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Mission
The mission of Joanne Pang Foundation (JPF) is to sponsor the first nonprofit, public cord blood bank in Northern California (Northern California Umbilical Cord Blood Bank or NCUBB) at the UCSF Children’s Hospital to provide life-saving therapeutic treatment for the patients with various cancers, genetic diseases, immune system deficiencies, and blood disorders in San Francisco Bay Area and worldwide.
While the bone marrow and the umbilical cord blood both possess the life-saving stem cells, the advantages of the cord blood could be summarized as follows:
• A rich source of stem cells
• Less stringent matching criteria (For a bone marrow transplant, a minimum of 5/6 match is
a must. For a cord blood transplant, a low 3/6 match would work)
• Less risk of graft vs. host disease (GVHD)
• Less risk of viral infections (baby stem cells are less infected with various viruses)
• Easily available within 72 hours (if the cord blood unit is already stored in the cord blood bank)
• Collected non-invasively
In most births today, cord blood is disposed of after a baby is born. Once this cord blood bank is established, parents giving birth will have the option of donating this gift of life at no cost to them.
In addition to establishing the NCUBB, the JPF is dedicated to promoting education and awareness of these grave diseases, supporting the advancement of clinical research and providing patient assistance and family support.
Key Facts
Geographic areas served:
San Francisco Bay Area, California, the United States of America, Worldwide.
Target demographics:
The umbilical cord blood stem cells once collected and stored by NCUBB would be able to treat patients with various life-threatening diseases, including a wide range of cancers, genetic diseases, immune system deficiencies, and blood disorders in the San Francisco Bay Area and worldwide.
If established, the NCUBB would be the first nonprofit, public cord blood bank serving San Francisco Bay Area, especially the various ethnic communities where the number of bone marrow donors is statistically inadequate to warrant a chance of life-saving treatment for the patients with various terminal diseases.
Results to date:
The Joanne Pang Foundation has been working with the UCSF Children’s Hospital to develop a comprehensive business plan for the establishment of a nonprofit, public umbilical cord blood bank. The written plan is available upon request.
Since the launch at the footsteps of the San Francisco City Hall in November 2007, the JPF has spearheaded with various education and awareness campaign and presented the NCUBB project to many organizations within the San Francisco Bay Area. We have received staunch supports from the board of supervisors of the City of San Francisco, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, State Senator Carole Migden, State Assemblywowan Fiona Ma, San Francisco Health Department Director Dr. Mitch Katz, etc.
The JPF has developed a five minutes documentary “A New Kite in the Sky” on Joanne Pang Family’s journey of faith, hope and love and it is available on YouTube. Her brave story of battling leukemia is also available in a book titled “See Daddy! That’s the New Kite.”
Direct beneficiaries per year: In the preliminary business plan for the NCUBB project outlined by the UCSF Children’s Hospital, it projects that approximately 22,000 umbilical cord blood units could be captured after the program is initiated. This means that many more patients in need of critical transplant could potentially be saved with the cord blood units from NCUBB.
Indirect beneficiaries per year: The JPF is dedicated to promoting education and awareness of these grave diseases, supporting the advancement of clinical research and providing patient assistance and family support.
Obstacles:
With the limited number of the staffs and volunteers, we are struggling to communicate this NCUBB project to every corner of the San Francisco Bay Area communities. We need support from the media and various community leaders to help communicate this project and invest in the future health of our friends, neighbors, and the loved ones.
What your donation will allow us to do:
With your support, we will be able to make the NCUBB project a reality to ensure a chance of life-saving transplant for all needing patients in the San Francisco Bay Area and worldwide. We will also be able to promote education and awareness of these grave diseases, supporting the advancement of clinical research and providing patient assistance and family support. With its many advantages over the bone marrow, the cord blood stem cell transplant is increasingly becoming a primary tool to counter many grave diseases. The ethnic diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area region means that the cord blood stem cells collected by NCUBB will have a broad genetic mix which will benefit Asian, African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic patients of all ages.
Your donation of $50, $100, $200 or $500 or higher levels enables us to:
Individual donors are pivotal to this NCUBB project at the UCSF Children’s Hospital and will be wholeheartedly recognized on the JPF website. We need grass-root supports from various communities to make this project a reality.
Your donation of $10K, 50K, 100K, 250K, 500K or higher levels enables us to:
Institutional donors are the backbone of this NCUBB project at the UCSF Children’s Hospital. The JPF and the UCSF Children’s Hospital will proudly recognize your names but not limited to a custom-designed Donor Appreciation Plaque.
Board Members and Affiliation:
Joseph Pang, Founder
Scott Hildula, President
Gregory Porter, CFO and Treasurer
Vince McGovern, Vice President
Helen Vydra Roy, Vice President of Marketing
Sally Brien Holper, Vice President of Development
Lisa Napoli, Director of Community Relations
Marlies Bruning, non-executive board member
Past and Current Funders:
Representative funders are listed as follows:
Yeuliang Chen Foundation
Blue Shield of California
En-Yong Foundation
Key Staff
Helen Vydra Roy, Vice President of Marketing
(Helen@joannepang.org)
Helen Vydra Roy has an extensive track record of success in developing messaging and marketing campaigns for non-profit organizations. As a trade analyst for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), she provided marketing, management and regulatory guidance to US companies investing overseas. Helen authored comprehensive USAID guidebooks to help American businesses use emerging web technologies to market themselves. Recently, she has successfully led fundraising and marketing efforts for a number of San Francisco schools. Helen received an M.A. from Columbia University in international policy analysis and management and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Sally Brien Holper, Vice President of Development
(Sally@joannepang.org)
Sally Brien Holper has driven financial growth and success at a variety of non-profit organizations over the last twenty years. She is responsible for the Joanne Pang Foundation’s fundraising, grant writing, community outreach and constituent relationship management. Previously, Sally held senior management positions at a number of San Francisco Bay Area biotechnology companies including Corning, Costar and Flow Laboratories. Sally oversees a number of high impact fundraising and development activities at St. Cecilia School in San Francisco, including the Scrip program and grant writing. She holds a B.S. in biology from the College of William and Mary.
Lisa Napoli, Director of Community Relations
(Lisa@joannepang.org)
Lisa Napoli has the rare ability to convert individuals’ enthusiasm for a good cause into tangible benefits for everyone in the community. A few of her community development successes include fundraising and subsequent coordination of a food bank effort, complete renovation of a local playground and clubhouse, and renovation of a church. As a senior program officer at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, she awarded grants that launched a variety of programs. Lisa also has experience writing grants and raising funds for San Francisco non-profit organizations and schools. Lisa received a B.A. in international studies from the University of Washington and an M.B.A. from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.