Two leaders are teaming up to change the game for kids with cancer. The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association (THSBCA) has selected the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Vs. Cancer program (www.vs-cancer.org) as their official charity partner. The announcement comes in advance of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Convention (Jan. 14-16), where information about the partnership will be made available.
The THSBCA is the largest state-wide association of high school baseball coaches in the nation, with more than 3,700 members. Started in 1972, the THSBCA was created with the purpose of promoting and improving high school baseball throughout the state. Today, the THSBCA promotes the knowledge of baseball in all respects and provides coaches with resources to help develop great athletes, on and off the field.
“As high school baseball coaches, we work with student-athletes to guide them as they grow into caring and community-driven young adults. Partnering with Vs. Cancer to defeat the deadliest form of pediatric cancer, brain tumors, is a way for us to instill a giving spirit in our players, while supporting children and families in the state of Texas,” says Rex Sanders, THSBCA Executive Director.
Coaches are often looking to engage their teams in community service and fundraising activities, but it can be difficult to find a straightforward initiative that makes a meaningful impact. PBTF’s Vs. Cancer program offers an easy-to-execute option, empowering coaches and athletes to have a life-changing impact by partnering with the world’s leading childhood brain tumor nonprofit.
College Station High School’s head baseball coach, Chris Litton, partnered with Vs. Cancer for the first time in 2020. “Our program raised over $5,000 for the fight against pediatric brain tumors,” says Litton. “The funds raised have provided families with emergency financial assistance for rent, gas, food and other necessities through the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Butterfly Fund. By joining the fight, our players embodied a servant mentality and made a difference for our extended families. I encourage every baseball program to join our Vs. Cancer family.”
Fundraising from Vs. Cancer teams fuels child-life programming at children’s hospitals throughout Texas and emergency financial assistance for families in need. Teams get the opportunity to designate 50% of their fundraising proceeds to a hospital of their choice, while the other 50% helps to fund groundbreaking pediatric brain tumor research.
“As the largest state-wide high school baseball coaches association in the nation, the THSBCA has the potential to make a huge impact on the lives of children battling brain tumors. We have seen how community-driven our Texas teams are, and we look forward to partnering with coaches and athletes across the state in 2021 to support children who are fighting for their lives,” says Rachel Mark, PBTF Director of Campaigns.
For more information on how you can join the THSBCA and Vs. Cancer in the fight against pediatric brain tumors, visit vs-cancer.org/contact or email [email protected]. Every child diagnosed with a brain tumor deserves to have a 100% survival rate. We need your help to change the game for kids with cancer!
About the Pediatric Brain Tumor FoundationEvery day, 13 children and teens are diagnosed with a brain tumor, the deadliest form of childhood cancer. Every day after, they are in a fight for their life. It is a fight the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is here to help families win. A leader in the brain tumor and childhood cancer communities, PBTF’s mission of Care. Cure. Thrive. reflects its commitment to curing all pediatric brain tumors and transforming how children and their families are cared for. Since 1991, PBTF has provided strategic leadership and funding to accelerate the number of targeted therapies for children battling brain tumors today, while equipping families with the educational resources, financial relief and emotional support they need to navigate their child’s journey. A world without childhood brain tumors is possible when we stand together to effect real, meaningful change. Learn more at www.curethekids.org.
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) proudly announces an infusion of $1 million to help researchers, led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Drs. Pratiti (Mimi) Bandopadhayay and Rameen Beroukhim, launch a study into a novel therapeutic target and expand their research into overcoming treatment resistance and rebound growth.
Recently, the Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act gained significant momentum in Congress when Charlie, a 12-year-old brain tumor survivor and advocate with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, testified to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee about the hurdles families face when seeking treatment for their child. Now, to see it become law requires your immediate action.
