Our 2025-2026 Teen Board's DAY OF HOPE is this Sunday, February 8th!
The 2024-2025 Teen Board during last year’s Day of Hope!
This Sunday, February 8th, will be the Caroline Symmes Children’s Cancer Endowment Teen Board’s fourth annual Day of Hope from 1-4pm. Day of Hope is a one-day fundraising push started by the endowment’s Teen Board, a dedicated group of high school students around Central Indiana with the communal goal of fighting the battle against childhood cancer. Back in 2023, in honor of International Childhood Cancer Day, the board decided to have an event every February to raise donations to further research in order to contribute to their ongoing annual fundraising total.
The Teen Board members join at the headquarters and contact friends, family, businesses, etc. for potential donations while raising awareness about childhood cancer at the same time. For the past few years, Day of Hope has also included the announcement of the organizations the Teen Board will be donating their year-long efforts to at the end of board year. Past years have shown a momentous amount of support from the community, notably raising $42,250 in the inaugural Day of Hope. Since then, their fundraising efforts have continued to grow, amassing $44,539 in 2024 and $44,892 in 2025. In 2026, the students coming from 10 different high schools around the Greater Indianapolis area hope to surpass last year’s totals.
Aside from the vast amount of fundraising that occurs every year, the Teen Board invites friends and families to the headquarters located at 2605 East 62nd Street Indianapolis, IN 46220 to participate in the numerous festivities planned for the event. The Teen Board invites anyone interested to please consider contributing to their fundraising goal, and help join them in their mission in one day finding a cure for all kids with cancer.
Each teen board member has their own dedicated fundraising link and donations will go towards their individual goal.
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MARCH!
Crew Carwash is hosting a fundraiser for the Endowment’s Teen Board
for the entire month of March!
Beginning on March 1st, our fundraiser page will go live and you will be able to purchase
e-washes until March 31st.
E-washes bought on-line will be delivered to the email provided at check out. E-washes can be printed or they can be scanned directly from any smartphone. And, Crew e-washes never expire!
A Note from our President, Libby Symmes
Holyn Drook, Jackie Killian, Fred Wittman and Renata Ovalle are joined by Hoosier the Bison at a recent IU Women’s Basketball Game
Seventeen years ago, my brother, Eddie, David and I sat in the stands at an Indiana University basketball game with Caroline. She was dressed in her IU cheerleading uniform, her shiny bald head catching the light as the cameras panned to her throughout the game. It is a memory etched in my heart—a snapshot of her Hoosier spirit in the midst of her brutal cancer treatment.
Last Sunday, I returned to Bloomington for an IU Women’s Basketball game against Northwestern. This time, I was accompanied by members of CSCCE’s Teen Board.
Thanks to the outreach of Sutton Worman (a childhood friend of Natalie and Sully’s) and the IU Student Athletic Board, our Teen Board was invited to be recognized for their efforts and commitment to our mission during the game.
With a borrowed Sprinter Van from an endowment supporter, Teen Board members Holyn Drook, Renata Ovalle, Jackie Killian, and Fred Wittman, alongside Director Isaac Mervis, headed to Bloomington. They spent the pre-game sharing our mission with fans, handing out giveaways, and sparking vital awareness for children’s cancer research.
The highlight of the game came during a commercial break. As our members were escorted onto the court by Hoosier the Bison, our brand and mission statement filled the jumbotron, and our teen board’s commitment and results were broadcast. The arena erupted in applause, and then, the familiar sound of Sweet Caroline filled Assembly Hall, and the crowd sang along.
In that moment, I felt a profound collision of emotions. Immense pride for the teens who have worked so tirelessly to fund research. Not just this year’s Teen Board, but every Teen Board since inception. I felt a deep moment of grief, which hits whenever it chooses to hit. And finally, I felt an overwhelming, enduring love for our donor and support community that continues to honor Caroline’s legacy, nearly two decades after her death.
Seeing these teenagers stand where Caroline once stood reminds me that while the fight is long, we are gaining ground. Our Teen Board doesn’t just represent the future, they are driving the present by ensuring that research remains funded and families remain hopeful.
Simply put, the ‘Sweet Caroline’ moments are only possible because of you. Your continued support provides the resources these young leaders need to amplify our mission. Your donations fuel the high-impact research grants that will find novel treatments, and new discoveries.
Your gifts, past, present & future, ensure that we can continue funding the science that turns grief into hope and research into better outcomes.
With gratitude, humility and Hoosier pride,
