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On Friday, September 27, 2024, we gathered with Warriors and their families, leaders in the advanced therapies community, and friends and family of the Emily Whitehead Foundation for the 2024 Believe Ball. Held at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia, the city where Emily Whitehead became the first pediatric cancer patient to be treated with CAR-T therapy, the evening was a true celebration of Warriors marked by inspiration, hope and generosity.

The night before the event, the Foundation welcomed Warriors and their families to Philadelphia at our Warrior Welcome Event. Hosted at CytoPhl, this fun get-together was a chance for Warriors and their families to connect and enjoy Philly-favorite foods including cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and water ice.

At the welcome event, Warriors and their families worked together to assemble and decorate Believe Ball boxes. These thoughtful packages aimed to bring comfort and hope to children and their families currently on their treatment journey at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The boxes were filled with inspirational words and comfort items including cozy socks. The Whitehead family, Foundation board members and Believe Ball sponsors hand-delivered the boxes to CHOP on the morning of the Believe Ball.

On Friday evening, the big event began with a cocktail reception where Warriors and guests enjoyed Activation Stations including an Art Inspiration Station with artist Seek One, celebrity chef Clara Park’s Snack Making Station, a game-room station, a Jewelry Station with Kendra Scott Jewelry and a Selfie Station by Philly Snap Booth. Guests also browsed the silent auction and placed bids on coveted items, with all proceeds supporting the Foundation’s mission to ensure every patient has access to life-changing advanced therapies and support along their treatment journey.

The program opened with a moving performance of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” by Warrior Ailani Myers. Tom and Emily Whitehead provided a warm welcome and thanked attendees for their continued support. The program continued with remarks from the Believe Ball’s honorary co-chairs Dr. Carl June, Dr. Stephan Grupp and Dr. Bruce Levine.

Throughout the evening, our Warrior Emcees graced the stage to share their journeys and introduce our special guests and speakers. Thank you to Warrior Emcees Cameron Lahti, Victoria Lee, Colton Matter, Austin Schuetz, Sam Tinaglia and Emily Whitehead.

Dr. Peter Marks, Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA, served as the keynote speaker. Other special guests included Dr. Jennifer Brogdon, Head of Cell & Gene Therapies for Oncology, Novartis, who gave the Title Sponsor remarks and Dr. Raymond R. Miller, Head of Corporate Communications, GenScript, who gave the Diamond Sponsor remarks.

The Foundation was proud to present our 2024 Embassador awards at the Believe Ball. Warrior Laurie Adami presented Warrior Victoria Gray with the Bill Ludwig Pioneer Embassador Award. In 2019, Victoria became the first person to be treated with CRISPR gene therapy for sickle cell disease. She was honored for her bravery in leading the field of advanced therapies to discover new treatments for life-challenging illnesses.

Dr. Amber K. Hamilton of CHOP received the 2024 Nicole Gularte Fight for Cures Embassador Award. She was selected for her research in translational immunology for childhood cancers and for embodying the fighting spirit of Nicole Gularte. As a recipient of this award, Dr. Hamilton receives a $50,000 research grant with sponsorship from Cytiva.

Foundation Co-Founder Tom Whitehead was presented with the inaugural Beacon of Hope Award for his work in developing innovative ways to help patients and families weather the storms of treatment.

Thank you to Warriors and their families; Believe Ball sponsors; Emily Whitehead Foundation board of directors, staff and volunteers; Believe Ball honorary co-chairs; and everyone who attended or donated to make the 2024 Believe Ball a night to remember. With your support, we can continue our work in creating a brighter future for more patients on their treatment journeys.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Title Sponsor: Novartis

Diamond Sponsors: Penn Medicine Center for Cellular Therapies; University of Pennsylvania Clinical Cell & Vaccine Production Facility; GenScript; ProBio

Platinum Sponsors: Aldevron; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Cellular Therapy & Transplant; Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center; Wuxi Biologics

Gold Sponsors: Amplify Bio; BioIVT; Brandywine and PABC; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Conner Strong & Buckelew; Cryoport Systems; Danaher; MaxCyte; ScaleReady USA; Thermo Fisher Scientific

Silver Sponsors: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine; Autolomous; Autolus; Azenta; Charles River Laboratories; Corning; CTMC; Cytiva; Drexel University; Fresenius Kabi; Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation; Germfree; Kincell; Terumo; Xcell Biosciences

Additional Thanks

Believe Ball Development Committee, Family Fun Committee and Silent Auction and Event Committee; the Nicole Gularte Fight For Cures Embassador Award Selection Committee; Jessi and Pete Ayoub; Joe Bartolo; Salma Begum; Centre for Travel, Inc.; Chef Clara Park; Conlin’s; The Crystal Tea Room; CytoPHL; The Gularte Family; Jan Hurvitz; Marco Calderon Photography; Melodee Jackson; Kendra Scott Jewelry; LeDae Event Group; The Ludwig Family; Philadelphia Marriott Downtown; Philly Snap Booth; Philadelphia Trolley Works; Jessica Pierre-Louis; PRworks; Seek One; Staysee Productions; Synergetic; and Tammy Miller Auctions.