Katherine Rauen © UC Regents. All rights reserved.There are many ways that corporations and foundations can enhance the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center mission and facilitate innovations in cancer research, treatment, and prevention.

For information specific to your organizational needs and guidelines, please contact:

Keeman Wong
Managing Executive Director of Development
916-317-7422


Philanthropy in Action

Inspiring stories from some of our corporate and foundation philanthropists:

Teen Cancer AmericaTeen Cancer America

With a generous grant from Teen Cancer America, the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer launched the new Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program at the start of 2020. From finishing high school to starting a family, teens and young adults have support needs that present a unique set of challenges that come with fighting cancer during this pivotal stage of life. Through this program we provide support services that help address these needs. Teen Cancer America was founded in 2012 by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of the legendary band, The Who. They work throughout the country to establish programs and facilities focused on the specific needs of adolescents and young adults while managing through cancer treatment.

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Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance

Keaton’s Child Cancer AllianceKeaton’s Child Cancer Alliance (formerly known as Keaton Raphael Memorial) is a Roseville-based nonprofit, supporting pediatric cancer patients and researchers at UC Davis since 2000. The organization was created to honor the memory of the co-founders’ son, Keaton Raphael, who lost his battle with neuroblastoma in 1998, at the age of five. KCCA has raised millions to provide children and families affected by cancer with emotional, educational and financial support, and to increase awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research. Their direct contributions to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center include providing innovative pediatric cancer research grants and support for pediatric clinical trials; sponsorship of “Keaton’s Korner,” a play area in the Pediatric Infusion Center; and “End of Therapy” parties that celebrate children’s successful completion of treatment. KCCA also organizes and hosts Sacramento’s annual St. Baldrick’s Day fundraising event to support pediatric cancer research.

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Amador Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF)

The Amador Cancer Research Foundation is a volunteer-run organization that works with the community of Amador County to support the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. The ACRF and local community have been loyal supporters of the Cancer Center, and as the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the region, that support is a two-way street. UC Davis has been providing life-saving cancer treatment to many members of the Amador community for decades. Since 2007, the ACRF has raised more than $700,000 for the Christine and Helen Landgraf Memorial Fund to support research in earlier diagnosis, innovative treatments, and compassionate palliative care to cancer patients at UC Davis.

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Placer Breast Cancer Foundation (PBCF)

In 2005, the Placer Breast Cancer Foundation was formed by local breast cancer survivors, Carol Garcia and Teri Munger, with the goal of raising $1.5 million for an endowed chair at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. Due largely to their phenomenal leadership and community organizing, they achieved that goal back in 2014, but the fight against breast cancer is far from over. Through individual donations and fundraising events, the PBCF continues to fight breast cancer, promoting education and outreach throughout the Placer County and Sacramento region. In 2020, their fundraising goals include supporting Dr. Mili Arora’s groundbreaking work at UC Davis Health to study the feasibility of using a new combination of drugs to successfully battle Triple Negative Breast Cancer, the most aggressive form of breast cancer with the deadliest prognosis.

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Hugabox

The Kelsey Hastings Golitz Sarcoma Research Fund at UC Davis Health is dedicated to advancing further understanding and treatment of sarcoma, which is far more prevalent in children and is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. Sarcoma starts in the bones or soft tissue and spreads quickly to the lungs if the tumor is not contained. UC Davis researchers are working on innovative immunotherapy approaches to target cancer stem cells, which are frequently resistant to treatments and cause cancer relapses months or years after remission.

Kelsey Hastings Golitz was a vibrant young woman who passed away in 2014 from Ewing’s sarcoma, only a few years after graduating from college. Shortly after her death, Kelsey’s parents founded Hugabox, an e-commerce business through which customers can order care packages of food and supplies to be delivered to college students—or anyone—and 90 percent of the proceeds go to sarcoma cancer research. Kelsey’s education, work experience, and ingenuity in the field of e-commerce were the inspiration behind the concept. When the cancer became too advanced and Kelsey had to return to her home state of Washington, leaving her job and friends behind in Boston, her parents wanted to ease the transition by collaborating with Kelsey to start a business. Unfortunately, Kelsey passed away before they could get the business going, but Rebecca Hastings and Michael Golitz followed through to create something extraordinary in their daughter’s memory. In 2019, Hugabox donated over $13,000 to six of the nation’s top cancer research centers, including the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Catch Some Air

Pediatric cancer patient Paislee Schumann models her new T-shirt

When Kristine Tesauro was diagnosed with leukemia, her sister, Brianna, stayed by her side during the seemingly endless hours of chemotherapy. To entertain themselves during these long days in the UC Davis pediatric oncology unit, the two began drawing whimsical, cheerful T-shirt designs. These drawings, along with the experience of supporting each other through Kristine’s diagnosis and treatment, became the inspiration for Catch Some Air, a clothing company that uses a portion of the proceeds to support children and families battling cancer. Catch Some Air provides families with adventures as memorable as a trip to Disneyland or an indoor skydiving experience, and even gestures as small, but meaningful, as bringing a meal that a child is craving while undergoing treatment at the Cancer Center. They also organize adventures and activities that connect families to one another so they can find support and camaraderie in their shared fight against cancer.

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St. Baldrick’s: Shaving for Cancer

St. Baldrick's

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and provide pediatric survivors the chance to enjoy long and healthy lives. Each year, they hold head- shaving events throughout the country—as a meaningful gesture of solidarity with pediatric cancer patients—to raise money for this important research. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation events in the Sacramento region are hosted by Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance the Roseville-based nonprofit mentioned above. Through the partnership of these two organizations, millions of dollars have been raised for local pediatric cancer research, including more than $2.1 million donated to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center as of 2021.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels

oOpe on Wheels

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a national nonprofit organization, supported by Hyundai Motor America and its more than 800 dealerships nationwide, that is committed to giving hope to kids and families battling a cancer diagnosis. Every time a new Hyundai vehicle is sold in the United States, a donation is made to support the fight against childhood cancers. Since 1998, the organization has donated more than $170 million for pediatric cancer research, including nearly $900,000 to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.


UC Davis clinical scientist wins second Hartwell Foundation award for pediatric cancer research

Noriko Satake

In 2015, UC Davis pediatric oncologist and researcher, Noriko Satake, M.D., was awarded the Hartwell Biomedical Research Collaboration Award from The Hartwell Foundation. The Hartwell Foundation is an organization that funds innovative and leading-edge biomedical research with the potential to benefit children in the United States. Dr. Satake used the Hartwell award funds to explore new therapies for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer.

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