Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation Executive Director, Lindsey Leonard with J. Paul Gignac, Counsel at Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis, LLP and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation and Robert Curtis, Partner at Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis, LLP. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — During its Annual Gold Ribbon Campaign in September that expands across the Tri-County Region, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is able to raise significant funds for its programs that serve families who have a child who has been diagnosed with cancer. This year, an unexpected gift from the Santa Barbara law firm of Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis, LLP will enable the organization to continue to serve these families well into the future.
“This gift is will serve as a foundational gift for a capital campaign that is intended to ensure the long term sustainability of Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation so that the amazing work of this organization will be able to continue into the future,” said J. Paul Gignac, Counsel at Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis, LLP and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. “Until cancer can be cured, the many needs of kids with cancer, and the families that support them, in our community will need to be addressed, and we want to make sure that Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is always there to provide the financial assistance that they need,” said Gignac.
“Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is a beacon of hope for families who have received the most devastating news of their lives —that their child has been diagnosed with cancer,” added Robert Curtis, Partner at Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis, LLP “Families are devastated, and their lives are turned upside down as they do everything in their power to help their child fight for his or her life. At the same time, medical bills and household expenses pile up. Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation provides much needed financial assistance to sustain those families who need it during the most challenging fight of their lives,” said Curtis.
In 2018, TBCF helped 180 families through initial diagnosis, during treatment, and into recovery. This year, TBCF projects that it will help up to 190 families, a six percent increase. Since the organization’s founding, TBCF has granted $2.3 million in financial assistance. Community donations are vital to TBCF’s ability to provide families with financial support for basic needs, such as hospital stays, rent or mortgage payments, hotel accommodations, counseling, tutoring and childcare.
“We are so grateful to the law firm of Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis,” said Lindsey Leonard, Executive Director of Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. “This is one of the largest gifts that Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation has ever received and will certainly assist in the longevity of the organization. As a result, it will further our mission of providing financial, emotional, and educational support to families of children with cancer living in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties,” said Leonard.
Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP is a dynamic California law firm with principal offices in Santa Barbara and Costa Mesa and whose attorneys have earned a national reputation in complex business litigation, class and mass plaintiff actions, Ponzi litigation, wage and hour, lender liability, intellectual property litigation and entertainment litigation.
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization providing financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer living in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties. Services are providing to families that have a child diagnosed with cancer up to age 18 and continue until they reach 21 years of age. To learn more about Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation and how you can support families that have a child with cancer please visit www.teddybearcancerfoundation.org, 805-962-7466 or info@teddybearcancerfoundation.org.