoing study of pediatric osteosarcoma, the cancer with which Sid Ortis was diagnosed. During his treatment, his tumor was removed and is being studied locally as well as in other parts of the country.
The Sid Strong Foundation recently made its second $30,000 contribution to Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Funds raised and donated by SSF are specifically designated to the research and treatment of pediatric cancer.
SSF was founded in honor of local teen, Sid Ortis, by a group of his friends and their parents after his passing. The mission of the foundation is to raise funding to promote awareness and find cures for pediatric cancer.
Currently, only 4 percent of all cancer funding goes toward pediatric cancer care. To further the mission of SSF, junior board members have been providing ongoing support for the #morethan4 campaign, started by cancer survivor and fellow classmate Sean Fredella.
Although the two groups have slightly different vehicles, the end goal is the same. Four percent is not good enough for our youth, our future cure finders. Therefore, SSF intends to continue to work with Sean and More Than 4 through volunteering of time and resources as well as continuing to give annually to ongoing research projects specifically designated for pediatric care.
The operational expense to run one reasearch lab is approximately $250,000. Sid Strong Foundation has raised over $110,000 but still has a long way to go. SSF is a 501c3 organization and 100% of the foundation’s profits go directly to our mission. For more information or to donate, visit sidstrongfound.org.
Submitted by Kristi Walters
