Dean’s Letter – December 2025

by Rally Foundation | Dec 22, 2025

Twenty years ago, Rally was birthed from a prayer circle in a driveway. William Olson, a junior in high school, was battling brain cancer for the second time. A group of women gathered in the driveway three days a week for over a year to pray him through treatment.

That is where I started learning about childhood cancer.

It was awful.

One day William had a horrific reaction to a transfusion and almost died. I looked at William’s mom and asked a simple question that changed everything: “What can I do to help? And I will not make you dinner. We are way past dinner.”

In just 20 years, because of your support, Rally has:

Provided seed-funding for $40.5 million in pediatric cancer research, unlocking $1 billion in additional funding.
Helped pioneer four of the seven FDA-approved pediatric cancer drugs developed in the past 10 years.
Secured $317. 5 million in new federal research funding through the Department of Defense Medical Research Program.

And earlier this year, Rally was invited to the Oval Office. Three Rally Kids stood beside President Trump, elevating childhood cancer to the highest level of national attention as he signed an Executive Order doubling funding for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, a national effort to collect, analyze and share data from children, adolescents and young adults with cancer to improve treatments and outcomes.

Rally Kids are our heartbeat and your generosity truly saves lives.

Because of you, kids who once faced unthinkable diagnoses are growing up, chasing dreams and building beautiful lives all because they received treatments from Rally-funded research made possible by your generosity.

Nora was diagnosed with blood cancer at age 4 and relapsed soon after. Today she is healthy, strong and thriving in the first grade.
Kylie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just 17 months. Today, she’s graduating from college and already thriving in her first full-time job in business.
Drew was given only a 5% chance of survival at age 2. Now he’s a senior in college and marched proudly for three years in his university’s award-winning marching band.
Audrey was diagnosed with germ cell ovarian cancer at age 8. She is now stepping into her calling having recently been accepted into nursing school.
Clark was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 15. He earned his MBA from a top-tier university, is thriving in his career and just got married.

Thank you for giving For Their Future and for the future of every child fighting the childhood cancer beast. Unfortunately, our work is not done. Every day kids are dying from cancer. Today in America, 47 families heard the devastating words, “Your child has cancer.”

Your generous gift allows Rally to:

Advance Research: Give a bold idea the chance to become a breakthrough.

Drive Discoveries: Half of Rally-funded research advances to federal funding. Honor a Rally Kid: Support families walking the hardest road imaginable.

Give Hope: Options matter, especially when they are running out.

As we close the year, please help ensure no family ever hears what William’s family ultimately heard: “There are no more options.”

Your gift today is a chance at tomorrow. A gift For Their Future.

Today, I am asking you to help me continue to answer William’s mom’s request to fund the best pediatric cancer research no matter where it is.

Please make a generous gift today. Your support fuels the research and hope they so urgently need. Thank you for standing with us for the past 20 years, for believing in this mission, and for helping Rally grow from a driveway prayer circle into a national force for children with cancer.

Together, there is so much more we will accomplish. #GOLDSTRONG and Rally On!