State Secretary Christoph Degen Honors the Volunteers of the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming State Secretary Christoph Degen, along with Sonja Wirtz from the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art, and Culture, to the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer. The occasion was a special gesture of recognition during the Year of Volunteering—combined with a personal insight into childhood cancer research, to which we have been committed for over 30 years at our foundation’s own Dr. Petras Joh Research Center.

Recognition for Long-Standing Volunteer Commitment

In the Year of Volunteering, State Secretary Degen honored the long-standing commitment of our board members in attendance—Helga von Haselberg, Heike Dommsch, Uwe Menger, Winfried Blankenburg, and Fabian Rauch. These are people who have shouldered volunteer responsibilities for decades and, through their dedication, have laid the groundwork for turning research into cures. Without them, the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer would not exist.

“The Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer impressively demonstrates what civic engagement can achieve for science. Over the course of decades, an initiative launched by affected parents has grown into a foundation that enables important research and helps open up new avenues for more effective and gentler treatments. My special thanks go to all those who have shaped this journey through their tremendous volunteer efforts. What you have built extends far beyond your personal commitment and is a valuable contribution to childhood cancer research and Frankfurt as a center of science.”
— State Secretary Christoph Degen

Afterward, our endowed professor, Prof. Dr. Dirk Heckl, gave Mr. Degen and Ms. Wirtz a tour of our research laboratories, giving them a glimpse of what has been accomplished here day after day for over 30 years: cutting-edge basic research aimed at better understanding childhood cancer and developing treatment approaches that are both effective and gentle. The work ranges from the biological fundamentals of the disease to individualized therapies tailored to each child.

We would like to thank Mr. Degen for his interest and for his appreciation of our volunteer board, which supports our foundation.
The Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer funds its research exclusively through donations—and with every step forward, it brings us closer to the goal that one day every child will overcome cancer—healthy and with a carefree future.

Research helps cure.