Latest news with #pediatricCancer
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
St. Jude Children's Hospital's fundraising arm selects new CEO in midst of global expansion
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's fundraising organization, ALSAC, promoted Ike Anand Tuesday to become its new president and chief executive officer. The leadership change comes as ALSAC -- which raised more than $2.5 billion for the Memphis-based hospital in 2024, according to tax filings – navigates a global expansion and an increasingly complicated funding landscape in the United States. 'My role is to make sure that ALSAC is able to deliver on its promises to St. Jude so that St. Jude can continue to dream big,' said Anand, who had been ALSAC's chief operating officer since 2020. 'And ALSAC has a lot of initiatives in the pipeline to make sure that that happens.' Dr. Frederick M. Azar, chairman of ALSAC's board of directors, said Anand had been instrumental in redefining the organization's strategic direction, including its six-year $12.9 billion plan to provide pediatric cancer cures and treatments globally, and will help it continue to grow. 'Throughout his tenure, Ike has demonstrated visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to the St. Jude mission,' Azar said in a statement. For Anand, who spent 15 years at travel tech firm Expedia Group and the rest of his career at other for-profit businesses, heading a nonprofit, even one as large and influential as ALSAC, was not an early life goal. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on his family and friends changed that. 'I was hunting to do something that makes me feel valuable and purpose-driven in this world,' Anand said. 'And what I found, it was the perfect match.' At Expedia, he learned the importance of data, nurturing customer relationships, and managing teams around the world – experiences he says helps at ALSAC. 'We have a culture here now of testing and learning, getting better at what we do and ultimately understanding that we're not really competing against anybody else,' he said. 'We are trying to be better at what we do.' One area where Anand has drawn attention is incorporating artificial intelligence into ALSAC's fundraising. Its initiative of using AI to help guide its communications with donors has influenced multiple programs in philanthropy. Anand is quick to point out that ALSAC does not use donors' specific data to communicate to them individually, but does use aggregated data to make decisions about what information may interest certain types of donors. 'For us, it is really, really vital that the consumers have trust in us and that they see us valuing their privacy, that they see us valuing their information and using it in the right manner,' he said. 'And so we're really careful about it.' Health care policy changes from President Donald Trump 's administration may impact rural hospitals and increase the need for St. Jude's services, which include free treatment for children with cancer. However, Anand says that St. Jude and ALSAC see it as their mission to care for all 400,000 children around the world diagnosed with cancer, so the changes do not really change their focus. 'Our mission is a unifying mission," he said. 'We are not a political organization. I think everybody agrees that saving children is one of the most important things we can do as humanity.' Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director for St. Jude and daughter of the late entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas who founded ALSAC and St. Jude, said that goal has remained the same. 'When my father founded St. Jude with a dream that no child should die in the dawn of life, he meant no child anywhere,' she said in a statement. 'Ike Anand is the perfect person to carry that dream forward and help continue to expand our mission globally." ____ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Jude Children's Hospital's fundraising arm selects new CEO in midst of global expansion
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's fundraising organization, ALSAC, promoted Ike Anand Tuesday to become its new president and chief executive officer. The leadership change comes as ALSAC -- which raised more than $2.5 billion for the Memphis-based hospital in 2024, according to tax filings – navigates a global expansion and an increasingly complicated funding landscape in the United States. 'My role is to make sure that ALSAC is able to deliver on its promises to St. Jude so that St. Jude can continue to dream big,' said Anand, who had been ALSAC's chief operating officer since 2020. 'And ALSAC has a lot of initiatives in the pipeline to make sure that that happens.' Dr. Frederick M. Azar, chairman of ALSAC's board of directors, said Anand had been instrumental in redefining the organization's strategic direction, including its six-year $12.9 billion plan to provide pediatric cancer cures and treatments globally, and will help it continue to grow. 'Throughout his tenure, Ike has demonstrated visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to the St. Jude mission,' Azar said in a statement. For Anand, who spent 15 years at travel tech firm Expedia Group and the rest of his career at other for-profit businesses, heading a nonprofit, even one as large and influential as ALSAC, was not an early life goal. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on his family and friends changed that. 'I was hunting to do something that makes me feel valuable and purpose-driven in this world,' Anand said. 'And what I found, it was the perfect match.' At Expedia, he learned the importance of data, nurturing customer relationships, and managing teams around the world – experiences he says helps at ALSAC. 'We have a culture here now of testing and learning, getting better at what we do and ultimately understanding that we're not really competing against anybody else,' he said. 'We are trying to be better at what we do.' One area where Anand has drawn attention is incorporating artificial intelligence into ALSAC's fundraising. Its initiative of using AI to help guide its communications with donors has influenced multiple programs in philanthropy. Anand is quick to point out that ALSAC does not use donors' specific data to communicate to them individually, but does use aggregated data to make decisions about what information may interest certain types of donors. 'For us, it is really, really vital that the consumers have trust in us and that they see us valuing their privacy, that they see us valuing their information and using it in the right manner,' he said. 'And so we're really careful about it.' Health care policy changes from President Donald Trump's administration may impact rural hospitals and increase the need for St. Jude's services, which include free treatment for children with cancer. However, Anand says that St. Jude and ALSAC see it as their mission to care for all 400,000 children around the world diagnosed with cancer, so the changes do not really change their focus. 'Our mission is a unifying mission," he said. 'We are not a political organization. I think everybody agrees that saving children is one of the most important things we can do as humanity.' Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director for St. Jude and daughter of the late entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas who founded ALSAC and St. Jude, said that goal has remained the same. 'When my father founded St. Jude with a dream that no child should die in the dawn of life, he meant no child anywhere,' she said in a statement. 'Ike Anand is the perfect person to carry that dream forward and help continue to expand our mission globally." ____ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Jude Children's Hospital's fundraising arm selects new CEO in midst of global expansion
