Student turns Quicke Job into fundraiser for cancer research
Eugene Mann (SMG’09) turned a Quickie Job into a charity to fund cancer research.
Eugene Mann (SMG’09) responded to a grandmother’s Quickie Job Board request for help with basic research on a type of brain tumor in children, Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (JPA), but quickly discovered that little research exists on the disease or its treatment options, and not much information is available to the general public. In response, Mann founded FightJPA, an organization dedicated to raising money for research through the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation that could ultimately lead to better treatments of this cancer.
Mann also created FightJPA’s Web site, to collect online contributions and house facts, personal stories, and quotes from doctors about the cancer. “Eugene has done a phenomenal job creating the Web site,” says Jeanne Young, president of the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation. The foundation’s senior medical/scientific advisor, Dr. Roger Packer, has provided information for the site.
Mann also holds monthly events at the University to support the organization. On March 25, FightJPA held a fundraising soccer tournament. Mann is also planning a 5K run September 30 for the same purpose. Registration for the event will soon be available on the Web site.
Mann says he receives many emails from parents across the country and around the world thanking the organization for information and requesting help for their children. “The contact between the people who are trying to help and the people who are helping is much closer than in other organizations,” he says. He is also sending out information to other colleges across the nation, hoping that some will start new chapters.