@BidenCancer @tcjayfund and @TRFdotORG launch joint #psa to support national #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth Tweet

Approximately 15,000 people under the age of 20 are diagnosed with some form of cancer each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – that’s 43 children diagnosed with cancer each day. Cancer does not discriminate and its impact has been felt in every community across the U.S. leaving a devastating emotional and financial toll on the families tackling the disease. The founders of each of these nonprofit organizations, BCI, the Jay Fund and TRF, have each been touched by cancer’s devastation having walked the journey with a child, a loved one, teammate, fan or friend.

In coming together, the groups hope to generate greater awareness and support for families. In a joint statement, the group appeals to the public to join their cause: “In the spirit of Beau Biden, Jay McGillis, Tyler Robinson and all the courageous young people who have fought this disease, please help us make this month matter by supporting those who need it most. No one should fight childhood cancer alone.”

Beginning September 1, the PSA will be played on television outlets and in sporting venues across the nation. In addition to making a donation to BCI, the Jay Fund or TRF, there are other practical ways for individuals to support families and get involved in the cause including volunteering with a local pediatric cancer nonprofit.

BCI, the Jay Fund and TRF each fill separate, yet critically important, missions in supporting childhood cancer. BCI is accelerating progress in cancer research and care, making more therapies available to more patients, while working to detect and prevent the disease. The Jay Fund has touched more than 5,000 families through their cancer journeys providing more than $10 million in financial assistance to families in northeast Florida and the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. Since its inception just five years ago, TRF has raised in excess of $5.5 million to support more than 500 families across the U.S. battling childhood cancer by providing grants to offset the many unseen costs associated with treatment.

For more information or to learn how to get involved, visit www.bidencancer.org, www.tcjayfund.org and www.trf.org.

About The Biden Cancer Initiative
The Biden Cancer Initiative (BCI) is an independent nonprofit organization that builds on the Cancer Moonshot’s goals and grounded on Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden’s firm commitment to ending cancer as we know it. Fueled by urgency, BCI stands on behalf of every patient, every family, every community having to deal with a cancer diagnosis and the complex and confusing maze they must navigate thereafter. For more information, visit www.bidencancer.org.

About The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was created in 1996 in honor of Jay McGillis. Jay developed leukemia while playing for Coach Coughlin at Boston College. In the eight months between Jay’s diagnosis and the day he lost his battle with cancer, the Coughlin family saw first-hand the physical, emotional and financial strains the illness caused the McGillis Family. Coach Coughlin vowed, if he ever had the chance, he would create a way to help families with children tackling cancer. Our mission is to help families tackle childhood cancer by providing comprehensive financial, emotional and practical support. From diagnosis to recovery and beyond, we are part of the team, allowing parents to solely focus on their child’s well-being. Our goal is to BE THERE for parents facing the unthinkable so they can be there for their families.

About The Tyler Robinson Foundation
The Tyler Robinson Foundation (TRF) helps strengthen families financially and emotionally as they cope with the tragedy of a pediatric cancer diagnosis by providing grants specifically to offset out-of-pocket life expenses. TRF is the nonprofit organization of the Grammy Award-winning band Imagine Dragons. TRF meets a critical need in communities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Each year, one in 285 children are diagnosed with cancer. While many pediatric cancer organizations focus on growing awareness and support for families with the physical and emotional toll of a diagnosis, the huge financial hardship cancer treatment places on families is rarely discussed. More than 85-percent of every dollar TRF raises goes right to families in need. For more information visit TRF.org.

About Imagine Dragons
Formed in 2009 and featuring lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman, Imagine Dragons earned a grassroots following by independently releasing a series of EPs. After Alex Da Kid signed them to his KIDinaKORNER/Interscope label, the band made its major-label debut with the release of Continued Silence, a 2012 EP featuring the 2x platinum breakthrough single “It’s Time.” Night Visions arrived later that year and Imagine Dragons found themselves on a skyward trajectory that saw the album debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and became the No. 1 album on Spotify Worldwide for 2013. Night Visions has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. The album’s second single, the 9x-platinum “Radioactive,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Rock chart and earned the band a 2014 Grammy for “Best Rock Performance.” The third single, “Demons,” hit No. 1 on Alternative and Top 40 radio, and has sold 3.9 million copies in the U.S. Imagine Dragons’ platinum-selling second album, Smoke + Mirrors, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has sold 1.1 million copies worldwide. Imagine Dragons’ third studio album, Evolve, has been certified double-platinum within a year of its June 2017 release. Evolve has spent 60 weeks on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. The album is 10^th in the world on Spotify with over 38 million monthly listeners.

Media Contacts:
Karen Hart
Hart Communications for TC Jay Fund
[email protected]

Emily Wofford
The Publicity Lab for TRF
[email protected]