St. Baldrick’s Foundation Announces $330,000 Grant to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Traci Shirk
626-792-8247 ext. 50
Traci@stbaldricks.org

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Announces $330,000 Grant to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (October 17, 2011) – It takes life-saving research to Conquer Kids’ Cancer! The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, has awarded a $330,000 St. Baldrick’s Scholar award to Kris Ann Schultz, M.D., at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year and it remains the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States. With only 3 percent of all federal cancer research funding dedicated to pediatric cancer research, St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant funds are critical to continue the battle against this devastating disease.

Dr. Schultz is one of nine new St. Baldrick’s Scholars in 2011, not including 10 scholars who were granted two-year extensions. Her research focuses on rare tumors found in children and adolescents. Ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, rare tumors of childhood and young adulthood, have recently been found to be associated with a lung cancer of early childhood called pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB). Like PPB, ovarian stromal tumors are highly curable when found early; however, later forms of the disease are aggressive and often fatal. This project will establish the International Ovarian Stromal Tumor Registry to collect clinical and biologic data. Understanding these rare tumors will lead to increased survival rates and reduce late effects.

“We are honored to receive this grant, which will help us continue research that is extremely important to the patients and families we serve,” said Dr. Schultz. “At Children’s we are focused on providing the best care possible to our patients, while also doing everything we can to find answers that will improve outcomes and lead to cures.”

This grant is part of more than $19.6 million in new grants awarded by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, bringing the total to more than $21 million awarded for the fiscal year. All funding applications were peer-reviewed by leading pediatric cancer researchers who volunteer their time and expertise and make funding recommendations to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s board of directors. The Foundation’s next round of grants will be announced in October.

In 2011, four St. Baldrick’s events were held in Minnesota, where more than 120 volunteers shaved their heads to help Conquer Kids’ Cancer!

“Once you get your head shaved, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation becomes a passion,” said Diane Mack, volunteer event organizer of the event at Whistle Binkies on the Lake, Rochester, Minn. “We are fortunate enough to have a pediatric oncologist/researcher on our volunteer team. She stresses the importance of the St. Baldrick’s grants to her work, as well as others, in finding answers for these children and their families.”

St. Baldrick’s signature head-shaving events are the fastest growing, volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefitting childhood cancer research. In 2011, the Foundation’s volunteers and supporters have led the way to raising a record-breaking $27.2 million by organizing more than 1,000 St. Baldrick’s events and shaving more than 44,000 heads to stand in solidarity with kids with cancer.

Everyone can do their part to support St. Baldrick’s! To locate or organize an event in your community, sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org. You can also become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join our letsCONQUER movement and visit the Foundation’s YouTube and Vimeo channels.

About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, a child’s best hope for a cure. Since the Foundation’s first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $76 million in childhood cancer research. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.