PURPOSE, VISION & GOALS
Purpose
The purpose of the Code 3 for a Cure Foundation is to:
- Provide financial assistance to active and retired firefighters diagnosed with cancer who are facing a financial hardship. * Firefighters who receive financial assistance will not be required or requested to repay it.
- Assist active and retired firefighters diagnosed with cancer by providing them with referrals to other nonprofit organizations, as well as providing them with support by giving encouragement and sharing our experiences. (The Foundation does not provide medical advice.)
- Provide financial support to other nonprofit organizations conducting cancer research and/or assisting firefighter cancer victims and their families.
* Our purpose, in particular the first and third components, understandably will require a substantial and well established fund, as well as reliable sources of income. Thus, while our Board of Directors has begun to discuss the criteria for providing financial relief, it is anticipated that income during at least the first year will be utilized solely for operating costs as the organization gets established. It is our goal to become fully operational in two years or less, with all components of our purpose being implemented. At that time, we anticipate that 80% of our funds will be allocated to providing financial assistance to firefighters who are battling cancer and facing a financial hardship, 10% to cancer research and nonprofit organizations who help firefighters, and 10% to administrative costs.
Vision
Our vision is to be a leading nonprofit organization that: (1) is a well-known and reliable source of help and support for firefighters and other first responders diagnosed with cancer and their families; and (2) plays a role in eliminating cancer, and assists members of the general public who are diagnosed with cancer, by providing support to the nonprofit organizations that conduct cancer research and/or help cancer patients.
Goals
- Receive sufficient donations from companies, organizations and individuals through fundraising campaigns.
- Establish criteria for financial assistance and develop application form based on same.
- Once a sufficient fund is established, begin accepting applications for financial assistance from firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer. (Target date for implementation is two years or less.) Evaluate each application against established eligibility criteria based on information received from applicant and distribute funds based on determinations made by the Foundation's Board of Directors.
- Provide a listening ear to those who ask for help and share with them our own personal experiences.
- Have information on hand to enable us to provide adequate referrals to competent organizations that offer educational, psychological, spiritual, and other help to cancer patients and their families.
- Include pertinent information and links to appropriate organizations on our website and in printed form where appropriate.
- Distribute a percentage of Foundation income to select nonprofit cancer research organizations (once a sufficient fund is established).