Vision, Mission & Programs

what we are about …A registered 501 c (3) non-profit corporation whose vision is to provide critical life-saving and life-enhancing services for children with cancer, leukemia, and other life-threatening diseases, and to see that those children whose survival depends on receiving a marrow or blood stem cell transplant, have the maximum opportunity for a cure.

Kids Beating Cancer’s Marrow for Kids - Statewide, National, & International
KBC is the only authorized Marrow Donor Recruitment Group in the State of Florida for the National Marrow Donor Program, (NMDP), a non-profit corporation that manages the un-related donor stem cell Registry in the United States, and is one of nine authorized donor recruitment groups nationwide

KBC has added tens of thousands of new potential donors to the national donor registry since 1992, resulting in monthly preliminary matches

KBC recruitment efforts focus on increasing the diversity of tissue types and recruiting people willing to help any patient in need

KBC connects more patients with donors — working with families, communities, businesses and other groups to raise awareness and recruit committed individuals to join the national registry

• Provides community outreach & education on marrow & blood stem cell donation and transplantation
• Facilitates marrow donor recruitment drives
• Funds the DNA lab testing to identify un-related donors, a cost never covered by insurance
• Funds the testing necessary to identify a potential family donor, a cost never covered by Medicaid
• (New Program) Capital Campaign to fund the Kids Beating Cancer Pediatric Marrow Transplant Program at Florida Children’s Hospital

Kids Beating Cancer’s Karing for Kids - Central Florida & National Program

KBC provides resources, advocacy, assistance, and individualized support to children with cancer, leukemia, and those in need of a marrow or blood stem cell transplant and their families

• Provides teddy bears to children “Bunky’s Pals” Nationwide
• Provides blankets and toys to children during treatment in Florida
• Provides a New Patient Parent Handbook in Central Florida
• Provides therapeutic play activities for Central Florida children
• Provides holiday parties, special celebrations, and outings for Central Florida children and their

Objectives & Goals

What we hope to achieve …

Objectives:

1.To increase the number of children able to receive marrow, blood stem cell, and cord blood transplants.
2.To decrease the number of children having to leave Central Florida to receive their transplants, by funding the expansion of Florida Children’s Hospital Marrow Transplant Unit, the only bone marrow transplant unit in Central Florida.
3.To increase, through community awareness and education, the size and diversity of volunteers willing to donate marrow and blood stem cells if matched with a patient in need, thereby, increasing the number of lifesaving marrow and blood stem cell transplants to local children and children all over the world.
4.To increase the possibility of all children finding a donor by funding the testing to identify family donors when insurance does not cover the lab costs and when no family donor is found.
5.To create and implement individualized family centered donor campaigns for children in need of a marrow or blood stem cell transplant as their only hope for survival.
6.To improve the ill child’s ability to cope with their disease and its treatment and the families ability to cope and survive by providing compassionate one-on-one support through parent education, disease information, advocacy, referral, and guidance and for the children, therapeutic play, special celebrations, teddy bears and bicycles, outings, and hospital visits.

Beliefs:

“We believe that every child, regardless of medical coverage, in need of medical interventions deserves the appropriate services to sustain life regardless of race or financial ability.”

“We believe that our communities will respond to the need for volunteer marrow and bloods stem cell donors and will selflessly donate a small amount of their marrow or blood stem cells, if matched with a patient in need.”

“We believe that by providing resources, education and compassionate support programs, we will improve the child’s quality of life, ability to cope with their disease and it’s treatment, and empower the family to make informed decisions about their child’s care, regardless of the outcome of the illness.”

KBC is the only authorized Marrow Donor Recruitment Group in the State of Florida and one of twelve nationwide for the National Marrow Donor Program, (NMDP), a non-profit corporation that manages the un-related donor stem cell Registry in the United States. KBC has added tens of thousands of new potential donors to the national donor registry since 1992, last year alone this resulted in 30 successful marrow collections - translating to 30 lives saved in 2007.