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From the time I entered graduate school I knew that I wanted to dedicate my career to developing tumor-specific brain cancer therapy. Once I learned that brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-associated death in people under the age of 35, it was clear that childhood cancer was the battleground to which I would wage my war against cancer.
We know that incremental thinking will lead to incremental progress. Children's Cancer Research Fund has provided the crucial funding to get our highest-risk ideas to the proof-of-concept stage. This funding allows me to think outside of the box, to hit brain cancer as hard as I possibly can every day; and, if I fail, to learn from it and come back smarter the next time.
Dr. John Ohlfest
Roseville, Minnesota
Nearly 800 guests filled The Depot on Saturday, November 5 to celebrate the 31st Annual Dawn of a Dream. The memorable evening began with an array of fundraising experiences. Guests could pick a treasure from the "Tiffany & Co. Forest", punch for a manly prize in the Man Cave, or draw a butterfly in the Women's Butterfly Garden. And for the first time, guests used handheld technology through BidPal to place bids on their favorite items.
Throughout the evening, guests saw, heard and read stories of people touched by cancer. Stories that continue to compel…motivate…and inspire us to continue on our quest to find a cure for childhood cancer.
Program highlights included a poignant photo essay and powerful spoken word performance that both captured the joys and heartache of the children, families, doctors, researchers and others in the trenches of the cancer experience. We also met Barbel Abela, the grateful recipient of a life-saving stem cell transplant and her announcement to commit $100,000 to fund promising research.
In a touching tribute, Children's Cancer Research Fund founders, Diana and Norm Hageboeck, honored friend and longtime supporter, Suzanne Holmes Hodder (1932-2011), for her commitment to our cause and her family's gift of $5 million to fund a new research chair at the University of Minnesota. Sue's husband, Bill, and their family were presented with the Dream Maker Award, Children's Cancer Research Fund's highest honor.
The evening culminated in a fabulous live auction during the program, which included a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Proceeds from the live auction topped $100,000.
As our evening of stories came to a close, more than $1 million was raised to support groundbreaking research to help write new chapter and change too many unhappy endings.
We want to extend a very heartfelt thanks to our co-chairs, Susan Prell and Lisa Wagner, their steering committee, dedicated volunteers and Martin Bastian Productions, along with the generosity of corporate and community partners, and attendees.