NO ONE BUDGETS FOR CANCER
For over the last 15 years with the help of many wonderful volunteers, donors, and, of course, our sponsors, SKF has helped families in Kansas City who have a child battling cancer. This document will provide you with an overview of your impact and the impact of SKF on our community and these families.
OUR WORK
When a family gets the news that their child has cancer, there is a wide range of emotions and thoughts that go through the parents’ heads. The main one is “how do I save my child”. The reality is that the world around these families doesn’t stop. Bills continue to come that must be paid. At SKF, we believe the parent’s place is at their child’s side. In order to make that happen, we must give them the gift of time and help them hold off those expenses while they miss work to be with their child. In short, SKF is here to give parents the most precious currency during this fight…time.
SKF is a 100% all-volunteer organization with 14 board members, 1 aid administrator, and countless volunteers. Despite our size and all-volunteer status, SKF utilizes process and technology to expedite and fulfill aid requests that are almost entirely originated by social workers at both Children’s Mercy and KU. Since January 2020, SKF has processed over 2550 requests for support. 99.7% of SKF’s requests for aid come from Children’s Mercy Hospital. Over 90% of requests are fulfilled in less than 4 days with many fulfilled within 24 hours.
SKF raises funds through 4 annual events: Poker Tournament at Sporting Park (February), Golf Tournament (June), Hearts of Gold Gala (September), and in 2024, we added our first North Kansas City event, Golf Tournament at Staley Farms Golf Club (April).
In addition to these events, SKF has some remarkable corporate partners who provide both direct donations and event sponsorships. Without these sponsors, we would not be able to generate the impact we do.
YOUR IMPACT
Because you chose to support your community by helping Kansas City area families battle childhood cancer, since 2009, SKF has been able to help families with the following:
930+ Families $4,500,000+ in Aid
Need Categories
41% Housing
36% Utilities
20% Transportation
2% Funerals
17% Other
Recipient Insurance Categories
Since 2021
OUR CHALLENGE
For nearly 5 years, the monthly demand for SKF assistance remained in the $40,000s. Remarkable to think that an all-volunteer organization has been consistently supporting the community with over $40,000 in assistance each month, but that is what this amazing team does. The predictability of demand aligned well with our ability to raise funds through our events and corporate sponsors. However, as you can see, in 2024 there was a sharp increase in the number of requests and the total amount of outgoing aid each month. In speaking with Children’s Mercy Social Workers, we were told “…our oncology doctors have never seen an influx of new patients like this before.”
SKF is committed to supporting as many families as we can. We have made adjustments in our guidelines to ensure that our funds will support the demand for as long as possible. At this time, SKF has enough reserves to support this new demand for 10 months. While our events are on an annual basis, our historical income for those four events will not sustain the new demand. This will put SKF at risk of not being able to meet the demand for these families and help them battle childhood cancer with dignity and peace of mind.
HOW TO HELP
There are multiple ways to help ranging from volunteering to sponsoring to attending an event. There is no better way to help than to share SKF with your company, your neighbors, and your network. When people learn about what SKF does and how it impacts these families, they are committed. The number of folks we have on our board and that have volunteered after coming to an SKF event is amazing.
Below is a list of ways that you can help:
1. Donate. Go to www.supportingkids.org or click on this link to access the donation page directly. You can do a one time donation. However, consider giving a smaller donation every month. It will add up and help SKF continue to support the demand. Just click on “Frequency” to choose the recurring option.
2. Partner. Invite your company to partner with SKF. As an all-volunteer, 501c3 organization that supports the greater Kansas City community, you can put your company at an arms length from who they are helping. If you know a family that has battled childhood cancer, there is a good chance that SKF helped them. Reach out to [email protected] to set up a time for one of our board members to speak with your leadership team.
3. Sponsor. Consider sponsoring anyone of our four events. It is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to the local community and to entertain your customers and employees. For more information, click on this link.
4. Participate. Attend one of our events and experience why this organization is so special. You will be entertained, but more importantly, you will be moved.
5. Fundraise. SKF can help individuals and organizations set up a personalized fundraising site where you can set a goal and challenge your network to support SKF. It is simple, easy, and effective! Contact [email protected] for more information.
Finally, the best way you can help SKF is to SHARE. Make sure your friends, family, neighbors, and anyone in your network who cares about Kansas City knows about SKF. Share the website, share the stories, and share the mission!
Thank you!