Christian Vinci’s leukemia journey highlights the importance of pediatric cancer research and how clinical trials can improve treatment for children today and in the future.
Five years after beating Burkitt lymphoma, Riley Greene celebrates survivorship, sharing his journey through cancer, COVID-era treatment, and resilience.
Students across Western New York are turning compassion into action by choosing to support kids facing cancer through Courage of Carly.
Meet the mom’s behind Courage of Carly’s first IceCycle team, with funds designated specifically for childhood cancer research and patient programming.
Supporting the Courage of Carly Fund means you are helping to establish more effective and less invasive treatments for childhood cancer.
When little Carly Collard Cottone founded the Courage of Carly Fund (called Carly’s Club then), she knew she was going to help kids just like her.
Get to know Courage of Carly member Edison “Eddie” Golden, Roswell Park’s 2025 Tree of Hope lighter.
Get to know Courage of Carly member Edison “Eddie” Golden, Roswell Park’s 2025 Tree of Hope lighter.
Brice Dieter rode 500+ miles in Empire State Ride raising funds for Courage of Carly in honor of his son James.
Meet the women behind the Courage of Carly Fund at Roswell Park, whose passion and purpose bring comfort, community and hope.
Sophia Baudo’s energy is magnetic. At just 17 years old, her positive attitude and engaging smile take center stage in even the hardest of times. Her ability to focus on the good and dance through life’s challenges played a pivotal role in January of 2024 and the months that followed. That’s when Sophia learned she had cancer.
Hyundai Hope On Wheels funds pediatric palliative care at Roswell Park. For the eighth time, our friends at Hyundai Hope On Wheels (HHOW) have shown just how much they care about the kids battling cancer and blood disorders at Roswell Park. This summer, HHOW awarded a $100,000 Hyundai Impact Award Grant to Kanwal Mallhi, MD, so she can start a program dedicated to palliative care specifically for pediatric patients and families. Dr. Mallhi joined Roswell Park in 2023 as the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program. “This grant is particularly important and dear to me as
26 Shirts holds Courage of Carly in Bills Mafia. It’s playoff season in the football world and Buffalo is showing its trademarked grit. For well over a decade, Buffalo fans have been sporting the designs of 26 Shirts, a Buffalo-based business with a proven mission to care directly for families in need in WNY. Since he started the Bills Mafia movement with a couple friends in 2011, 26 Shirts Founder Del Reid has made it known that the Mafia gear has deep ties to Courage of Carly. Today, 8% of Mafia sales are donated to the Courage of Carly Fund to
Meet the 2023 Tree of Hope lighter. On Wednesday, December 6, 12-year-old Tyler Kruse will light the Roswell Park Tree of Hope as this year’s guest of honor! Tyler was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in December 2022 during a particularly snowy week. Since then, he has faced challenges with courage and hope, more than earning his reputation for being “Tyler Tough.” The team at Roswell Park was delighted to surprise Tyler with the opportunity to light the Tree of Hope with the help of some of our friends and partners on the Buffalo Sabres. “There was a photoshoot with some
100 Holes of Golf founder Simon Bennett reflects on his years of leaning in to his passion and fundraising for pediatric cancer research.
100 Holes of Golf founder Simon Bennett reflects on his years of leaning in to his passion and fundraising for pediatric cancer research.
Hosting an event for a thousand people takes time, resources and dedication. Hosting that same event every year for more than a decade takes consistency and an unwavering commitment to making a difference. Nobody better exemplifies that than Bonnie McIver-Mariani and Frank Mariani.
Spreading Childhood Cancer Awareness with Ted’s and Sahlen’s. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and YOU can be part of spreading the news alongside Ted’s and Sahlen’s. Throughout September, 20% of all Ted’s kids meal sales will be donated to the Courage of Carly Fund at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Your kids meal will be fueling not just you, but amazing programs and services for kids and families facing cancer and blood disorders. Every kid who joins in will receive a raffle ticket with their kids meal for a chance to win four free tickets to Hockey Fights Cancer
Roswell Park and Courage of Carly proudly join the Buffalo Sabres in celebrating Ryan Miller’s legendary career while honoring him with a tribute wall and the Ryan Miller Legacy Fund.
