PGA TOUR Pro Jordan Spieth and Family Visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Present $500,000 Jordan Spieth Family Foundation Grant
August 14 2024 - 6:13PM
Business Wire
PGA TOUR star Jordan Spieth and his wife, Annie, kicked off
FedEx St. Jude Championship week with a special visit: a personal
tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® where they presented
a check for $500,000 on behalf of the Jordan Spieth Family
Foundation.
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PGA TOUR star Jordan Spieth and his wife,
Annie, kicked off FedEx St. Jude Championship week, Monday, Aug.
12, with a personal tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
where they presented a check for $500,000 on behalf of the Jordan
Spieth Family Foundation. From left: Jordan Spieth, Annie Spieth,
Laura Moses of WME; Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of
ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital. (Photo: ALSAC / St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital)
The foundation named St. Jude a 2024 Community Partner and
awarded the grant to support research and treatment for acute
myeloid leukemia (AML), the second most common form of childhood
leukemia after acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This is the
first grant received by St. Jude from the foundation, which
includes pediatric cancer as one of four funding pillars in tribute
to friends and family affected by childhood cancer.
“When we had the opportunity to start the Jordan Spieth Family
Foundation, we just wanted to find a way to help as many families
as possible,” said Jordan. Annie added, “Our family has seen the
insufferable impacts of Pediatric Cancer, and this investment into
AML is personal for us. After years of visiting with St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital, we have come to trust not only their
breadth of knowledge and best in class research and treatments, but
we see and feel their mission for worldwide progress.”
Following the check presentation, the Spieths learned more about
the lifesaving work happening at St. Jude with a personal tour that
included stops at a research lab focusing on AML and The Domino’s
Village, the newest patient family facility which offers short- and
long-term housing. They also heard from two St. Jude cancer
survivors, one of whom was treated at St. Jude for AML.
“Jordan is an incredible competitor on the golf course — and he
and Annie have hearts of gold when it comes to using their
platforms to give back to the community. We've seen it up close
here at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," said Richard C.
Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and
awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
"We are honored to be selected as a 2024 Jordan Spieth Family
Foundation Community Partner. This generous commitment will fuel
research to accelerate progress toward cures for acute myeloid
leukemia and other childhood cancers while helping ensure that
families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel,
housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child
live.”
Since opening its doors in 1962, St. Jude has helped bring the
survival rate for children in the United States with ALL from 4% to
94%. However, progress with AML has been slower. The five-year
United States survival rate for childhood AML is about 70%, and
current therapeutic approaches continue to cause short- and
long-term toxicities in a significant portion of childhood cancer
survivors.
With the grant from the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation, as well
as support from fellow generous donors, St. Jude researchers can
gain a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms that
underlie AML’s formation and why AML resists current therapies. New
knowledge will help St. Jude researchers develop more precise
therapies that target cancer cells while limiting short- and
long-term toxicities to normal cells.
The Spieths are no stranger to supporting St. Jude patients,
having spent time during previous FedEx St. Jude Championship weeks
engaging with St. Jude families. His second-ever PGA TOUR
appearance, in 2010 at age 16, was at the Memphis event which has
helped generate more than $72 million for St. Jude since 1970.
After Jordan won the 2015 FedExCup Playoffs, Memphis-based FedEx
made a $1 million donation to St. Jude in Jordan’s name.
Spieth is among the 70 players qualifying for this year’s FedEx
St. Jude Championship, which opens the 2024 FedExCup Playoffs when
play begins on Thursday, August 15.
Donate to help St. Jude families or bid on exclusive items at
StJude.org/BirdiesAuction.
About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the
world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other
life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures.
Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer
Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to
children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was
considered largely incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push
the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't
stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the
breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local
hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality
of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous
donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment,
travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child
live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude
stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude
mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on
Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter,
Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and
subscribing to its YouTube channel.
About the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation
The Jordan Spieth Family Foundation is committed to our mission
of using our platform to lend time, help grow awareness and grant
financial support for four philanthropic pillars that mean a great
deal to the Spieth family: individuals with specials needs, junior
golf, military families and veterans and pediatric cancer. Through
annual community partnerships, we look for opportunities that are
directly impacting our mission families by removing barriers and
making strides toward sustainable change.
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Kurt Rossler kurt.rossler@alsac.stjude.org 901.297.3512