Amon G. Carter Foundation Gift

"I have come to realize that they who acquire wealth are more or less stewards in the application of that wealth to others of the human family who are less fortunate than themselves."

- Amon G. Carter

When Amon G. Carter came to Fort Worth in 1906, he brought with him a drive to make the sleepy North Texas town into a city that supported major industries, charities and families at the same time.  He wasted no time in merging two papers into The Fort Worth Star Telegram, investing in the oil and gas industry and attracting major corporations to set up shop in Fort Worth.  As he continued to accomplish his professional goals, Carter began to give back even more to the city he loved by establishing the Amon G. Carter Foundation.

The North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is one beneficiary of this foundation and its generosity.  Earlier this year the foundation gave LLS a $25,000 grant to upgrade its internal donor and volunteer tracking systems.  "We recognize that as your [LLS] volunteer and donor base continues to grow it is essential to have appropriate software to assist in coordinating and tracking corporate sponsors and individual donors," says John H. Robinson, Executive Vice President of the Amon G. Carter Foundation.

The North Texas Chapter will use this grant money to make a multi-year investment in Salesforce and Cervis.  Salesforce will be used by employees chapter-wide to record and monitor gifts from corporations, individuals and teams in an effort to better steward and recognize their contributions.  Cervis is a volunteer management software program that will make it easier for LLS supporters to find and sign up for volunteer opportunities within North Texas.

"The Amon G. Carter Foundation understands the importance of having the best technology available when it comes to tracking and thanking our donors, and this grant will help LLS continue to grow here in North Texas," says Patricia Thomson, Executive Director of the North Texas Chapter.  "We appreciate their dedication to LLS and our vision of a world without blood cancers."

The Amon G. Carter Foundation also gave the North Texas Chapter a $25,000 grant last year for additional technology updates.  Many of the items purchased with that grant have helped raise the profile of LLS in North Texas.

LLS is thankful for the support of such a generous partner in the fight against blood cancers.

Texas Instruments Gift

Corporate culture is king at Texas Instruments (TI).  The Dallas-based technology company fondly calls its employees TI-ers and strives to create an atmosphere of inclusion, respect, and personal investment among its international workforce.  In late 2003 when Raj Gupta, a popular member of its analog marketing team, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the company took notice and supported him through his personal battle.  Sadly, Gupta lost his personal battle in 2004 and Texas Instruments lost a valued employee and friend.

To honor his memory, TI created the Raj Gupta Marketing Excellence Award which recognizes marketing excellence by analog employees and rewards individual contributions to successful marketing.  In addition to the award, Texas Instruments pledged to make an annual contribution of $10,000 in Raj's name to a Dallas nonprofit cancer organization.

The North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has been a recipient of this generous award every year since 2008.  Texas Instruments directs this donation to the chapter's Patient Access Programs which provide direct financial assistance, education and referral services to blood cancer patients across the North Texas region.

Since 2008, Texas Instruments has given a total of $70,000 to LLS in Gupta's memory.

"Gifts of this kind are truly remarkable," says Patricia Thomson, Executive Director of the North Texas Chapter of LLS.  "Texas Instruments' annual grant is making a real impact in our communities, as we fund cutting-edge blood cancer research, educating medical professionals, and provide co-pay assistance to patients with the most financial need."

LLS provided financial aid to more than 30 thousand people last year and distributed more than one million free educational materials to patients.  In addition to financial support and education, LLS invests heavily in research.  In the last year alone, LLS funded approximately $70 million in research, second only to the United States Government.

LLS is thankful to Texas Instrument and its generous support of LLS.  "Their impact in the North Texas community is real, and is key in helping to find a cure for blood cancers in our lifetime," says Thomson.

"Hey Hercules!"

A North Texas woman met her bone marrow donor in person for the first time at the top of a Seattle skyscraper last weekend.  Lauren McCrary was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia around Thanksgiving in 2007. When doctors found the cancer, she had more than 70% leukemic cells in her body and the nurses who admitted her were surprised she was able to walk into the emergency room.  Lauren immediately started five rounds of intense chemotherapy over six months where she was limited to staying in the hospital.

After the second round of chemotherapy, Lauren's doctor suggested that she go to Baylor Dallas and discuss a bone marrow transplant.  Her family was immediately tested to see if anyone would be a good match but with only a 50% match, she was forced to turn to the national bone marrow registry.  She was matched with a donor from Washington.

She knew she wanted to meet the person who saved her life but she could not exchange personal information until one year after the transplant.  That first year they would swap letters anonymously.  Lauren addressed her letters to Hercules because she thought of him as the hero who saved her life.

Eventually, Hercules was replaced with Patrick.  He is a firefighter with the Richland Hills Department outside of Seattle.  And his heart for giving did not stop at the transplant.  He had signed up to climb in the grueling Scott Firefighter Stairclimb (73 flights of stairs in full gear) in Seattle, WA to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Lauren worked with the LLS staff in Seattle to secretly fly out to the event, get to the top of the building, and surprise Patrick on the 73rd floor when he finished his climb.  When she saw him pop out of the stairwell she yelled "Way to go, Hercules!"  He immediately turned around and that was the first time Lauren was able to look into the eyes of the man who saved her life.

Lauren said that even though she knows Patrick personally now, he will forever be her Hercules.