Thank You
In a year that has been defined by uncertainty, the one thing we are absolutely certain of is how thankful we are for you!
Your support of the Emily Whitehead Foundation this past year has allowed us to stay true to our mission to fund innovative pediatric cancer immunotherapy research, and be a resource for families that are desperately in search of hope for a cure.
2020 Highlights:
- In January, we attended Advanced Therapies Week in Miami, FL—an international conference hosted by our friends at Phacilitate and World Stem Cell Summit. There, we participated in the first of its kind public education day at the Frost Science Museum, and had the honor of being awarded the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards Inspiration Award.
- On January 27, 2020 we celebrated the 5 year anniversary of the launch of the Emily Whitehead Foundation!
- In March and April, amid rising uncertainties surrounding the global pandemic, we took action through hope and launched our #ActivateHope campaign—encouraging our Embassadors to fundraise through "active" activities of their choice.
- On May 10, 2020, Emily celebrated 8 years cancer free!
- In June, we held our 6th Annual Tee Off for T-Cells Charity Golf Tournament in our hometown of Philipsburg, Pa. Despite the necessary changes made to keep the event safe, we had a great day connecting with our local community members and sponsors. In six years, Tee Off for T-Cells has now raised close to $300,000 for pediatric cancer immunotherapy research!
- In August, we announced the continuance of our partnership with Stand Up To Cancer's Philip A. Sharp Awards, and our contribution of $125,000 toward this year's research grant awarded to Dr. Michal Sheffer, PhD of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Dr. David Kirsch, MD, PhD of Duke University Medical Center.
- In September, we kicked off a weeklong Virtual 5k Run/Walk, to engage with both our dedicated community of Team EWF runners and conference participants of CAR-TCR Summit Digital Week—an annual conference hosted by Hanson Wade with which we are grateful to have a longtime fundraising partnership.
- In October, we celebrated the release of Praying for Emily: The Faith, Science, and Miracles That Saved Our Daughter—a book published by the Whitehead family that details Emily's journey to CAR T-cell therapy.
- In late October, we once again engaged our Embassadors virtually by hosting our first Virtual Magic Show, generously sponsored by Alliance for Regenerative Medicine.
- On October 31, 2020, we were grateful to have the support from Embassadors in the Harrisburg, Pa. area that participated in the 9th Annual Blood, Sweat & Tears 5-Miler and 5K benefitting the Emily Whitehead Foundation.
- In December, we had the honor of contributing to the publication of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immune effector cell-related adverse events, for which Tom Whitehead joined a panel of experts responsible for making recommendations on clinician response to potential side effects of CAR T-cell immunotherapies.
We sincerely thank you for sticking by our side this year and helping us to make all of the above possible. We are truly grateful for your generosity!
On behalf of our entire team at EWF, we wish you a happy, healthy, and hopeful new year!
To make your tax-deductible end of year (or beginning of year!) donation, please CLICK HERE.