About STOP!

Who We Are

STOP! CHILDREN’S CANCER, INC. is a local non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to the prevention, control and cure of cancer in children. Since its founding in 1981 by the Freeman family, it has been locally managed and dedicated to raising funds for basic research, research scholars, and research equipment for the Divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

What We Do

We raise funds in a variety of ways.

• Three special events – the annual Fantasy Event, a large party with food, dancing and auctions; the Charity Golf Classic held at Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club; and Holiday Traditions: A Musical Celebration, a concert held on the Sunday following Thanksgiving at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts which features area youth choral groups.
• Donations are made in honor or memory of cancer-afflicted youngsters by family and friends.
• Civic groups select STOP! CHILDREN’S CANCER, INC. as a recipient of their own fund raising projects.
• Additional funds are contributed by individuals, corporations and foundations.

Accomplishments

Since it’s founding, STOP! CHILDREN’S CANCER, INC. has been responsible for contributions totaling over $3.6 million to the University of Florida College of Medicine. Examples of funding use include research projects dealing with Acute Lymphocyctic Leukemia, Glioma Brain Tumors, and Pediatric and Adolescent Osteosarcoma. In 2006, $1 million was donated to establish the STOP! Children's Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professorship for Pediatric Oncology Research at the University of Florida. This was matched with a $750,000 from the State of Florida in 2007. Funds were also used to establish the Southeastern Brain Tissue Bank. Thousands of children throughout Florida and the Southeast have benefited from these research efforts. Some results have been extended to adult care and treatments.

Goal

STOP! CHILDREN’S CANCER, INC. has established a Legacy Endowment Fund that will fund pediatric cancer research in perpetuity. As of January 2009 this endowment fund has a balance of $617,000. Separate research grants and gifts will continue to be given to the University of Florida College of Medicine.