Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation
"I don't want any other kid to have cancer" - Jonny Wade, 2007-2015
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Every year, over 300,000 children worldwide will be diagnosed with pediatric cancer and almost 100,000 of them will die. Pediatric cancer is the number 1 cause of death by disease in children. Even with these shocking statistics, pediatric cancer research is grossly underfunded and called "rare". The only way to change these statistics is for private foundations like the Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation to fund current pediatric cancer research and advocacy to make change.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Peptide Vaccine for Medulloblastoma Relapse Patients
This new peptide vaccine will be transmitted to pediatric patients that have relapsed medulloblastoma. Currently upon relapse, the child is terminal. However, this trial will give them an option and hopefully save their life.
Neo-adjuvant Checkpoint Inhibition in Recurrent Pediatric High Grade Glioma (HGG)
1)More effective treatments are needed for pediatric high grade gliomas (HGG). Brain tumors in the pediatric population have a poor prognosis and account for the highest mortality rate of all childhood cancers(1). Of all the pediatric brain tumors, high-grade gliomas (HGG) remain the largest challenge, with few treatment options available and an overall five-year survival rate of just 10-30 percent(1-4). Pediatric HGG are a heterogeneous group of tumors that include the World Health Organization (WHO) grade III (anaplastic astrocytoma) and grade IV (glioblastoma) neoplasms. HGG are
the second most common malignant CNS tumor of childhood. Current upfront therapies include surgical resection, radiation, therapy and chemotherapy(5). Despite aggressive multimodality therapy, the long-term survival is poor. The optimal salvage treatment approach for recurrent pediatric HGG after relapse has not been determined and very few prospective clinical trials are available for this population. We have seen little improvement in the ability to cure these children in the last 30 years. The lack of effective treatment of HGG in children clearly remains a largely unmet medical
need, and highlights the need for novel and effective therapies. A potential alternative to conventional cancer treatments is to utilize a patient’s own immune system to target and eliminate tumor cells. Immunotherapy has been shown to be a promising treatment for a number of types of cancer, including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer(6, 7). However similar results have not been seen in all tumor models and it has become clear that immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment is a significant barrier to successful cancer immunotherapy outcomes, particularly within bulky and recurrent solid tumors(8-10).
2) Specific Aims:
Aim1: To evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of neoadjuvant checkpoint blockade (PD-1 mAb) in pediatric recurrent high grade glioma patients. We hypothesize that neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibition will be safe and will lead to extended survival.
Aim 2: To identify the cellular immune mechanisms by which timing of distinct checkpoint inhibitors might enhance effective anti-tumor immune responses and potential clinical benefit in pediatric recurrent high grade glioma patients. We hypothesize that neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibition will activate systemic anti-tumor immune responses that are potentiated after surgical debulking, when the immune-inhibitory tumor microenvironment is reduced and will be evident
by the increased TIL activation, increased IFN-γ production, and decreased cell cycle activity by the tumor.
Where we work
Awards
Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer/St. Baldrick's Research Grant 2019
St Baldrick's Foundation
External reviews

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Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation's mission is to conquer pediatric cancer through research and political action.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation's strategy is to fund pediatric cancer research for treatments and cures, improve access to and awareness of clinical trials for families facing pediatric cancer, raising public awareness of the issues surrounding pediatric cancer funding and influencing the organizations that allocate federal cancer research funding.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation consists of 11 board members from around the United States that all have impressive skills to forward our cause. The foundation hosts and is beneficiary to many fundraising events during the year that assist in our grantmaking process and raising public awareness. Furthermore, the foundation continues to work closely with legislators to urge additional pediatric cancer research funding in new legislation.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over the last 3 years, the Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation has awarded hundred of thousands dollars to researchers for specific programs that assist innovative pediatric cancer research in hopes of finding better treatments and ultimately a cure. The Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation will continue to raise funds for additional research, bring awareness to pediatric cancer and influence legislators to increase government funding.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Kids Shouldn't Have Cancer Foundation
Board of directorsas of 09/02/2020
Kimberly Wade
Jon Wade
Jersey Community Hospital
Term: 2016 -
Beth Steckel
Jersey Community Hospital
Kimberly Wade
Jon Wade
Jersey Community Hospital
Susan Fallon
TMG Marketing
Phillip Lasseigne
Jill McMillan
Enlink
Jennifer Probst
Novartis
Pierre LaBarge IV
LaBarge Wineries
Dr. Todd Druley
Washington University
Dr. Stephen Skapek
UTSW - Dallas
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data