American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities

Last updated
American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities
AbbreviationALSAC
Founder Danny Thomas
Founded at Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Type Nonprofit
35-1044585
PurposeFundraising for and awareness of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Location
Coordinates 35°09′18″N90°02′31″W / 35.154963°N 90.041829°W / 35.154963; -90.041829
President and CEO
Richard C. Shadyac Jr.
Revenue$2.69 billion (2023)
Expenses$2.20 billion (2023)
Staff2,109 (2023)
Website stjude.org

The American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) is an American nonprofit organization. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1957, its purpose is exclusively to raise funds for and awareness of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. [1] ALSAC is the largest healthcare-related charity in the United States and raises 87% of St. Jude's annual operating budget from private donors. [2] [3]

Contents

The ALSAC headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee. ALSAC also has over 30 local fundraising offices located in cities throughout the United States that hold over 30,000 fundraising events annually. [4] [5]

Purpose and activities

As of 2021, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital costs nearly $1.7 billion per year to run, and donations provide an estimated 87% of those funds. Only 6% of the money to operate the hospital comes from insurance recoveries and 5% comes from grants. [6] [7]

To cover these costs, ALSAC has been raising more than $1 billion annually for the hospital through its more than 30,000 fund-raising activities. [8] Notable fund-raising programs for the hospital include the FedEx St. Jude Classic, which is a PGA Tour event, Up 'til Dawn, and the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. Other fund-raising programs include direct mailings, radiothons, and television marketing. [9] [10] [11]

One of the hospital’s most successful fund-raising efforts has been the Dream Home Giveaway. The giveaway allows contest entrants to reserve tickets for $100 each to qualify to win homes valued up to $775,000. The Dream Home Giveaway is conducted in cities within the United States. [12]

In November 2004, St. Jude launched its inaugural Thanks and Giving campaign which encourages consumers to help raise funds at participating retailers by adding a donation at checkout or by purchasing specialty items to benefit St. Jude. The campaign has been is supported by network television spots, advertisements in major publications, featured content on The Today Show, and movie trailers. [13]

St. Jude has been named one of two International Philanthropic Projects of Epsilon Sigma Alpha International, a women's service sorority. Since 1972, ESA has raised more than $200 million for St. Jude. [14] [15]

In September 2021, Inspiration4 became the first crewed orbital mission with no professional astronauts on board. The mission raised more than $240 million for St. Jude, which was its sole charitable beneficiary, and the crew included a stuffed puppy toy modeled after two service dogs at St. Jude. [16] [17]

From 2021 to 2022, a large plush duck toy, nicknamed "Mr. Vanderquack", was used to fundraise for St. Jude. Groups of volunteers carried the duck through all fifty of the United States. In 2022, the convoy raised over $130,000 for St. Jude. [18] [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

A telethon is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Thomas</span> American actor and comedian (1912–1991)

Danny Thomas was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in The Danny Thomas Show. In addition to guest roles on many of the comedy, talk, and musical variety programs of his time, his legacy includes a lifelong dedication to fundraising for charity. Most notably, he was the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, a leading center in pediatrics with a focus on pediatric cancer. St. Jude now has affiliate hospitals in eight other American cities as of early 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Jude Children's Research Hospital</span> Hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, United States

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, particularly leukemia and other cancers. In the 2021 fiscal year, St. Jude received $2 billion in donations. Daily operating costs average $1.7 million, but patients are not charged for care. St. Jude’s covers some, but not all cancer-related costs. St. Jude treats patients up to age 21, and for some conditions, up to age 25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Delta Delta</span> North American collegiate womens fraternity

Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ), also known as Tri Delta, is a women's fraternity and Greek life organization founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epsilon Sigma Alpha</span> Collegiate and service organization

Epsilon Sigma Alpha International (ΕΣΑ) is an International community and collegiate coeducational service organization. Established in 1929, Epsilon Sigma Alpha is a network of an estimated 10,000 members in over 1,000 community-based chapters, with coordinating organizations at state and international levels. ΕΣΑ also includes United States collegiate chapters that provide charitable service to their campuses and communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Miracle Network Hospitals</span> Nonprofit organization based in Salt Lake City

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of more than 10 million children each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Trump</span> American businessman (born 1984)

Eric Frederick Trump is an American businessman, activist, and former reality television presenter. He is the third child and second son of the president of the United States Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Bowen</span> American boy diagnosed with cancer (2002–2005)

Benjamin David "Ben" Bowen, commonly called Big Ben Bowen, was a boy from Huntington, West Virginia, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in 2004. His family has used his story to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to raise almost $4 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Aboussie</span> CEO, Aboussie & Associates

Joyce Aboussie is the founder and CEO of Aboussie & Associates, a consulting firm in St. Louis, Missouri. She is also the founder and CEO of Telephone Contact Inc., a consulting, research and data management firm.

The Channel Seven Perth Telethon, regionally known simply as Telethon, is an annual telethon established in 1968 by philanthropist Sir James Cruthers and Brian Treasure, and produced by TVW, a Seven Network-owned television station in Perth, Western Australia. It raises money for over 100 beneficiaries each year including the Perth Children's Hospital, the Telethon Clinical Research Centre and the Telethon Kids Institute. Channel Seven's Perth Telethon is the highest donating telethon per capita in the world, and since the first Telethon in 1968 has raised over A$650 million in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Isaacman</span> American entrepreneur, pilot, and commercial astronaut (born 1983)

Jared Taylor Isaacman is an American entrepreneur, pilot, philanthropist, and commercial astronaut. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in January 2025 to serve as the next administrator of NASA. He is the founder of Draken International, which provides adversary training to the US, British, and other NATO air forces, and the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a payment processor. Through his leadership in private space exploration, Isaacman has been credited with advancing competition in the space industry and reducing reliance on government programs. As of September 2024, his estimated net worth is US$1.9 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Pinkel</span> American physician (1926–2022)

Donald Paul Pinkel was an American physician who specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology. Pinkel made contributions to cures for several forms of childhood cancer, including leukemia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Jude Classic</span> Golf tournament held in Memphis, U.S.

