Dear Colleagues, Associates. Family, Friends & Neighbors;

I am writing to you today to humbly ask for your support in my efforts to raise funds for childhood cancer research with the St Baldrick’s Foundation. I will be shaving my head in solidarity with kids who typically lose their hair during their treatment of this horrendous disease. As one of the Founders, Chairman Emiratis, and current board member of the St Baldrick’s Foundation, I believe it is important to lead by example by fund raising by shave my head, holding an event and financially supporting the Foundation like we ask all of our supporters to do. To that end I have attached a link to my page of the St Baldrick’s Foundation website in several places in this e-mail for your convenience. Please click here to sponsor my Shave for the kids; https://stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/937672/2018.

On March 17, 2000, our industry gave birth to an idea, that became an event, than a movement and finally a monumentally important Foundation. What started as a challenge amongst friends in the Insurance / Reinsurance industry, has now become the largest non-governmental funder of childhood cancer research in the world. While born and incubated in our industry, it grew because of the critical need to fund life-saving research, your willingness to talk about St Baldrick’s where ever you went, starting events in all the communities where you live, work and play and most importantly because your amazing generosity.

Since 2005, the foundation has awarded over $234,000,000 in research grants. Contributing to hundreds of childhood cancer research projects. We have funded training for the next generation of childhood cancer researchers through our Fellow and Scholar programs, ending what was becoming critical shortage in the field of childhood cancer research. Through our partnership with the Childhood Oncology Group we have funded a significant amount of clinical trials helping treat more children across the United States and globally. This access to care has been particularly important in poorer communities. Our sponsored research has led to at least three new cancer drugs being introduced into the market over the last three years. The first three new drugs introduce in decades. Finally, The Foundation has taken a leadership role in the Childhood cancer community in Advocated for increased government funding for childhood cancer research and access to foreign sourced methotrexate during a critical shortage of this very important chemo drug in the United States. None of this would be possible without your support.

While great strides have been made over the last 19 years, there is unfortunately still a lot of work to be done. Today, before they turn 20, about 1 in 285 children in the US will be diagnosed with cancer. Globally, every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. There are over a dozen different forms of childhood cancers, and countless sub types. These cancers impact infants & toddlers, children, teens & young adults. While 90% of children now survive one type of cancer, the outlook is far worse for those fighting most other types. For some types there is no cure at all. One in five children diagnosed will not survive their battle with cancer. And two out of three will suffer long-term effects from today’s treatment. So there is much work to do. Today’s childhood cancer treatments are often worse than the disease itself. So we not only to find a humane cure for every child facing every cancer, but we need to find a more humane cure. The US Government only allocates 4% of National institute of Health’ cancer research budget to childhood cancer research. The science is here, but the funding is not. The St Baldrick’s Foundation is here to bridge the funding gap.

In 2016 – 17 financial year, the St Baldrick’s Foundation raised over $39,000,000. We are extremely proud of funding only the best science with the funds we raise. For a more detailed review of our grant process please click this link; https://www.stbaldricks.org/blog/post/a-peek-behind-the-scenes-the-st-baldricks-scientific-review-process .That’s why he have a very stringent process in selecting which grant requests are worthy of St Baldrick’s funding. Please click on the link to see the foundation’s 2017 top ten highlights; http://stbaldricks.org/blog/post/st-baldricks-top-10-highlights-of-2017 . Not only are events where we work, live and play, but our funding also follows that model . Please click here to see grants awarded in your area; https://www.stbaldricks.org/grants And last but most important, a responsible foundation should always be accountable for every penny donated . Please click here to see our most recent financials; https://www.stbaldricks.org/financials. 

This will be my 19th year and twenty first time braving the shaves in solidarity with children battling cancer benefitting the St Baldrick's Foundation., I have committed to shave my head each year until we find a more humane cure for every child diagnosed with cancer Thus I again humbly ask that you support my efforts to raise money to fund lifesaving research. Please click here to sponsor me; https://stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/937672/2018.  With help and support from all of you, the day will come when Childhood cancer will be nothing but a bad memory. But until then I commit to shave my head once a year( and sometimes twice) until we find a cure.

This year's event will be at the St Agnes Parish Center on March 24, 2018. If you would enjoy seeing just how bad the grow out makes me look or the mound of hair left in the wake of my shave, please join us in a fun way to raise funds for the serious mission of finding a cure for childhood cancer!!! Thank you again for your generous support!!!!

Thank you from a very grateful

John