RAISING FUNDS & AWARENESS IN THE GULF COAST

Rally Gulf Coast was established very organically, beginning with Rally’s signature question: “what can I do to help?” Director, Cindi Bonner, started her Rally journey when her 4-year-old neighbor was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. Cindi knew she needed to help.

Her first step was to jump in and support the family as they were bombarded with questions, texts and phone calls. Cindi’s neighbors needed a way to answer everyone’s kind concerns while at the same time focusing on their daughter. Cindi built a website and Facebook page to keep their family and friends informed.

During this process, she educated herself on the terrifying world of childhood cancer. From learning about the severe funding gap to making connections with childhood cancer families, Cindi knew that more had to be done in the Gulf Coast community.

After meeting Rally’s leadership team, Cindi knew she wanted to raise funds and awareness to support Rally’s mission in her hometown. In 2015, Rally Gulf Coast was born and since then, has raised over $3.2 million, created strong community partnerships, and provided resources for pediatric oncology families in the Florida panhandle. 

Today, Rally Gulf coast is located in the Bear Family Foundation Pediatric Oncology Center for Hope inside Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart to serve families all across the Florida panhandle, southern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Through donors, community partners, special events and schools, Rally Gulf Coast works to raise awareness, support families with kids fighting cancer and raise funds for childhood cancer research. Collectively, this allows for additional resources to stay local, providing families in the Gulf Coast community the ability to receive assisted funding through the Rally Gulf Coast Family Emergency Fund.

 

Rally’s Impact