Northwestern Mutual Is Celebrating goldeNMoments™ in Honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Alexandra “Alex” Scott was born in 1996 to Liz and Jay Scott in Manchester, Connecticut. Just before her first birthday, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer that causes tumors throughout the body. The day after she turned 4, Alex received a stem cell transplant and told her mother that she wanted to start a lemonade stand and give the money she earned to doctors to allow them to “help other kids, like they helped me.”
By the time she passed away at age 8, Alex had raised $1 million. Since then, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) has become the largest independent childhood cancer charity in the U.S., funding pediatric cancer research and supporting families impacted by childhood cancer.
In 2012, Northwestern Mutual made a commitment to help accelerate the search for better treatments and cures for childhood cancer by partnering with ALSF.
Thirteen years later, we are continuing this work. Northwestern Mutual and its network offices across the country play a major role in funding several key initiatives. Through annual investments, partnerships and activations, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, has funded more than 810,000 hours of research and contributed more than $65 million to the cause since its inception.
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On Sept. 4, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the company is honoring goldeNMoments™ Day—a day of national recognition to celebrate breakthroughs and advancements in research and treatments, survivor success stories and moments of joy and hope. We also designed a new initiative to further show our commitment to creating a path toward a future without childhood cancer: For each financial plan our advisors deliver to a prospective client during the month of September, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation will pledge $100 ($25 in New York*) to ALSF—up to $2 million, which is equivalent to 40,000 hours of research.
*Per New York State insurance law.
To accelerate the search for better treatments and cures for childhood cancer, Northwestern Mutual, has contributed:
$3.6 million in 2024 and more than $65 million since 2012
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 400,000-plus children are diagnosed each year with cancer—which translates to a child every being diagnosed with cancer every 80 seconds. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in American children, resulting in the death of 1,800 kids each year. Yet, for certain types of cancer, treatments, developed and approved 30 years ago, haven’t changed, are not effective, and come with devastating long term side effects.
That’s why Northwestern Mutual is committed to supporting research funding for scientists to use advance technology, drug development and lab research. Every increase in survivorship brings us closer to a future without childhood cancer.
Please read on for some highlights about how we got started, how far we’ve come—and how much we still plan to accomplish.
Northwestern Mutual’s work with ALSF
Young Investigator Grants
These grants supply critical startup funds early career researchers rely on to pursue promising research ideas. Plus, each year, the Young Investigator Summit brings ALSF Young Investigators together to meet with other grantees funded by ALSF.
Pediatric Oncology Student Training (POST) Program
This program was specifically designed to support undergraduate, graduate and medical students who have an interest in pediatric oncology research and allows them to experience working in the field first-hand.
Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program (CCSP)
Since 2017, Northwestern Mutual has partnered with Scholarship America to award more than 320 scholarships to childhood cancer survivors as well as siblings of those affected by childhood cancer. So far, this program has distributed $2.6 million to help lessen the financial strain of college for families that have endured a cancer diagnosis.
of childhood cancer research funded by Northwestern Mutual since the inception of our Childhood Cancer Program
The Crazy 8 Initiative
Northwestern Mutual also served as a founding member of this large-scale, collaborative research program. It focuses on addressing the most challenging aspects of pediatric oncology and creating roadmaps toward cures for specific, hard-to-treat childhood cancers.
Travel for Care program
Medical bills are only a part of the financial challenges of a childhood cancer journey. This program ensures that families have the financial assistance they require to travel to clinical trials, experimental therapeutics or treatment innovations not currently available at their local institution.
For example: The Tobin family relied on Travel for Care when their daughter Brynn’s ependymoma (a type of brain tumor) returned when she was 4 years old. Surgery and radiation had initially worked for Brynn but when the relapse occurred, the family found hope in a clinical trial led by ALSF-funded researcher Dr. Ted Johnson in Augusta, Georgia. Though it was far away from their Rhode Island home, Travel for Care helped cover the family’s travel costs so she could travel to Georgia for treatment once a month for two years.
Brynn ended treatment in 2021 and has been cancer free for four years. Read more about her inspiring story here.
Not giving up
At Northwestern Mutual, we understand the emotional and financial burden cancer treatment has on a family. We are committed to accelerating the search for better treatments and cures for childhood cancer while supporting families undergoing treatment and survivors living with late-term effects.
Eradicating childhood cancer requires continued collaboration among researchers, health care providers, families, advocacy groups—and every one of us. Every child deserves the best chance to live a full and healthy life. To learn more about Northwestern Mutual's decades-long commitment to supporting those affected by childhood cancer and how you can get involved, please visit the Foundation’s website here.