A promise made to one child is helping create opportunities for the next generation of cancer researchers.
Courtney Jones was just 10 when she was diagnosed with leukemia lymphoma. Even while facing cancer herself, she dreamed of helping other children—and one day helping eradicate the disease.
“I promised her we would make a difference,” says her mother, Alisha Jones. “That promise did not die when she did.”
Today, the Courtney Jones Care and Cure Foundation carries Courtney’s hope forward by connecting young people with opportunities to become part of the future of cancer research and medicine.
The Foundation has funded scholarships for high school students participating in Case CCC’s Youth Engaged in Science (YES) program, helping introduce students underrepresented in science to cancer research and medical careers.
It also supports the Courtney Jones Cancer Research Clinical Fellow in the lab of Alex Y.C. Huang, MD, PhD, co-leader of Case CCC’s Immune Oncology Program and Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at CWRU’s School of Medicine. The fellowship gives an early-career researcher the opportunity to develop research skills under the guidance of an experienced cancer scientist and pediatric oncologist.
For Jones, those investments are deeply connected to the future she imagined for her daughter.
“Courtney had a dream to be a doctor. I think about opportunities I would have wanted for her.”
— Alisha Jones
Make the Next Connection Possible
Philanthropic support can connect promising students and early-career researchers with the opportunities, training and mentorship needed to build the future of cancer research and care.