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FeedThe Delaware Derby?
The First State has become a perennial player in the Run for the Roses.
(page 2 of 4)
A Solid Foundation
A Wilmington philanthropist is taking his successful brain tumor awareness movement national.
In 2005 Chris Grundner left his position as senior vice president at JP Morgan Chase to create the Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation—with amazing success.
KHG has raised nearly $800,000 through events such as tulip bulb sales and a brain tumor walk. Last year, during the inaugural walk, 2,000 participants helped raise more than $182,000. Grundner expects close to 3,000 walkers during this year’s event on May 2 at the Wilmington Riverfront.
Grundner’s wife, Kelly, died from a brain tumor at age 31 in 2004.
“Kelly went undiagnosed for six months because we and her primary care physician were not educated on the disease,” Grundner says. “The doctor thought she was too young to have a brain tumor. I realized the only thing that got me out of bed in the morning was telling her story.”
Now KHG is the only foundation in the country dedicated to raising brain tumor awareness and promoting early detection. Each day about 35 people—including three children—die in the U.S. from a brain tumor or spinal cord tumor.
Grundner was recognized by the Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising last year with its first New Face in Philanthropy award. Now he’s taking the awareness movement national with the Get Your Head in the Game campaign.
KHG launched a $100,000 awareness media campaign in New Castle County last year and is forming alliances with other brain tumor foundations.
“The analogy I use is that we’re where breast cancer was 25 years ago,” Grundner says. “Last year at the walk, people thanked me for giving them a chance to do something. It speaks to the fact that it’s an untapped area.”
For more information, visit www.khgfoundation.org, or www.getyourheadinthegame.org. —Drew Ostroski
Page 3: Safety is the Key | SmartDrive steers teens toward more responsible driving. Next stop: Wilmington University
