Turn the Country Gold for a Day to Spread Pediatric Cancer Awareness

In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we bring you this news and resource to doctors, social workers and families affected by pediatric cancers, recently brought to our attention by Ms. Randy Pickus of Go4theGoal Foundation.

Go4theGoal Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization founded in 2006 by Dr. Richard and Beth Stefanacci, soon after their oldest child was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Go4theGoal provides children undergoing cancer treatment and their families with financial assistance, runs fun hospital-based programs, grants special wishes and supplies state-of-the-art electronic products to children and pediatric oncology units in over 40 hospitals across the country. Since 2007, G4G has funded over $500,000 in innovative pediatric cancer research.

During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in 2011, G4G initiated the first National Dress 4 Pediatric Cancer Day to be held annually on September 27th. The foundation hopes to raise $100,000 on September 27 this year. Students of all ages, coworkers, hospital and facility staff across the country can participate by donating $1.00 and raising awareness through activities such as:

Wear Gold — This is the color designated for Pediatric Cancer Awareness. G4G calls for participants to “turn the country gold for the day” by sporting gold shirts, socks, buttons, stickers, ribbons, and more.

Wear Jeans — Turn September 27th into “jeans day” at your school, office, or medical facility to remind participants that this is a special day.

Hold a special event — Plan a school assembly, dance, car wash, sporting event, concert, fair, movie night, etc., and accept $1.00 donations from participants.

Start a G4G Champion’s Club — G4G recommends starting a club at your school or business that collects donations for the organization, and getting creative about how your community can participate.

Randy Pickus of Go4theGoal says, “One of the unique aspects of Go4theGoal’s donation policy is that participants will see their efforts in action, as they will have the opportunity to specify which of the diverse G4G programs they wish to donate the money raised by their school, business or organization.” Participating schools and organizations may direct G4G to distribute funds to children battling cancer in their community, the pediatric oncology unit at a local hospital, or to the G4G Foundation to continue funding national efforts.