For 60 years, The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has been dedicated to supporting patient care, research, and education initiatives through the work of its volunteer and fundraising committees.
The Society is well-known in New York City for its successful fundraising events -- among them the annual Preview Party for the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show and the Awards for Excellence gala.
Over the years, the funds raised at these events have been used to support innovative research such as the recent Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation (UCBT) Program - an important extension of the Center's Bone Marrow Transplant Program. This research will allow a potentially curative therapy to be offered to patients with hematologic malignancies who lack other treatment options.
In addition to funding basic and clinical research, The Society continues to use the funds it raises through events to make visible improvements to the ambiance of Memorial Hospital with the goal of providing special comforts to patients. Projects such as a laundry facility in the Department of Pediatrics, video phones for patients in isolation, and a Sunday Tea Service for patients and their families are examples of these kinds of projects. Society Committees are also responsible for the majority of the art on the walls and providing flowers for each new patient.
Through The Society's Social Service Committee, Social Workers receive funds to assist patients with the ever-increasing demand for assistance in the areas of patient transportation, housing and a wide range of emergency situations. Providing funds for these important social service programs helps to make Memorial Sloan-Kettering care more accessible to many patients.
Through The Society's Children's Committee the Department of Pediatrics receives funds to keep the playroom stocked with toys, games, books and videos. In addition, this Committee hosts annual parties such as the Pediatric Prom, holiday parties and events for patients' visiting siblings and parents.
Public education about cancer is the focus of The Society's Health Education Seminar, a yearly program featuring presentations from physicians and researchers from the Center. Recent topics have included Translational Research, Navigating Cancer Facts in the Media, End of Life Issues, and Cancer & Nutrition.
In addition to events ,The Society raises funds for the hospital through direct fundraising efforts by the Annual Appeal Committee and the Special Projects Committee. The Annual Appeal Committee is The Society's oldest Committee which focuses on raising $1 million for a specific Department at the Center each year. Every Society board members participates in this effort and writes personal appeal letters to a friends and relatives asking for their support of the Center. The Special Projects Committee focuses their fundraising efforts on research projects taking place at the Center which are too embryonic for conventional funding.
This ambitious array of programs and projects would not exist without the funds raised at Society events and through Society programs.
