The Pink Polka Dots (PPD) Junior Guild was formed in memory of our friend, Sydney.
Sydney died on February 1, 2006 after a battle of just over a year with a virtually untreatable brainstem glioma, a rare type of brain tumor. She was only eleven.
It is our goal to raise enough money for researchers to find a cure or more effective treatment for brain tumors. After experiencing Sydney’s heartbreaking fight with her illness, we don’t want this to happen to any other child or family. The funds we raise support the groundbreaking research of Dr. Jim Olson through Seattle Children’s and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
When we formed the guild in March, 2006, founding member Sierra Alef-Defoe, Maddy Berkman, and Kelsey Josund were in the sixth grade. We are now off to college, and are handing down our leadership roles to the next generation of passionate fundraisers. Our Guild has grown to include more friends of Sydney’s, our younger sisters, their friends, and family members.
Our first big event was in April, 2006, when we fulfilled Sydney’s wish by holding a huge community garage sale. Our first year, we donated $12,000 to Seattle Children’s researchers. Now, we raise money through direct donations and the sale of our handmade and printed art cards, jewelry, hotpacks, and other crafts at local Farmer’s Markets, craft sales, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and special events such as a dance party, benefit concert, and lemonade stands. We also joined with Sydney’s family to hold an annual golf tournament fundraiser each September.
To date, we have raised more than $500,000 for our cause!
Why PPD?
PPD is a unique fundraising organization in that all of our money goes to one place: Dr. Jim Olson's lab. Dr. Olson was Sydney's doctor in addition to being a cancer researcher who specializes in pediatric brain tumors. We tour his lab regularly and get constant updates on his research. Dr. Olson has proved through discoveries like tumor paint that he and his lab are capable of groundbreaking innovations.
While government funding for medical research is shrinking, it becomes especially important for PPD to make Dr. Olson's research possible. That's where we come in: funding. PPD functions with extremely low overhead costs, with more than 95% of funds raised going straight to the lab and the rest going into development of future events so we can raise even more money. You'll know whatever you donate goes directly to support cancer research without being diverted anywhere else. In his lab, the money we raise (approximately $80,000 every year) makes a world of difference in the research that is possible.
Why brain cancer?
Brain cancer is the second most common cancer in children.
The brain is one of the most difficult places in the body to operate on tumors.
The brain is arguably the most complex and least understood part of the body, making understanding brain cancer especially tricky.
Discoveries in brain cancer will most likely also help to fight other types of cancer.
Why PPD?
PPD is a unique fundraising organization in that all of our money goes to one place: Dr. Jim Olson's lab. Dr. Olson was Sydney's doctor in addition to being a cancer researcher who specializes in pediatric brain tumors. We tour his lab regularly and get constant updates on his research. Dr. Olson has proved through discoveries like tumor paint that he and his lab are capable of groundbreaking innovations.
While government funding for medical research is shrinking, it becomes especially important for PPD to make Dr. Olson's research possible. That's where we come in: funding. PPD functions with extremely low overhead costs, with more than 95% of funds raised going straight to the lab and the rest going into development of future events so we can raise even more money. You'll know whatever you donate goes directly to support cancer research without being diverted anywhere else. In his lab, the money we raise (approximately $80,000 every year) makes a world of difference in the research that is possible.
Why brain cancer?
Brain cancer is the second most common cancer in children.
The brain is one of the most difficult places in the body to operate on tumors.
The brain is arguably the most complex and least understood part of the body, making understanding brain cancer especially tricky.
Discoveries in brain cancer will most likely also help to fight other types of cancer.