Now is your Time to Shine for the children and families at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and there are several ways you can join the fight.
Starting today, Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation is encouraging local businesses and the community at large to help child patients like Sammy, who was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in 2016. Sammy was treated at Phoenix Children’s and received news that he was cancer-free in February 2017.
“Phoenix Children’s is just an amazing place to me. I can’t even fathom where we would be without it. We’re so fortunate and blessed that it’s in our backyard,” said Sammy’s mom, Theresa Cibulka. “I hope the patients and families at Phoenix Children’s know they’re not alone. They’re in the best place to be.”
Sammy is only one of the up to 90 patients treated each day at the center. More than 320 children and teens are newly-diagnosed with cancer at Phoenix Children’s each year–a number that continues to climb.
The Foundation is putting an all call out to every business in the Phoenix metro area to sponsor the Time to Shine movement.
“Time to Shine contributions directly support innovative treatments for children battling cancer and the completion of the new Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders opening this fall,” said Steve Schnall, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It is very powerful when our community comes together and makes a strong statement of support through initiatives like Time to Shine. Standing together in support of children with cancer, makes our community shine.”
Many businesses will also be lighting up their locations in gold throughout the month to increase awareness. The Foundation is looking for corporate sponsors willing to pledge dollars in exchange for exposure through Time to Shine. Smaller businesses are encouraged to sell an item with a portion of the proceeds going to Time to Shine or develop other creative ways to raise awareness and involve customers.
Businesses that have already committed to join the fight include Cobblestone Auto Spa, Chick-fil-A, Danzeisen Dairy, Credit Unions for Kids, Coulter Cadillac Phoenix, Sauce Pizza and Wine, Vestar, Red Development, Harkins Theatres, Independent Newsmedia Inc., Arizona Foothills Magazine, Marriott, The Morning Squeeze, Tom Ross of The Ross Team, The Arizona Diamondbacks, VIP Mortgage Inc., Jason’s Deli, Lone Spur Café, Massage Envy, State Forty Eight, Zoyo Neighborhood Yogurt, Deloitte and Spinato’s Pizzeria.
In the United States, cancer kills more children than any other disease. One in five of those diagnosed with pediatric cancer will not win this battle.
For more information on the Foundation and to find out how you can get involved in Time to Shine, visit PCHTimeToShine.org.