More than a Month for Kids Heading Back to School, September is also for Supporting Kids with Cancer

(ARA) - You're getting the kids all ready for "back-to-school" and gearing up for the approaching holidays, but did you know that September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month?

Designated by the gold ribbon, this month is a time to raise awareness of this deadly disease as one in every 330 Americans develops cancer before age 20. In fact, cancer is the chief cause of death by disease in children between the ages of 1 and 14. This fact is not lost on companies like Hyundai Motor America, HomeGoods, Dunkin' Donuts, Jiffy Lube and Taco Bell, that have all designed philanthropy programs to support pediatric cancer research and increase awareness of the disease.

Companies like the ones mentioned above support some of the most well-known pediatric cancer research centers in the world, including the Jimmy Fund Clinic at the Dana-Farber Institute in Boston, Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center, Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center for Children's Cancer Research. The concentration of services at these institutes, from chemotherapy to support and guidance for the families of children being treated, have made these hospitals ideal places for companies to support financially, and to know they are making a difference.

Hyundai Motor America and its more than 600 dealers concentrate their philanthropy dollars towards making a difference in pediatric cancer research. As a result of dealer and corporate donations, Hyundai has raised almost $6 million for pediatric cancer since 1996. Every September, Hyundai also sponsors the Annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Thousands of cancer survivors, patients, their families and friends march along the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon route to raise imperative research funds.

A number of other companies contribute in their own way, as well. Dunkin' Donuts has a five-year campaign to raise $2.5 million for cancer research, and prints the Jimmy Fund logo on its hot-beverage cups to promote awareness. HomeGoods stores encourage customers to make $1 donations during September. Even Jiffy Lube and Taco Bell have partnered in the past to offer a Value Card for customer purchase, giving consumers $5 off oil changes and $1 off combo meals.

Contributions to the Jimmy Fund and other care centers have raised the chances of survival by more than 60 percent. Today, three out of every four children facing cancer can now be cured. At one time, more than 90 percent of children diagnosed with cancer lost their battle with the disease. Last year, 13,000 children under the age of 20 were diagnosed with cancer in the United States, but about 75 percent were cured. Although these are remarkable statistics, there is still much work to be done.

Little is known about what causes various types of childhood cancer. Chromosome disorders account for most leukemias, and high levels of exposure to radiation, such as the use of X-rays during pregnancy, have been linked with one or more childhood cancers. Other possible risk factors may include parents' diet, smoking and alcohol consumption before the child was conceived. Environmental causes have also been long suspected as causes of childhood cancer. The most common childhood cancers include leukemias; and tumors of the brain and nervous system, the lymphatic system, kidneys, bones and muscles.

With increased awareness and increased attention to pediatric cancer by companies and the public, a greater fight can take place against this disease. After the school supplies are purchased and the kids are back in school, maybe you'll buy a new car or treat yourself to donuts and coffee and help out another child somewhere, in your own way.

Courtesy of ARA Content