Last week, we had a visit from Stefanie Symmank, founder and Managing Director of VFS Personalberatungs GmbH, and her colleague Moritz Fahrig.
As an entrepreneur, Mrs Symmank is very keen to take responsibility for sustainable management in economic, ecological and social terms – and to show this to the outside world.
This year, she has decided to support children’s cancer research at our company with 50 euros per successful recruitment. An impressive 1,400 euros have been credited to our donation account. We very much appreciate this valuable contribution towards our goal of giving all children and young people with cancer a chance of a cure.
Our loyal sponsor Markus Bernsteiner from the company Arnold AG in Frankfurt has taken up his tradition again and made a donation to us in honour of the year. Last week, our Managing Director Marcus Klüssendorf was able to accept the generous donation of 2,023 euros at the Arnold company premises. A big THANK YOU to Mr Bernsteiner for his renewed valuable support for children’s cancer research. We greatly appreciate his many years of commitment.
We recently had another nice visit from Mrs Marina Schloßnagel from the Frankfurt roofing company Hans Jürgen Meseth GmbH. This year, the company has once again decided to do something good and make a donation instead of giving Christmas presents to its customers. A fine example of assuming social responsibility.
Still convinced of the existential importance of paediatric cancer research in our company, Moriz Pilsel, Managing Director of Meseth GmbH, and his team knew that the donation would once again go to our foundation.
We would like to express our sincere thanks for the generous 2,500 euros – and for the loyalty and trust placed in us.
We were extremely pleased about the visit of the Federal Minister of Research and Education, Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), which is important for pediatric cancer research.
Research against cancer in children is very close to the Minister’s heart. After the guided tour through our house and the detailed information about the cell bank with more than 2,500 chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells (RCCL) stored here, she wants to increase her commitment to the development of better healing options for children and adolescents with cancer through research.
In conversation with her, it turned out that she knew Professor Bernhard Kornhuber, the head of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Goethe University in Frankfurt, who died in 2009. At the time, Professor Kornhuber had actively contributed to the establishment of the foundation. Mrs. Stark-Watzinger remembered him very well in connection with a treatment in the family environment.
The minister was impressed by the commitment and drive she felt in all corners, and especially among the board members and the researchers.
We sincerely thank Ms. Stark-Watzinger for the time she took to share her thoughts on our existentially important research work.
Photo (Roger de Castro/dc-photodesign): Fedral Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (f.) has Dr. Florian Rothweiler (h.) explain the cell bank to her.
Last week, we were once again able to welcome a distinguished guest to our house: The Hessian Minister of Finance, Michael Boddenberg, visited the Foundation in his capacity as a member of the state parliament to learn about the status of pediatric cancer research in our house on site.
With great interest, Michael Boddenberg followed the scientific outline of Prof. Dr. Martin Michaelis on the relevance of the collection of chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells, which was established by the researchers of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Pediatric Tumor and Virus Research in 40 years of work with much perseverance and great personal commitment and is constantly being further developed. With over 2,500 drug-adapted cancer cells, the existing cell bank is now one of the largest of its kind in the world. The cells are stored in our facility in large special tanks (cryogenic tanks) at minus 194° Celsius.
The goal of the foundation’s board members, to fulfill the most ardent wish of every child with cancer “When I grow up I want to be healthy”, impresses Michael Boddenberg in a special way. In a short speech, he expresses his appreciation for the many years of voluntary commitment of the board members and the scientists’ unbroken spirit of research.
We appreciate Michael Boddenberg taking the time to visit our research house and are pleased to have convinced him of the importance of our work.
Photo (Roger de Castro / dc photodesign): Michael Boddenberg (left) with Prof. Dr. Martin Michaelis (right).
Recently, we had the great honor of welcoming the Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt, Mike Josef, to our Dr. Petra Joh Research House.
During a tour of the laboratories, scientists from the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Pediatric Tumor and Virus Research gave him an insight into the research work that is of existential importance for children and adolescents with cancer and that is carried out every day at our foundation.
Mike Josef was impressed by the importance of the world’s largest cell bank of drug-adapted cancer cells (“Resistant Cancer Cell Line Collection” – RCCL), which Dr. Florian Rothweiler explained to him. Cells from this collection are used internationally by scientists for pediatric cancer research.
In his speech, Mayor Mike Josef acknowledged the many years of voluntary commitment of the board members and the remarkable research achievements of the foundation.
We are very grateful for Mike Josef’s visit and his commitment to our work.
We are especially pleased with his commitment to be the patron of our Foundation’s 30th anniversary next year.
We continue to wish Mike Josef all the best in his political career.
Foto (Roger de Castro / dc photodesign): Lord Mayor Mike Josef (r.) with Dr. Florian Rothweiler
On July 15, 2023, the REWE store at Europaallee 118 in Frankfurt celebrated its 10th anniversary. The manager of the store, Mr. Ali Osman Kayabasi, was very keen to support children’s cancer research. Therefore, he chose the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer as the recipient of the proceeds of the event.
The festival was excellently organized – there were great offers for children and the physical well-being of the young and old visitors was also well taken care of.
The Foundation was present with an information booth throughout the day – supported by volunteers who actively assisted us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank these dedicated people.
Despite the mixed weather, the event was well attended, and there was also a lot of interest in the important research work being done at our research center.
It was a great day for us, because all visitors contributed with their participation and their attention for the work of our foundation to the considerable donation sum of 2,285 euros, which we could receive at the end of the day. A great result, considering that an unexpected strong wind led to the premature termination of the event. This important contribution brings us again one step closer to the most important goal of the Foundation: to be able to cure all children and young people suffering from cancer.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to all visitors of the event as well as to the manager of the REWE store and his team for this valuable support.
For 18 years, the association “Glückstour – Schornsteinfeger helfen krebskranken Kindern e. V.” has been organizing its annual Glückstour. On this tour, numerous chimney sweeps cycle around 1,000 kilometers through Germany in all weathers and diligently collect donations for children with serious illnesses and cancer. At the individual stage destinations, the donations are handed over directly and without deduction to local associations and organizations.
During the Glückstour 2023 in Aschaffenburg, our charitable foundation, among others, was able to receive a donation check in the amount of 3,000 euros. We are delighted to have been able to take part in this year’s event and would like to thank you very much for this great commitment.
(Photo: Beate Tomann)
Contact
Frankfurt Foundation for children with cancer Komturstraße 3a 60528 Frankfurt
Click on the graphic below. You will be redirected to the Gooding site where you can shop in one of the more than 1,800 affiliated online shops. The participating shops support charitable organisations with a bonus of 5% of the purchase value on average. By logging in via the graphic, the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer is preselected as a premium recipient.
