As part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Minnesota United and Major League Soccer are teaming up with League partner Continental Tire to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer. Now in its seventh year, the Kick Childhood Cancer campaign strives to strengthen research efforts to find cures for all types of childhood cancer and provide support to one of the most vulnerable populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota United players will be making virtual hospital visits with both Children’s Minnesota and Mhealth-Masonic Children’s Hospitals throughout the month of September. Minnesota United will also name an honorary captain and provide Care Kits to the Austen Everett Foundation. In addition, the club will be running a Register Round-Up program in their Black and Blue Team Store with proceeds benefiting Children’s Cancer Research Fund.
“As we enter the seventh year of the campaign, Major League Soccer and our clubs remain committed to finding cures for all types of childhood cancers and now more than ever, providing comfort and support to one of the most vulnerable populations affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said JoAnn Neale, President & Chief Administrative Officer, MLS. “With a shared history for delivering fun and innovative experiences, we are proud to partner with Continental Tire to positively impact patients and families during their fight against Childhood cancer.”
Ways to help
- Share your Messages of Hope: Submit a message of hope using #KickChildhoodCancer on social media channels. For every post that uses the hashtag, Continental Tire will donate $25 to fund pediatric cancer research (up to $50,000) during the month of September. Your messages will also be used to produce customized blankets and scarves. Both items will be distributed to pediatric cancer patients during the holiday season.
Send a message of hope now!"Message of Hope" Terms and Conditions</li><li><strong>DONATE!</strong>Donate directly to Children’s Oncology Group at networkforgood.com.</li><li style="margin-top:14px;"><strong>Kick Childhood Cancer Auction:</strong> Autographed, game-used, memorabilia will be auctioned off online as part of the MLS WORKS holiday auction in late November or early December.</li></ol>
Why Childhood Cancer?
- Every day, 40 children in the Unites States are diagnosed with cancer
- 1 out of 5 children who are diagnosed with cancer dies
- 3 out of 5 who survive children’s cancer suffer late-effects, such as infertility, heart failure and secondary cancers
- Across all ages, ethnic and socio-economic groups, cancer remains the number one cause of death by disease in children
- And cancer does not pause during unprecedented times.
The Children’s Oncology Group Foundation supports the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research, uniting more than 10,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children’s hospitals around the world.
Impact
Funds raised from Kick Childhood Cancer have helped strengthen Children’s Oncology Group's research efforts across the entire spectrum of pediatric cancers, including Project:EveryChild — which aims to capture the biology and outcome data of every child diagnosed with cancer. A single enrollment into a clinical trial for Project:EveryChild can approach $10,000 per patient. MLS has helped to offset the costs of nearly 25,000 enrollments to-date, with an expected 30,000 to be enrolled by the end of 2020.
