Established in September 2009 by Jude Donahoo, ‘You Are My Sunshine Foundation’ is a non-profit charity located in Phillip Island. It was set up in memory of Kahlilla her much-loved granddaughter who was suffering from neuroblastoma. During that phase in Australia, there was no committed funding towards neuroblastoma.
The focus of You Are My Sunshine Foundation is funding research, having the goal of getting a neuroblastoma cure, an extremely aggressive and often fatal kind of childhood cancer affecting extremely young ones. Almost half of the kids who are getting positively diagnosed as having an advanced form of the disease are most likely going to pass away, in spite of the very aggressive methods of treatment adopted. The most available treatments methods are quite extreme and very painful for the young ones undergoing them and devastating emotionally for the parents to withstand by just watching. The children will typically lose most of their hair and they consequently become more susceptible to other serious forms of viruses and infections when the chemotherapy being utilized destroys their basic immunity. The children often will be crying in pain over the countless invasive chemotherapy procedures.
It is only via research that progress can be realized to boost the rates of survival. It is the hope of the You Are My Sunshine (YAMS) Foundation that through funding this vital component of research, via raising the neuroblastoma disease awareness and being active advocates for kids having neuroblastoma, that a cure will be found, so badly needed. Fact is that these little children deserve nothing less than that.
YAMS Foundation Aim
The aim of YAMS Foundation is raising awareness about neuroblastoma and for research into a cure. It is hoped that by raising awareness, through funding this vital and potentially lifesaving research, as well as being a strong advocate for neuroblastoma kids, that a suitable cure will be found for this debilitating sickness that is needed so urgently. It is also the goal of the Foundation to become a channel through which neuroblastoma families will be enabled to share their journey with other similar families, and to also assist them to appreciate that they are indeed not alone.
For the initial three years, You Are My Sunshine (YAMS) Foundation supported ongoing research being carried out at the Royal Children's Hospital. Currently they are supporting research at the Monash Institute of Medical Research and at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Across all Victoria, the YAMS Foundation happens to be the singular organisation having dedicated research funding going into neuroblastoma. The research is methodical, expensive and slow but it remains the only route of finding the needed therapy. Your kind donation whether small or big does and will always continue to make some difference.
The Foundation is managed wholly by keen volunteers, and as such 100 per cent of the funds that get raised go directly into supporting neuroblastoma research having the aim of getting a cure. YAMS Foundation got an Australian Taxation Office gift deductible status and all donations made that are over $2 are tax deductible.
The YAMS Foundation Target
It is the goal of You Are My Sunshine (YAMS) Foundation to raise some $1,000,000. Their program for research costs approximately $150,000 each year. The YAMS Foundation normally does not get any government funding and it depends entirely on the bigheartedness of donors.
Getting Involved with YAMS Foundation
Every kid deserves an opportunity at life and YAMS needs your assistance towards finding the cure so desperately being sought.
Corporate Sponsorship
Through your taking part in corporate sponsorship, your organization company got the chance of supporting a small charitable non-for-profit that is geared towards raising funds with eventual objective of getting a neuroblastoma cure. Being run entirely by dedicated volunteer’s means that 100% of what your corporate sponsorship brings in is directly going into the research program.
For a charity like You Are My Sunshine Foundation, corporate sponsorships are vital as they allow the Foundation to be able to plan for future research undertakings. In case your company or organization is searching for an opening to make a huge difference into the lives of many little kids and to accord them a chance at a life that is better and more promising, you may wish to consider You Are My Sunshine Foundation.
Creating your Fundraiser
There are lots of diverse methods through which you could raise funds via your individual fundraising event. To create your individual event is easy as is the management. Among the available uncomplicated fundraising ideas options include fashion parade, car wash, BBQ, gold coin drive, donating one hour's salary, donating in lieu of your anniversary gifts, wine tasting, weight guessing, trivia night, shaving your own hair, installing a swear box at work or home, ten pin bowling, office raffle, skip your lunch and then donating to YAMS Foundation the savings or a movie night.
Becoming a Volunteer
YAMS Foundation is entirely being run by volunteers and what has been achieved so far could not have been possible without the volunteers help. Each of the volunteers forms an integral part of YAMS fundraising efforts.
