Our Impact
Our commitment to making a meaningful difference is at the core of the Summer's Way Foundation.
Here, you will find the tangible outcomes of our dedication to advancing research, supporting families, and inspiring hope in the face of childhood cancer and Rhabdomyosarcoma. Explore the powerful ways in which we are impacting lives: from providing college scholarships to students who have faced adversity, to funding cutting-edge research aimed at finding a cure, and developing community support initiatives that provide comfort and strength to families in their cancer journey.
Together, we're not only shaping a brighter future but also honoring the enduring legacy of Summer Hammond, whose spirit continues to guide our efforts to make a profound and lasting difference in the lives of others.
Community Support Initiatives
To support families and children going through their journey with cancer, we have developed programs to help ease the emotional burden.
"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead." - Nelson Mandela
Healing Through the Arts
Summer’s Way Foundation established an innovative program at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in 2022. Led by a Registered Art Therapist, it provides personalized art therapy to pediatric cancer patients, promoting emotional resilience.
Learn more about healing through the arts
Wigs for Teens and Kids
Beyond altering a child's appearance, hair loss can profoundly affect their self-esteem and social interactions during a challenging period. Summer’s Way collaborates with Hana Designs Wig Studio & Aveda Hair Design to offer Colorado patients free wigs and care essentials.
Learn more about wigs for teens & kids
Funding college students
Providing college scholarships for students who have been afflicted with cancer or other adversities.
Each year the Summer’s Way Adversity Scholarship is awarded to an individual who in the face of personal adversity has lived and demonstrated Summer’s Way’s principles to be strong, be positive, and be better - putting their community and others above themselves.
Since 2017, we have awarded roughly $10,000 to students who have continued on to pursue a college education.
Advancing childhood cancer research
Summer’s Way fundraising efforts directly fund leading researchers with the goal of finding a cure for Rhabdomyosarcoma and other childhood cancers.
Building an International Collaborative Research Network
Summer's Way has taken the lead in hosting biennial think tank workshops to promote innovative research and discover new cures.
Beat Childhood Cancer
We have teamed up with Beat Childhood Cancer, a leading childhood research consortium of 50+ children’s hospitals, to fund novel research and clinical trials targeting Rhabdomyosarcoma and other rare childhood cancers. As a Beat Childhood Cancer (BCC) partner, we connect pediatric cancer patients with BCC’s innovative treatment model and accelerated clinical trials.
Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee
Summer’s Way supports a Master Statistician for the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee (STSC) of the Children's Oncology Group (COG).
The statistician is evaluating over 2,000 rhabdo and soft tissue sarcoma specimens from around the world. By combining existing data from multiple sources, questions that are not easily addressed due to the rarity of the cancer can now provide significance and expedite the pathway to life-changing clinical trials.
Publications 2024:
- ASAP1 and ARF1 Regulate Myogenic Differentiation in Rhabdomyosarcoma by Modulating TAZ Activity
Published November 4th 2024
American Association for Cancer Research. Congratulations to Katie Hebron, 1st recipient of the Summer's Way/ Friends of TJ $50,000 Young Investigator Grant awarded 2019-2020.
Publications Generated From Our Support 2022-2024:
Management and outcomes of chest wall rhabdomyosarcoma: A report from the Children's Oncology Group Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee
First Published: 18 April 2023
This work was supported in part by the Summer's Way Foundation, Maddie's Promise Foundation, Sebastian Strong Foundation, Friends of TJ Foundation.Impact of race and ethnicity on presentation and outcomes of patients treated on rhabdomyosarcoma clinical trials: A report from the Children's Oncology Group
First Published: 20 April 2023
This work was supported in part by the Summer's Way Foundation, Maddie's Promise Foundation, Sebastian Strong Foundation, Friends of TJ Foundation.- Stopping a rare childhood cancer in its tracks
First Published: 19 January 2023
This work was supported in part by the Summer's Way Foundation, Maddie's Promise Foundation, Sebastian Strong Foundation, Friends of TJ Foundation. - Once rhabdomyosarcoma, now muscle
First Published: 28 August 2023
This work was supported in part by the Summer's Way Foundation, Maddie's Promise Foundation, Sebastian Strong Foundation, Friends of TJ Foundation. - ASAP1 and ARF1 Regulate Myogenic Differentiation in Rhabdomyosarcoma by Modulating TAZ Activity
First Published November 4th 2024
American Association for Cancer Research. (Under that ) Congratulations to Katie Hebron, 1st recipient of the Summer's Way/ Friends of TJ $50,000 Young Investigator Grant awarded 2019-2020.
