Russell and Ciara Wilson Foundation Donate $2.6 million to Seattle Childrens Hospital

Wilson Celebrity Invitational and Online Auction

RAISES $ 2.6 MILLION TO BENEFIT SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

At the Why Not You Foundation, we believe that anything is possible – especially if you have the right team.  And, we’re particularly thankful for our team of friends, family, supporters and partners who joined us at the Wilson Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament in June and “pressed yes” at Safeway and Albertson’s stores across the state to donate money and collectively raise more than $2.6 million to benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital and its Strong Against Cancer initiative.  

On the field at CenturyLink before the final preseason game of the year, Russell and Ciara, along with Carly Young, Executive Director of the Why Not You Foundation, presented this year’s record-breaking check to Dr. Jeff Sperring, Seattle Children’s Hospital CEO.  These funds, which will be used in the fight to find a cure for pediatric cancer, brings the total raised by the Foundation for Strong Against Cancer to more than $8 million. We couldn’t be more thankful to our partners and supporters for their contributions to such an important cause. 

And speaking of incredible partners and their contributions, we’d like to take a moment to highlight Seattle Children’s Hospital.  Seattle Children’s Hospital has long been at the forefront of helping children battle cancer while also supporting their families in the process. Back in June, during the Wilson Celebrity Invitational, Russell was joined on stage by Roarke, a 14-year old boy who was diagnosed in 2017 with brain cancer. Roarke had a pure germ cell tumor – a growth that forms in the brain during fetal development after cells that should migrate to other parts of the body get trapped in the brain and multiply. While this type of cancer is typically very responsive to chemotherapy and radiation, cancer treatment is incredibly costly and even with insurance, can be an enormous burden on families. 

Thanks to Seattle Children’s Hospital, their world-class cancer care, and amazing financial assistance programs, Roarke completed his treatment in April 2018, and today his brain shows no evidence of disease. 

These are the stories we live to hear – and your generous support helps make outcomes like these possible. Again, thank you to all of our friends and partners who joined our team to fund pediatric cancer research. Together we can win this fight. 

To learn more about Seattle Children’s Hospital and Strong Against Cancer, visit strongagainstcancer.org.