Let’s Go Gold Together:
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Each September, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we are reminded that behind every diagnosis is a child whose world has changed, and a family navigating challenges they never expected.
At NC4K, we believe No Kid Fights Cancer Alone. Throughout September, there are many ways to stand alongside childhood cancer families: make a gift, wear gold, attend a community event, learn more, or simply help spread awareness.
However you choose to show your gold, you are reminding families that they have a community beside them.
552 Families. Every Year. Right Here in Ohio.
On average, 552 Ohio kids and teens are diagnosed with cancer each year. And a diagnosis doesn't impact just one child. It changes life for the entire family.
Treatment can mean long days and nights at the hospital, time away from home, missed work, and parents balancing being there for their child in treatment while still caring for siblings at home. All the while, the everyday responsibilities and expenses of family life continue.
That's where NC4K comes in.
Through Financial Support, Emotional Support, and Events for Play, NC4K helps ease some of those burdens while creating connection, comfort and moments of normalcy along the way.
Because no family should have to navigate childhood cancer alone.
Childhood cancer is a family diagnosis.
The impact extends beyond the child receiving treatment to parents, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers, affecting emotional well-being, finances, employment, routines, and family relationships.
The financial burden extends beyond medical bills.
For families facing childhood cancer, much of the financial strain comes from everyday living expenses like housing, groceries, transportation, and utilities—all while treatment can disrupt work and household income.
Peer connection improves emotional well-being.
Connecting families with others experiencing childhood cancer helps reduce isolation, normalize emotions, and increase resilience throughout treatment and survivorship.
Each year, NC4K walks alongside hundreds of Ohio families by providing financial assistance, emotional support, and opportunities for children and families to simply be together. Because of compassionate supporters like you, families experience hope during one of the most difficult seasons of their lives.
Together, we can ensure that No Kid Fights Cancer Alone. Let’s Go Gold Together!
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT
Your Gift Goes Twice as Far This September
Every gift made to NC4K this September will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $5,000, thanks to a generous gift made in memory of Maddox Locke.
Maddox passed away in 2021 at just two years old due to complications from neuroblastoma. His life and memory continue to inspire our community to stand beside children and families facing childhood cancer—not just during September, but throughout their entire journey.
Make your gift today and double your impact for NC4K families. Together, we can make sure No Kid Fights Cancer Alone.
Get Involved This September
September 5
September 9
NC4K is proud to be the featured Community Booth at the Gahanna Market! Stop by to say hello, all while enjoying local vendors, family-friendly activities, and the beauty of Creekside.
September 12
Get ready to tee off for a cause that truly matters! Join Kayla Hanley for a fun-filled morning of golf, community, and impact, helping support kids and families bravely fighting pediatric cancer.
September 18
Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Celebration & Benefit Concert
Hosted by the Central Ohio Thrivent Community, celebrate the halfway point to St. Patrick’s Day with an evening of live music featuring Fr. Ray Kelly. Enjoy Irish spirit, community, and a special benefit concert supporting great causes!
September 19
Ladies Night: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Grab your girlfriends and join us for a night of fun, laughter, music, shopping, and giving back as we raise funds to support families affected by pediatric cancer.
This year's theme is the 80s and 90s!
September 20
Join Cookies 4 A Cure and NC4K for a collaborative community gathering where compassion and connection come together to support children and families facing childhood cancer.
LEARN
What We Wish More People Knew
Childhood cancer changes more than a child's health. It reshapes everyday life for an entire family.
Here are a few things worth knowing.
Siblings Need Support Too
A childhood cancer diagnosis changes life for brothers and sisters.
Research cited by the National Cancer Institute shows siblings may experience anxiety, loneliness, family separation and disruption as attention understandably shifts toward the child in treatment. Connection, activities and opportunities to simply have fun remain important for siblings.
A Diagnosis Changes a Parent’s Ability to Work
Caring for a child with cancer can disrupt a family's income.
Studies have found parents may reduce their hours, change jobs or leave employment because of the demands of treatment. One study found one-third of caregivers quit or changed jobs as a direct result of their child's diagnosis.
