The Kate Amato Foundation observed Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September by delivering comfort and smiles through the Kate’s Kindness Project, which provides immediate direct support to local children hospitalized with cancer and has added health care heroes amidst the COVID-19 conditions.
The foundation added the Kate’s Kindness Project to its initiatives in 2020 in response to COVID-19.
Each year, the foundation holds two signature events, the KATE KUP Triples Tennis Tournament and the KATE KLASSIC Golf Tournament to raise funds to support its mission of finding safer, smarter and more effective treatments for children with cancer.
Like most events in 2020, the fundraising events were sidelined. The same events were postponed again in 2021 due to local spikes in hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and growing concerns for children. However, while the foundation has been unable to safely hold events, it continues to spread Kate’s Kindness to those who need it most.
Kate’s Kindness Project supports local children and families fighting cancer and, new this year, health care heroes caring for children at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital.
As a gesture of kindness and encouragement, the foundation delivers care packages filled with comfort items, room décor and gift cards. In 2020, 55 care packages were delivered, as well as four gaming systems and a boatload of toys.
“This year we are delivering 75 care packages and wish list items for the oncology floor, including a doll house and play kitchen for the kids, as well as a new coffee machine, sweet treats and pampering products for the staff,” said Lisa and Jeff Amato, Kate’s parents and founders of the foundation. “We’re thrilled to show our gratitude to the nurses and therapists who care for these children and families year-round. We know how dedicated they are and how hard they work to provide comfort and encouragement during painful cancer battles; we wanted them to feel all that love in return.”
The Amatos lost their 11-year-old daughter, Kate, in November 2016 after a long and difficult battle with cancer. Through Kate’s illness, her parents discovered how severely underfunded research is for pediatric cancer and witnessed first-hand the brutal effects of outdated, toxic treatments.
To honor Kate’s life and continue the fight for other children, the Kate Amato Foundation was formed.
Since 2018, the foundation has helped fund $325,000 in grants to support nine cutting-edge pediatric cancer research projects at some of the leading immunotherapy and cancer genomics labs in the country, including Duke University, Baylor College of Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School.
To donate to the Kate Amato Foundation or learn more, go to KateAmatoFoundation.org.