Celebrating 12 Days of Holiday Magic. This year, Courage of Carly is ready to celebrate 12 Days of Holiday Magic together! To make sure our members can be safe and feel comfortable with this year’s festivities, we have all kinds of activities to participate in at home or in person. The fun will start on Dec. 2 and go through Dec. 13. None of these celebrations of holiday magic would be possible without the generosity of our sponsor, The Wanakah Country Club 100 Holes of Golf Challenge. Thanks to our friends, we can fulfill our work of bringing a little
10 ways to help during Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorder Awareness Month. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Blood Disorders Awareness Month, a very special time of year when we honor children affected by pediatric cancers and blood disorders. The goal is to raise awareness of these diseases and the need for safer and more effective treatments. This month and every month, you can make a difference in the lives of children and families who turn to Roswell Park for hope. When you support the Courage of Carly Fund, you’re supporting important family and patient care programs and
Buffalo game supports pediatric patients. In 2021, Roswell Park and Oishei Children’s Hospital teamed up to create a Buffalo game that supports pediatric patients. With over 50 community partners, they worked with Hasbro and the Cooley Group. The result: the First Edition City of Buffalo MONOPOLY game. In just over a month, 7,500 limited-edition games were sold at Western New York Tops Friendly Markets locations. The effort raised $405,000 for the Roswell Park Oishei Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program. People across the country bought the game to enjoy the first-of-its-kind game celebrating all things Buffalo. Better still, they were
Colt finds his strength. Colt Matz has been a competitive swimmer in Portville, New York, near the Pennsylvania border since he was 5 years old. It’s his all-time favorite sport. But in early May 2021, Colt found out he had leukemia. That put swimming on hold. It all started when he felt unwell during swim practice. “I felt like I was going to pass out during warm ups, and I had to tell my coach,” the now 11-year-old said. A visit to the hospital in nearby Olean, New York, that same weekend revealed a terrifying truth. “That afternoon, I heard
Support cancer patients like Jack with Walgreens. This summer, Western New Yorkers can support cancer patients with Walgreens. When you donate to the Courage of Carly Fund at checkout June 12-25, you’re helping to change the lives of kids with cancer. Jack Kaplewicz is happy 1-year-old boy from Eden, New York. He loves a couple things most of all: football and food. Play the “Shout” song and this little guy will dance to it on repeat. He’s a Buffalo-area kiddo, after all. Jack has a big sister and a little brother on the way. Jack’s diagnosis. But Jack was a
Deep South Taco: More than a Partnership. For Deep South Taco owner Chef Richard Hamilton, supporting Roswell Park was more than a business decision, it was personal. Richard’s son, Christian, started his battle with cancer in 2019 when he was 19 years old. A college athlete at the time, Christian took excellent care of his health. “To get sick when you’re just the epitome of health… it just came out of nowhere,” Richard said. They don’t have a strong family history of cancer, so the news was beyond unexpected. Christian battled, testicular cancer, lymphedema and further cancer in his kidneys,
It’s early morning in the Katherine, Anne and Donna Gioia Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center. Brandee Aquilino, PsyD, MA, is in her office looking at her schedule and preparing for her day. In her role as the Medical Psychologist with the Department of Pediatrics, Brandee helps children and families deal with their medical struggles and with the thoughts and feelings that come both with treatment and after.
Cancer and blood disorder treatments can be very scary for kids — full of loud, unfamiliar noises, bright lights, strange people, discomfort and pain. For children with high anxiety, special needs or ongoing pain, doctor visits and treatment sessions can be nearly unbearable. That’s why Roswell Park Child Life Specialist Jessica Krahmer wanted to create a special environment that would ease the experience for them. She was able to develop it and put it into action thanks to generous donations made through Roswell Park’s Quality-of-Life Program.
The Courage of Carly Fund gives children with cancer and blood disorders at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center the fighting chance they all deserve. Providing everything from unforgettable memories and family events to financial support, we offer hope and a little bit of extra happiness to children, teens and their families. This work would not be possible without the tireless support of our generous partners, donors and friends. Offering Support to the Whole Family When a child is diagnosed with something as serious as cancer or a blood disorder, the entire family is affected. At Roswell Park, our pediatric psychosocial
At the end of August, a little bit of football magic circled back to Roswell Park in the form of a generous gift from the Andy and JJ Dalton Foundation. JJ Dalton visited the Katherine, Anne and Donna Gioia Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center on August 26 to announce their donation of an electronics Hub to Roswell Park’s pediatric department.
On Saturday, November 18, the Buffalo Sabres partnered with the Courage of Carly Fund for their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night.
Childhood cancer treatments and survival rates have improved significantly in recent years. Clinical trials are a key reason why we can say that we now cure more than 75 percent of children with cancer.
New Era Cap Co. has been generously supporting Roswell Park since their first donation in 1996. Since that time they have donated more than $2.4 million to help fuel research and patient-care programs.
Recently, over 40 Courage of Carly members and their guests enjoyed a night of dancing and fun at the fourth annual Teen Prom. This year, the event was celebrated with a New York City theme, which transported the teens to the Big Apple at Hotel @ The Lafayette.
Hockey Fights Cancer Night Each year, the hockey community comes together in support of cancer patients and their families through Hockey Fights Cancer. This Saturday, November 18 our friends at the Buffalo Sabres are partnering with the Courage of Carly Fund for their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Every research breakthrough begins with a scientist’s idea. But without funding and support, those ideas would never get off the ground, and new discoveries would never be made. Thankfully, because of community support of the Courage of Carly Fund, innovative research ideas at Roswell Park have the chance to flourish. Each year, donations fund the most promising research initiatives, chosen by the Scientific Advisory Committee, giving scientists the fuel they need to jump-start their projects and take the first steps toward the next big breakthrough. Below, the pediatric award recipients explain what they hope to achieve with donor dollars. “We