So tomorrow is Genes Day! If you haven't heard, the Lancome U.S. team is doing a big one-day fundraiser to benefit the research and treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. We've pledged to donate a minimum of $100,000 and we hope to raise a lot more than that. We're raising the money by donating $7 from the sale of every bottle of Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate sold tomorrow at our U.S. counters and on lancome-usa.com. The whole Lancome team is involved, from our spokesmodels to every beauty advisor at our counters. (I hope you've seen the YouTube videos with our spokesmodels announcing Genes Day.)
St. Jude is a well-known charity, but we did a Q&A with them so those of you not familiar with this amazing organization can learn more. In a nutshell, St. Jude provides free care for children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. The people of St. Jude are an incredible group with a very important mission. Two members of the St. Jude team were in New York yesterday and paid us a surprise visit. They even brought us cupcakes from Magnolia. (Perhaps they'd been reading The Lancome Blog and know what cupcake fanatics we are. But a big thank you. We needed the sugar rush! We're thrilled to be working with you.)
If you've ever had a child in your life with a serious illness, you know how meaningful a group like St. Jude is. For those of you outside the U.S., please read on to learn how St. Jude is even benefitting children who live beyond the borders of America.
If you have any questions about St. Jude, let me know and I'll get them answered.
Q&A
How was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital founded?
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital owes its existence to a promise made by Danny Thomas. As a struggling entertainer in search of answers, Danny turned to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes. Danny prayed, “Show me my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.” That simple promise and his later success as a television star led Danny to found St. Jude, which opened in 1962.
What is your mission today?
Our mission is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.
How important is research to St. Jude?
As a research institution, St. Jude has a unique mission to generate the knowledge that will save the lives of children in communities everywhere who are stricken with these deadly diseases. The research and care pioneered by St. Jude is freely shared with doctors all over the world so that all children will have access to our groundbreaking research and lifesaving treatments.
How does a child become a St. Jude patient?
Parents wishing to have their child considered for treatment at St. Jude must have the child’s physician call the hospital at 1-866-2STJUDE (278-5833). Patients are accepted based on their eligibility to enroll in an open clinical research study. Our acceptance policy ensures that patients who meet our eligibility requirements will be accepted at St. Jude, regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.
How many children do you care for each year?
On average, 5,700 active patients visit the hospital each year, most of whom are treated on an outpatient basis.
How are Danny’s children involved with the St. Jude mission today?
Marlo Thomas proudly serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and hosts A Place of Hope, an hour-long television special that documents the lifesaving work of St. Jude. Marlo and her brother and sister, Terre Thomas and Tony Thomas, all serve on the ALSAC/St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors. Marlo, Terre and Tony attend events around the country to promote St. Jude with corporations, individual donors, organizations and other celebrities. In 2004, Marlo, Terre and Tony created Thanks and Giving, a national campaign that encourages holiday shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”
Can you describe the Memphis campus to us?
St. Jude is a welcoming place, a place where children can be children even as they struggle to get well. That’s why you’ll find bright, colorful murals throughout the hospital. And our waiting rooms are stocked with toys and arts and crafts materials. St. Jude has one cafeteria, Kay Kafe, where doctors and researchers dine alongside patient families as a reminder of the reason for their work. At St. Jude, 2.5 million square feet of space is dedicated to finding cures and saving children.
Has St. Jude expanded beyond Memphis?
Through the St. Jude Domestic Affiliate Program, St. Jude is able to extend care and benefits to more children, increase the number of children on St. Jude protocols and provide clinical, academic and financial support to our affiliates. Affiliate clinics are located in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana; Hunstville, Alabama; Johnson City, Tennessee.; Peoria, Illinois.; and Springfield, Missouri. In addition, through our International Outreach Program, St. Jude is able to export our expertise in treating childhood cancer and other deadly diseases to our partner sites in 15 countries.
We understand that you have had some incredible breakthroughs and success stories. Can you share some of these with us?
St. Jude is one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers. St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to 80 percent overall. St. Jude has achieved a 94 percent survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, up from a 4 percent survival rate when the hospital opened in 1962. And, it was St. Jude’s groundbreaking development in the treatment of ALL that has revolutionized leukemia therapy worldwide.
You are known for maintaining a level of normalcy for the children and their families? How do you achieve that and why?
At St. Jude, know that we aren’t just treating a disease; we’re treating a child. Most of our patients are treated as outpatients so that they can leave the hospital every night to spend time with their families. The financial stress of having a sick child can be overwhelming, but families never receive a bill from St. Jude. We also cover the cost of food, lodging and transportation to St. Jude. We offer family resources ranging from parent support groups to planned activities for families to arts and crafts for patients.
Where does the funding for St. Jude come from?
The operating cost of St. Jude is nearly $1.5 million a day, which is primarily covered by public contributions.
For our customers buying Génifique on Lancôme Genes Day, how will their $7 benefit St. Jude?
Funds raised by this program will support the groundbreaking research and world-class care that takes place at St. Jude every day.
Our average individual donation in 2010 is $30. An average course of radiotherapy treatment for brain tumor patients can cost up to $90,000 or more. Every dollar donated to St. Jude helps make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer.
Is there anything else that you would like the Lancôme family to know about St. Jude?
St. Jude is a national resource with a global impact. Not only are all research findings freely shared, but St. Jude plays a critical leadership role in groundbreaking studies on childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and infectious diseases. These efforts are instrumental to improving care for children around the world. We’ve treated children from all 50 states, and our doctors provide formal consultations to treating physicians free of charge. In that way, a donation to St. Jude benefits children in communities everywhere.