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's fundraising organization, ALSAC, promoted Ike Anand Tuesday to become its new president and chief executive officer. The leadership change comes as ALSAC -- which raised more than $2.5 billion for the Memphis-based hospital in 2024, according to tax filings – navigates a global expansion and an increasingly complicated funding landscape in the United States. 'My role is to make sure that ALSAC is able to deliver on its promises to St. Jude so that St. Jude can continue to dream big,' said Anand, who had been ALSAC's chief operating officer since 2020. 'And ALSAC has a lot of initiatives in the pipeline to make sure that that happens.' Dr. Frederick M. Azar, chairman of ALSAC's board of directors, said Anand had been instrumental in redefining the organization's strategic direction, including its six-year $12.9 billion plan to provide pediatric cancer cures and treatments globally, and will help it continue to grow. 'Throughout his tenure, Ike has demonstrated visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to the St. Jude mission,' Azar said in a statement. For Anand, who spent 15 years at travel tech firm Expedia Group and the rest of his career at other for-profit businesses, heading a nonprofit, even one as large and influential as ALSAC, was not an early life goal. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on his family and friends changed that. 'I was hunting to do something that makes me feel valuable and purpose-driven in this world,' Anand said. 'And what I found, it was the perfect match.' At Expedia, he learned the importance of data, nurturing customer relationships, and managing teams around the world – experiences he says helps at ALSAC. 'We have a culture here now of testing and learning, getting better at what we do and ultimately understanding that we're not really competing against anybody else,' he said. 'We are trying to be better at what we do.' One area where Anand has drawn attention is incorporating artificial intelligence into ALSAC's fundraising. Its initiative of using AI to help guide its communications with donors has influenced multiple programs in philanthropy. Anand is quick to point out that ALSAC does not use donors' specific data to communicate to them individually, but does use aggregated data to make decisions about what information may interest certain types of donors. 'For us, it is really, really vital that the consumers have trust in us and that they see us valuing their privacy, that they see us valuing their information and using it in the right manner,' he said. 'And so we're really careful about it.' Health care policy changes from President Donald Trump's administration may impact rural hospitals and increase the need for St. Jude's services, which include free treatment for children with cancer. However, Anand says that St. Jude and ALSAC see it as their mission to care for all 400,000 children around the world diagnosed with cancer, so the changes do not really change their focus. 'Our mission is a unifying mission," he said. 'We are not a political organization. I think everybody agrees that saving children is one of the most important things we can do as humanity.' Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director for St. Jude and daughter of the late entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas who founded ALSAC and St. Jude, said that goal has remained the same. 'When my father founded St. Jude with a dream that no child should die in the dawn of life, he meant no child anywhere,' she said in a statement. 'Ike Anand is the perfect person to carry that dream forward and help continue to expand our mission globally." ____ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press
National Post
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
NEIDHART: Beyond honoured to become first woman to receive Lou Thesz Award
Article content I've had the privilege of working closely with Connor's Cure, a foundation dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer and honouring the legacy of an incredible little boy named Connor Michalek. He was a huge wrestling fan whose strength and spirit touched everyone around him. Article content Whether it's speaking on behalf of the WWE at fundraisers or just spending time with kids and their families, every part of this work is deeply personal and incredibly meaningful. Article content I am thankful that I can use my personal and social platforms to help women know there is a place for us not only in sports entertainment, but everywhere. I strive to encourage my fan base to keep growing, continue to advance and become unbreakable. Article content In the WWE women's division, we have to continue to build. I am wholeheartedly driven to ensure the women coming up within this industry have not only the tools they need to thrive, but also the ability to teach and train others. I'm convinced that helping others grow is one of the most powerful ways to grow yourself. Article content Article content Receiving the Lou Thesz Award is not just a personal honour — it's a reflection of every person, every child, every family whose path I've crossed on this journey. Lou's legacy reminds us that wrestling at its best isn't just about the matches — it's about the message, the movement and the heart behind it all, no pun intended. Article content This award is such a special milestone in my journey. It tells me that our work — in the ring, in our communities, with children, with fans, with the next generation — MATTERS.
CNN
23-05-2025
- Science
- CNN
CNN10: The big stories of Friday 5/23, explained in 10 minutes
Today on CNN 10, we take you to the largest gypsum dune field in the world and find out what makes the geological feature so unique. We'll also learn what type of humanitarian aid has been allowed into war-torn Gaza this week, before getting an update on the fight to protect the manatee's food source in a Florida lagoon. And we'll find out how one teen is going to great heights to raise awareness for pediatric cancer research. All this and more on today's CNN 10!
