Burlingame, California, September 1, 2016 – Merchants in downtown Burlingame have joined together for a “Cancer Sucks. Art Heals.” campaign during September in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to benefit the Kids & Art Foundation, a local nonprofit organization that provides healing art workshops to Bay Area children with cancer, their siblings, families, and support teams.

Each participating merchant will host hand-painted donations boxes all month in hopes of fully funding the Kids & Art superheroes design workshop launching at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital this fall. In addition, they are asking Burlingame customers to help spread the word by wearing “Cancer Sucks. Art Heals.” bracelets available with donation of any amount throughout the month of September.

Kids & Art Foundation founder Purvi Shah says, “it does take a village to raise a child and when the child is sick it takes a larger community to step up. We are so appreciative of the merchants in downtown Burlingame who have come together to support our organization.
Less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget is solely dedicated to childhood cancer research. Whereas funding for programs that support the emotional and psychological aspects of the pediatric cancer family are negligible. We strive to make the lives of children and their families who are going through pediatric cancer treatment happier by enabling them to express themselves and whatever they are feeling through various art projects. We know firsthand that giving these kids and their families a break from ongoing cancer discussions and treatments can shine a ray of light into their lives during this process.”

Local merchants participating in the “Cancer Sucks. Art Heals.” include:
All Draeger’s supermarket’s, Banana Republic, Books Inc., Five Monkeys, Jigsaw of London, Just Kids Cuts, Powell’s, A Runner’s Mind, and United Methodist Church.