SuperSibs! acquired by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, sibling childhood cancer support program to continue

PHILADELPHIA, April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer is honored to announce the acquisition of SuperSibs!, an organization that has worked to ensure support for siblings of children with cancer. With a keen understanding of the challenges that siblings of childhood cancer patients face, ALSF will work to reinstate and enhance many of SuperSibs! programs, focusing on supporting those with siblings both currently in treatment and those not in treatment.

SuperSibs! was established in 2002, four years after founder Melanie Goldish's older son was diagnosed with leukemia, and she was unable to find support services as her younger son struggled to cope. Goldish hoped to fill that void, creating SuperSibs! to focus on the well-being of siblings who may experience fear and isolation as their sibling fights childhood cancer. Late in 2013, SuperSibs! announced that it would temporarily suspend its direct sibling support services due to lack of funding. Actively seeking a partner to restore this support and allow the program to grow and evolve, SuperSibs! approached ALSF. With a program already in place to recognize hero families, including the siblings of children fighting cancer, ALSF was the answer SuperSibs! was seeking.

The mission of ALSF has always been to find better treatments and ultimately cures for all childhood cancers. In the quest to find those cures, the Foundation has also created programs to help childhood cancer fighters and their families through the journey, including a Travel Fund to help patients get to the treatments they need, and a Hero Ambassador Program to empower families of childhood cancer to share their experience and raise awareness in their communities. The Foundation recognized the importance of supporting all children who face childhood cancer, including siblings, and became dedicated to seeing SuperSibs! continue and flourish.

"It is true that many people know the story of our daughter, Alex, and her mission to help all children fighting childhood cancer," said Liz Scott, Alex's mom and Co-Executive Director of ALSF. "What may not be as evident is the fact that Alex had three siblings who experienced her battle and subsequent loss of life alongside her. We know firsthand how important support to siblings during and after childhood cancer is, and we are proud to continue the important work of SuperSibs!."  

"Over the past twelve years, SuperSibs! has succeeded in changing the culture of oncology care to recognize the challenges faced by these deserving siblings," said Founder and Former Executive Director, Goldish. "We couldn't be more proud that SuperSibs! will now be supported and powered by the strength of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. With shared commitment, depth of expertise, professionalism and resources, this acquisition will ensure that these vulnerable siblings receive vital support to manage through and beyond this profound life challenge."

"Obviously there's no comparison to the trauma that cancer inflicts on a child, but often times people overlook the emotional damage that watching a sibling go through treatment inflicts on the entire family," said Alex's older brother Patrick Scott. "Growing up with my younger sister in treatment definitely impacted me."

Over the next few months, ALSF will work with the SuperSibs! team to reinstate the SuperSibs! comfort and care program, with a goal to send sibling care packages by July 1. The sibling care packages will include tools that provide encouragement and support to siblings of children with cancer, as well as acknowledgment that they are also experiencing the childhood cancer journey. Additionally, the Foundation will develop a Sibling Hero Ambassador Program to help empower siblings to share their stories and raise awareness of childhood cancer and its effects on the entire family. For more information on how SuperSibs! will become part of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit: AlexsLemonade.org/campaign/supersibs

About SuperSibs! 
SuperSibs! is a national nonprofit organization ensuring that siblings of children with cancer are honored, supported, and recognized so they may face the future with strength, courage and hope. An industry leader in psychosocial sibling support, SuperSibs! focuses on this underserved and often unrecognized pediatric cancer survivor, the sibling survivor. Founded in 2002, SuperSibs! provides evidence-based services to these at-risk children through a variety of ongoing programs created specifically  to help them avoid the potentially debilitating psychosocial impact of pediatric cancer. SuperSibs! has supported over 33,000 children and teens in the United States and Canada.

About Childhood Cancer
Childhood cancer is a general term used to describe cancer in children occurring regularly, randomly and sparing no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. Childhood cancer extends to over a dozen types of cancers and a countless amount of subtypes. Just a few of these cancer types include: Ewing's sarcoma, glioma, leukemia, lymphoma, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and Wilm's tumor.  In the United States, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15. Every day, approximately 250 kids around the world die from cancer, accounting for 91,250 losing their lives to the disease every year.

About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $75 million toward fulfilling Alex's dream of finding a cure, funding over 375 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit AlexsLemonade.org.

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Liz Scott
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SOURCE Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation