Rutledge Cancer Foundation
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
For teens and young adults, life during and after their cancer journey is often difficult for a myriad of reasons; interruption of education or career, infertility, chronic health issues from treatment, emotional issues, financial stress and many times, secondary cancers. Patients try to maintain a “normal” life, but suffer from long lasting and life changing side effects. We provide crucial support and high quality, age appropriate programs for patients and their families as we strive to alleviate the suffering that comes with a cancer diagnosis at a young age. We fill the gap between adult and pediatric cancer centers and provide important opportunities for patient We are committed to finding less toxic, curative treatments for sarcomas and ultimately for all cancers. We hope that one day no patient will need chemotherapy or radiation. We also want to increase awareness and early detection of all adolescent and young adult cancers so that no family is faced with a stage 4 diagnosis.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Carley's Closet
Started in 2011, CARLEY’S CLOSET serves the unique needs of adolescent and young adult cancer patients at both children’s and adult medical centers, supplying resources and comfort items to help keep patients active and positive throughout their treatment. RCF also provides Christmas stockings to patients with age appropriate gifts and comfort items to help them get through the holiday season.
Onco-fertility Preservation Program
Loss of fertility is a significant side-effect of cancer treatment for patients diagnosed during their reproductive years and a source of considerable emotional distress. In partnership with Moncrief Cancer Institute, Rutledge Cancer Foundation helped pioneer a community-wide Onco-Fertility Preservation Program. The program includes fertility preservation education, care coordination, and financial assistance for medically underserved teen and young adult cancer patients. RCF also has fertility preservation patient funds at Cook Children's Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
FitSteps For Life- UNTHSC
Research has proven that cancer patients who exercise during and after treatment have better outcomes. In 2019, RCF brought FitSteps For Life to UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Clinical exercise specialists work directly with patients to provide an individualized exercise plan based on their diagnosis and physical capabilities. Patients work out at the UNTHSC facility and track their progress through in person and
online tools. This program is offered free of charge to all cancer patients through funding from RCF.
RCF Patient Events
For teens and young adults, life during and after cancer is difficult for a myriad of reasons; interruption of education or career, infertility, chronic health issues from treatment, emotional issues, financial stress and many times, secondary cancers. Patients try to maintain a “normal” life, but suffer from long lasting and life changing issues. These “stressors” often cause added isolation and depression, affecting overall health and patient outcomes. RCF’s patient events are designed to bring young patients and their families together to help them forget about their cancer for a while and give them a sense of community with others who understand.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Young adults, Adolescents
Related Program
Carley's Closet
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Young adults, Adolescents
Related Program
Carley's Closet
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Small dip in 2020 and 2021 was due to Covid-19 restrictions on patient programs and events.
Number of organizational partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Young adults, Adolescents
Related Program
Carley's Closet
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Organizational partners includes medical and research institutions.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Young adults, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
RCF funding for research/ clinical trials is cyclical, depending on the needs of individual projects.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Young adults, Adolescents
Related Program
Onco-fertility Preservation Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Grants awarded for Patient Programs are relatively constant, while Research grants are cyclical in nature.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Young adults, Adolescents
Related Program
Carley's Closet
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
RUTLEDGE CANCER FOUNDATION BACKGROUND
RCF was founded in 2011, after 15 year old Carley Rutledge was diagnosed with stage IV Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. When friends and family learned that there had been little change in treatment options and survival rates in over 30 years, they decided to take action. Carley’s cancer journey served to expose the unique, unmet needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer. Our goal is to bring new, life saving treatments and better care to all adolescent and young adult cancer patients.
MISSION:
Rutledge Cancer Foundation works to ease the impact of cancer on the lives of teens and young adults, raise survival rates and find a cure for sarcomas and other solid tumor cancers.
• We fund patient programs that address unmet emotional and physical needs.
• We work as a catalyst to increase awareness and early detection.
• We support research for less toxic, personalized cancer therapies.
The Rutledge Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that relies solely on fundraisers and individual/corporate donors.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Rutledge Cancer Foundation was founded in 2011, after 15 year old Carley Rutledge was diagnosed with stage IV Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer. A year following standard treatment, Carley relapsed and was given a 6% chance of survival, but thanks to enrolling in an immunotherapy clinical trial, she survived. By supporting crucial, age appropriate patient programs, cancer awareness and innovative research, we hope to increase survival rates and bring a healthier future to AYAs with cancer.
