Kids Walk Surpasses $6 Million Raised For Pediatric Cancer Research

More than 3,000 people gathered in Central Park on Saturday for the annual Kids Walk event. Participants of all ages, families and student groups walked the 1.5-mile route together, starting and finishing at the event's festival near the Naumburg Bandshell. Local schools were represented at the fundraiser through 31 student teams.

The family-friendly event included face painting, live music, sign decorating, a pre-walk stretch session and a tribute wall. The walk kicked off with an inspiring speaking program featuring young cancer survivors and Dr. Andrew Kung, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at MSK, who reflected on the remarkable impact made by the Kids Walk community.

Kids Walk participants walk and raise money with one unified goal: to beat pediatric cancers. The event honors and celebrates the courage and strength of Kids Walk Warriors — kids who have faced pediatric cancer, those currently battling and those lost too soon. Every dollar raised goes directly to pediatric cancer research, which is otherwise drastically underfunded. Money raised by the Kids Walk community has already contributed to the discovery of new and better treatments for childhood cancers.

For more than a century, MSK has been at the forefront of the most significant advances in the treatment of pediatric cancers — even the rarest types. MSK's Department of Pediatrics treats more children with cancer than any other hospital in the United States.

To donate, learn more or find out how to participate, go to www.kidswalkmsk.org.

More Information

About Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK)—the world's oldest and largest private cancer center—has devoted more than 130 years to exceptional patient care, innovative research, and outstanding educational programs. Today, it is one of 70 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, with state-of-the-art science flourishing side-by-side with clinical studies and treatment. The close collaboration between MSK's physicians and scientists is one of its unique strengths, enabling it to provide patients with the best care available as researchers work to discover more effective strategies to prevent, control and ultimately cure cancer. MSK's education programs train future physicians and scientists, and the knowledge and experience they gain has an impact on cancer treatment and biomedical research around the world.

SOURCE Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center