​Citations

In 2019, Runs for Ronnie received two Citations, one from Mayor Alan C. Beach of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, NY and one from the Town of Hempstead. Both recognized Runs for Ronnie for their efforts in raising funds for research and treatment of children’s cancer.

​Organizations We Support

The Daniela Conte Foundation

This year, we partnered with the Daniela Conte Foundation (DCF), an organization dedicated to supporting families facing financial hardship during a child’s cancer treatment. Daniela Conte was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma at just four years old. She bravely endured chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple remissions before sadly passing away at the age of eight.

In her memory, her parents, Katia and Anthony, founded the DCF four years ago. During Daniela’s hospital stays, they noticed many other families were struggling to pay bills, as one parent often had to stay at the hospital while the other worked. Some families even had difficulty affording gas to travel to and from the hospital.

​To address these challenges, the Conte family established the foundation to assist families in covering essential expenses such as gas, utilities, and car insurance. The DCF also supports research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which studies rhabdomyosarcoma and other pediatric cancers. This year, we will make a donation to the laboratory in Daniela’s memory.

Cohen's Children's Hospital

This year, we are also partnering with the Pediatric Cancer Unit at Cohen's Children's Hospital to support children undergoing treatment for B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). These children are receiving Blinatumomab, a targeted immunotherapy that was recently approved by the FDA as the standard treatment for ALL. Thanks to this therapy, the prognosis for these patients has significantly improved, increasing survival rates from 84% to 97.5%.

After speaking with the hospital's social worker about their needs, we learned that Blinatumomab, or "Blina," is administered as a 28-day continuous infusion. The medication is delivered through a central line connected to a pump, which the pharmaceutical company provides with a small side bag for carrying. While the treatment has been highly effective, keeping children from tangling their tubes or accidentally disconnecting from the pump has been a challenge.

​Children who wear the pump in a backpack have had better success staying connected. To help, Runs for Ronnie has been asked to donate backpacks for the kids to wear during their Blina treatment cycles. The social worker has provided details on the specific backpacks needed, and we are currently working with a vendor to purchase as many as possible for the pediatric unit.

St. Joseph Hospital

The funds we raised in 2023 were used to purchase state-of-the-art infusion recliners for the Infusion Center at St. Joseph hospital in Bethpage.

Ronald McDonald House

Ronald McDonald House (RMH) is a nonprofit organization that provides food and housing for families of sick children. RMH is conveniently located near the hospital where these children are receiving life-saving treatment. Runs for Ronnie not only donates toys, books and household items to RMH, but we have also cooked dinner. 12 volunteers prepared and cooked dinner for about 80 house members. The “Meals From the Heart Program” helps schedule brunch and dinner for the families that are staying at RMH for every day of the year. With the help of many volunteers, Runs for Ronnie has also collected soda tabs that are brought to RMH by the bucket full. RMH recycles these tabs to raise funds to help offset expenses.

Mercy Medical Center

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Runs for Ronnie sent Italian food from Villa Formia in Lynbrook to Mercy Medical Center. Over the course of a week, different pasta meals were sent to the frontline doctors and nurses. Runs for Ronnie wanted to thank the first responders for their hard work and dedication to the public during this very difficult time.

Family Care Center

For the past two years, Runs for Ronnie has donated toys, games, books and gift certificates to the Mercy Medical Center Family Care Center during the holiday season. The Family Care Center offers a variety of services and counseling for mothers, teens, and children.

Fantasy Day At Fenway

Fantasy Day at Fenway is an annual event sponsored by John Hancock held at Boston’s famous Fenway Park. The event is run by The Jimmy Fund, the sole financial supporter of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The funds are used for cancer research and treatment for children and adults. Fantasy Day at Fenway began in 1992 and has raised nearly $8.5 million in the years since. Dreams become reality for many children and adults as they step up to the plate or run out to the field at the renowned Fenway Park. Donors have the opportunity to hit it “outta the park” or hit the “Green Monster” and field like a pro. Runs for Ronnie has been raising funds to attend Fantasy Day since 2015. Our team has raised over $40,000 since our inception.

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