The FedEx St. Jude Classic was a professional golf tournament held in Memphis, Tennessee, as a regular event on the PGA Tour. The tournament was held annually from 1958 through 2018, and was played in June at TPC Southwind.

Candis is the magazine of Candis Club, published monthly by Newhall Publishing. It is a membership magazine focusing on health and family living. Regular features include food, gardening, travel and health together with competitions, puzzles, offers and giveaways.

Terri H. Finkel is an American pediatric rheumatologist and immunologist who is the Children's Foundation of Memphis Endowed Chair and tenured professor of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Previously, she was the pediatrician-in-chief, chair of pediatrics and chief scientific officer at Nemours Children's Hospital. She is known for her research into autoimmunity, AIDS, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and cancer. Her work has been recognized in more than 200 publications, 10 U.S. patents, and 4 licensed technologies. Finkel has been placed in the top one percent of American pediatric rheumatologists by U.S. News & World Report. Her numerous honors include being named among America's Top Doctors by Castle Connolly every year since 2011 and induction into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DrLupo</span> American streamer and YouTuber (born 1987)

Benjamin Lupo, better known as DrLupo, is an American streamer and YouTuber particularly known for his charity streams in association with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

James R. Downing is an American clinical executive. He is the president and chief executive officer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inspiration4</span> 2021 private crewed spaceflight

Inspiration4 was a 2021 human spaceflight operated by SpaceX on behalf of Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman. The mission launched the Crew Dragon Resilience on 16 September 2021 at 00:02:56 UTC from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A atop a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. It placed the Dragon capsule into a low Earth orbit. The mission ended on 18 September 2021 at 23:06:49 UTC, when Resilience splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Arceneaux</span> American physician assistant

Hayley Arceneaux is an American physician assistant and commercial astronaut. She joined billionaire Jared Isaacman on SpaceX's first private spaceflight Inspiration4, which launched on September 16, 2021, 00:02:56 UTC, and successfully water-landed local-time on Saturday, September 18. Arceneaux became the first human in space with a prosthetic leg bone after surviving bone cancer. At age 29, Arceneaux was the youngest American to travel to space, surpassed a few months later by 23-year-old Cameron Bess aboard Blue Origin NS-19. As Bess' flight was suborbital, Arceneaux is still the youngest American to have orbited the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Gillis</span> American engineer and commercial astronaut (born 1994)

Sarah Levine "Cooper" Gillis is an American engineer employed by SpaceX as the senior space operations engineer. She flew to space in September 2024 on Polaris Dawn, a private human spaceflight mission, operated by SpaceX on behalf of Jared Isaacman. During the mission, she completed the first commercial spacewalk with Isaacman, becoming the youngest person to date to participate in a spacewalk, and, along with Anna Menon, set a new record for women traveling farthest from Earth.

References

  1. ↑ "Careers at ALSAC/St. Jude". www.stjude.org. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  2. ↑ "How Much America's Biggest Charities Raise: 26 Years of Data - the Chronicle of Philanthropy". Archived from the original on 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  3. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (July 22, 2021). "St. Jude hits donation milestone to fight childhood cancer". Associated Press. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Glenn Gamboa (July 22, 2021). "St. Jude hits donation milestone to fight childhood cancer". Associated Press .
  5. ↑ Greg Akers (December 6, 2018). "ALSAC, USA: Meet the nationwide network that supports St. Jude". Memphis Business Journal.
  6. ↑ "Millions from Millions". Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  7. ↑ "2020 Annual Report" (PDF). St Jude.
  8. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (2021-07-22). "St. Jude hits donation milestone to fight childhood cancer". WRIC ABC 8News. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  9. ↑ Brandon, Richard (2022-11-24). "St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend raises over $12 million to help children battling diseases". ActionNews5. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  10. ↑ Swetlitz, Ike (2017-05-25). "The 6 nonprofit hospitals with the most valuable TV ads of 2016". STAT. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  11. ↑ Farthing, Lydia (2021-12-01). "Carrie Underwood, Lady A, More Partner With St. Jude For 'Love Music. Stop Cancer.' Campaign". MusicRow.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  12. ↑ Unger, Jordan (2022-02-02). "Chance to win $10k shopping spree in FOX 8 St. Jude Dream Home giveaway". Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  13. ↑ "Thanks and Giving: St Jude's Brands A Holiday". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  14. ↑ "St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – ESA service project - Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA) - An International Service Organization". www.epsilonsigmaalpha.org.
  15. ↑ "Bags for Bucks raises nearly $6,000 for St. Jude". Akron News Reporter. May 7, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  16. ↑ Browne, Ed (2022-03-28). "SpaceX to Stop Making Its Crew Dragon Capsule—Here Are the Records It Broke". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  17. ↑ Boris, Teejay (2022-09-18). "SpaceX Inspiration4 Crew's Puppy Stuffed Toy Based on Real-Life Hospital Dogs Flies to Orbit". TechTimes. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  18. ↑ Gregor, Tamara (2022-09-04). "One Jeep at a time: Duck set to travel across all 50 states". Duncan Banner. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  19. ↑ Marion, Scott (2022-03-18). "'Mr. Vanderquack' raises money for kids at St. Jude". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  20. ↑ Tudor, Jerry (2022-03-07). "Jeep convoy raising money for St. Jude crosses U.P." TV6 & Fox UP. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.