From the beginning, RCF and its supporters have volunteered thousands of hours to help young people with cancer. Many of us have been in the shoes of our patients and their families. It is the knowledge that we have acquired, the collaborations that we have created, and the community that we have gathered, that will bring change and a healthier future to young cancer patients. To date, the Rutledge Foundation has granted over $1,568,197 to directly assist the R&D for novel Ewing sarcoma drugs. We fund bench-to-bedside projects that aren't typically supported by big pharmaceuticals and government funding. Often, these potentially curative new drugs face the “Valley of Death," especially if the cancer is rare, and treatment is therefore less profitable. Our aim is to bring these drugs to clinical trials, thereby curing rare sarcomas and advancing technology for other cancers as well.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
PATIENT PROGRAMS:
● Started in 2011, CARLEY’S CLOSET serves the unique needs of adolescent and young adult cancer patients at both children’s and adult medical centers, supplying resources and comfort items to help keep patients active and positive throughout their treatment. RCF also provides Christmas stockings to patients with age appropriate gifts and comfort items to help them get through the holiday season.
● ONCO-FERTILITY PRESERVATION Loss of fertility is a significant side-effect of cancer treatment for patients diagnosed during their reproductive years and a source of considerable emotional distress. In partnership with Moncrief Cancer Institute, Rutledge Cancer Foundation helped pioneer a community-wide Onco-Fertility Preservation Program. The program includes fertility preservation education, care coordination, and financial assistance for medically underserved teen and young adult cancer patients.
● FITSTEPS FOR LIFE Research has proven that cancer patients who exercise during and after treatment have better outcomes. In 2019, RCF brought FitSteps For Life to UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Clinical exercise specialists work directly with patients to provide an individualized exercise plan based on their diagnosis and physical capabilities. This program is offered free of charge to all cancer patients through funding from
PATIENT EVENTS:
Rutledge Day at the Rodeo, Boo at the Zoo and TopGolf- TopGolf With Santa in December, Trail Rides with 40 Something Cowgirls and every other year, Camp Gold Young Adult Cancer Retreat. In addition to creating new programs and events on our own, we initiate collaborations with local medical centers and agencies to better meet the needs of patients and their families.
RCF also supports AYA cancer patients through Travel Scholarships for First Descents adventures.
ADOLESCENT/YOUNG ADULT CANCER AWARENESS
RCF highlights the need to raise low survival rates and increase treatment options for AYAs with cancer. Each month, we focus on individual AYA cancers as well as post information on new clinical trials as they open and progress. We use our robust social media platform to educate the young adult community on cancer signs and symptoms, as well as inform patients of new options for treatment.
RESEARCH
Since 2011, RCF has donated over $1,500,000 for immune-based, targeted pediatric sarcoma research.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As Rutledge Cancer Foundation looks forward to the next ten years, we are thankful for all we have accomplished and for those we have helped, but we are painfully aware of the devastation and persistence of this disease. We have lost many since 2011 and many are still fighting, including the children of three of our Board members. Since 2011 RCF has:
Funded $1,568,197 in research for less toxic, more curative cancer therapies
Funded $1,208,843 for RCF Patient Programs and Events
Served 5,773 patients and family members through Carley’s Closet
Hosted 3,319 patients and caregivers at RCF Patient Events
Assisted 245 young adult cancer patients with Fertility Preservation
Helped 283 cancer patients exercise again through FitSteps For Life
Served over 5,000 patients through our Patient Cart at St. Jude Delta House
Hosted over 13,000 at RCF AYA Cancer Awareness Events
Grown our annual Social Media AYA Cancer Awareness reach to over 7,000 through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Constant Contact
Funded 11 new research projects and 6 Clinical Trials for less toxic, more curative cancer therapies for sarcoma cancers
Moved RCF’s Nanoparticle Delivery research at UNTHSC from the laboratory to an NIH preclinical study at Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute/UT San Antonio and Baylor College of Medicine
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 using feedback from the people you serve?
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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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Rutledge Cancer Foundation
Board of directorsas of 08/15/2023
Kyle Kight
UBS Financial Services
Term: 2020 -
Chris Kroeger
Chris Kroeger Consulting, LLC
Donna Craft
Carol Henderson Gallery
Kyle Kight
UBS Financial Services
Tamara Reese
T's Pantry
Grant Rutledge
Texas Christian University
Lisa Sarvadi
John Rutledge
Freese and Nichols
Erin Esterlein
Spark Foundry
Molly Mitchell-King
Attorney
Dana Sager
Novartis
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? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data