01-06-2025
BAPS Charities raises thousands for Children's Cancer Center Tampa
The Brief
BAPS Charities presented a check for $10,000 to the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa.
Center leaders say this money helps provide comfort to more children and their caregivers.
BAPS is a global organization with chapters in 5 continents and 9 countries.
TAMPA - Some of the greatest joys and memories in life can come from our childhoods.
But kids battling pediatric cancer and chronic blood disorders are often robbed of those experiences.
That's where the Children's Cancer Center steps in.
The backstory
"It really is such a special place," explained Brittany Rudolph, COO of the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa.
"We've been around for 50 years. The kids consider it their clubhouse. It's not a place where they get pricked and prodded, but a place they can be with kids that are just like them. They can pull their wigs off and feel comfortable being around children that are going through their similar battle. They call it the cancer party, and if that's what they're calling it, we're doing something right."
Rudolph joined BAPS Charities on Sunday at Al Lopez Park as they presented her non-profit a check for $10,000.
She says this will allow them to provide comfort to even more children and their caregivers.
Dig deeper
"We have 30 programs that it will funnel into; emotional, financial ,and educational support for every member of the family. We say when a child is diagnosed, the whole family is diagnosed, so we're there for them every step of this difficult journey."
BAPS is a global organization with chapters in five continents and nine countries which raises money for different charities within their communities.
The Children's Cancer Center was just one of several selected in the Bay Area to receive a generous donation at their annual walkathon, after the BAPS Tampa Chapter raised a total of $60,000 within this last year.
"I think the real beauty of this organization lies in the people," said longtime BAPS volunteer, Hari Patel. "I mean, if you look around, you'll see kids, students, working professionals from all around the Tampa Bay community coming here, not just on their Sunday but helping around the entire month for this event and I think that speaks to the service and the mission of this organization."
The Source
FOX 13's Regina Gonzalez gathered the information for this story.
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