There Isn’t One Ending to Childhood Cancer
Some children finish treatment and move into survivorship, often carrying lasting effects with them. Some children do not survive their diagnosis, leaving families to navigate profound loss and grief. Every family's journey is different—and every family deserves support along the way.
KEEP LEARNING → Find additional facts and statistics about childhood cancer on websites like Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the National Cancer Institute, or CAC2.
Beyond the Statistics
Every number represents a child. Every diagnosis impacts a family.
Meet one NC4K family and hear, in their own words, what a childhood cancer diagnosis changed, what helped along the way, and what they wish more people understood about the journey.
SHARE
Your Voice Can Help Childhood Cancer Families Feel Seen
Awareness grows when people are willing to talk about why childhood cancer matters. This September, wear gold, share something you've learned, tell your story, or simply start a conversation.
Every person who shares helps more families know they aren't alone.
Why Do You Go Gold?
Maybe you're honoring a Hero. Remembering a child. Supporting a family you love. Or simply standing with families facing childhood cancer.
Tell us why you Go Gold this September. Your story may be shared with the NC4K community to help others understand why childhood cancer awareness matters.
SHARE YOUR WHY → What motivates you to Go Gold this September?
Wear Your Gold!
When you wear gold, you help bring visibility to childhood cancer and the families it impacts. This simple act is a powerful way to share your support and start a conversation with others.
REQUEST A GOLD RIBBON → Wear a gold ribbon or display one at your business.
Spread The Word.
Help someone else learn what you've learned.
Share an NC4K family story, childhood cancer fact, or September campaign post with your friends and family.
FOLLOW + SHARE WITH NC4K → We’re on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
GIVE
Turn Awareness Into Impact
Your generosity helps NC4K provide financial support, emotional support, and opportunities for play to families facing childhood cancer.
However you choose to give, you help make sure No Kid Fights Cancer Alone.
Double Your Impact.
Every gift made to NC4K this September will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $5,000, thanks to a generous gift made in memory of Maddox Locke.
$50: Helps provide groceries for a family during treatment.
$100: Helps ease the burden of essential household expenses.
$250: Helps keep utilities on while a family focuses on treatment.
$500: Helps a family remain safely housed during treatment.
DOUBLE MY GIFT → So that No Kid Fights Cancer Alone
Make Your Impact Monthly.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month ends September 30. A family's need for support doesn't.
Join NC4K's Sunflower Club with a monthly gift and help ensure families have a community they can count on throughout the year.
BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR → Join the Sunflower Club
Give Your Way.
Bring your community together for NC4K. Turn a birthday into a fundraiser. Rally your coworkers. Host a neighborhood event. Start a social fundraiser. Invite your school, team, or organization to Go Gold Together.
Big or small, every effort brings more people into the NC4K community.
BE A CHAMPION→ Your involvement makes all the difference.
Our Gold Doesn’t Fade on October 1.
September gives us an important opportunity to raise awareness for childhood cancer. But for families facing a diagnosis, the journey continues long after Childhood Cancer Awareness Month ends.
So does NC4K's support. We show up all year long.
Financial Support
In 2026, NC4K will distribute over $160,000 to support 200 families with critical household expenses, allowing them to focus on their child’s treatment and their family’s overall well-being.
Emotional Support
In 2026, NC4K is introducing new programming to ensure that Heroes, siblings feel supported. From celebrating birthdays to providing warm-fuzzies on the toughest of days, NC4K is committed to creating moments of joy for families.
Events for Play
Through events like our Reindeer Games Holiday Party and our Virtual Vibes for teens, we know that our events for play provide a much needed reprieve from the stress cancer causes families. For a few hours, all that matters is being together and making memories.
Stay With Us
Going Gold can start in September, but it doesn't have to end there.
Stay connected. Keep learning. Share our families' stories. Volunteer. Attend an event. Give when you can. And continue showing children and families facing cancer that their community is here for them.
Because No Kid Fights Cancer Alone, in September or any other month.
You Won’t Want to Miss
October 11, 2026
The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center
December 12, 2026
Veterans Memorial & Museum
There Are Many Ways to Be Involved
No Kid Fights Cancer Alone!
Thank you for helping to ensure that
