Meet The Charity: Hauppauge's Whip Pediatric Cancer Raises Funds, Makes Memories For Kids

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Local charities are the unsung heroes of our communities. Nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations strive to create lasting change and positively impact the lives of those around them.

Some people start organizations as a way to cope with grief, some see an issue they want to tackle, and some want to bring lasting change. Sometimes, all those reasons apply.

Patch wants to highlight your local charity and connect it with community members who want to help and do good, so that way, more people can benefit. Here is just one of many charities doing terrific work in your community.

What is your name?

Jordan "JJ" Belous

What is the name of your charity?

Whip Pediatric Cancer

What is your position within your charity?

Founder

What community is your organization based in?

Hauppauge

Link to your website

WhipPediatricCancer.org

What is your mission?

My mission is to raise as much awareness and funds as possible for pediatric cancer. We first started only fundraising Memorial Sloan Kettering pediatrics. Now that I've started meeting families and kids, we've extended our mission a little more to helping with quality of life purposes like making memories, whether it's redoing a kid's bedroom or raising money for a concert. Kind of two missions."

What does your charity do to further its mission? Please list examples.

Primarily, our funding is through the Heart of Gold program. It's kids helping kids. I was just 16 when I started my nonprofit. I encouraged school-aged kids to sign up for the Heart of Gold program in September. Obviously, September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, and the color for pediatric cancer is gold. You can sign up on the website for a free Heart of Gold kit. Each student will write their name on it, decorate it, and send it back to school with a $2 donation. It teaches kids that you're never too young to make a difference or get involved. You don't need to donate $100 or $1,000 to make a difference. You can donate $1 or $2 and it ends up adding up. It teaches kids to get involved and be philanthropic from a young age."

What inspired you to start your charity?

My mom was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma 21 years ago. She was treated on the pediatric floor at Sloan Kettering. I have been surrounded by pediatric cancer my whole life. I lost a lot of kids that I knew starting from a very young age. I was getting pretty frustrated with the lack of success that I was seeing. I created my mission to raise as much awareness and funds as possible for pediatric cancer. When I started the dance challenge with "The Whip / Nae Nae," I met a little girl in New York City, Tessa, and we became extremely close. People called us soulmates. Seeing her go through what she went through. She ended up losing her battle with stage four neuroblastoma. When she passed away, she told me, 'Keep helping the kids like you helped me.' I just took that and ran with it. I've been doing for nine years in August.

How can people help you accomplish your organization's mission or get involved in events?

Definitely if you have a school-aged kid, have them sign up for the Heart of Gold program. If you're a teacher or you know a teacher; it starts from a young age. Everything kids know, they learn in elementary school. We say it's disappointing that you have to be personally affected to care about a cause. My dream is that schools all over the country participate in this, and kids are as aware that pink is to breast cancer as gold is to September for kids."

What is the most memorable moment you've had since starting your organization?

Meeting Tessa. We were going to Times Square Goes Bald every September. It was a week or two after I kicked off my foundation and "The Whip / Nae Nae." I met Tessa. We just locked eyes and soulmates. We were meant to meet each other. She did the dance, and I recorded it. They came from Michigan to New York City for treatment. She asked her mom, 'Can JJ come visit?' I didn't even know I was going to do patient visits. She kind of inspired me and showed me what my purpose is. I just knew from that visit on that this is what I wanted to do. After school and high school, everyone else is drinking and partying. I was begging my mom to take me to the pediatric cancer floor at Sloan Kettering. Just meeting her changed my whole entire life."

What else would you like people to know about your charity?

When your child is diagnosed with cancer, everyone says, 'What can I do to help?' There are two crucial things you can do to help: One is donate to an organization that is raising money directly for pediatric cancer research. Only 4% of government funding goes to pediatric cancer. Our kids are taking chemotherapy that is designed for adults, which is completely wrong.

Another aspect you can donate to is giving these families something to look forward to or a memory, whether it's having a birthday party or taking the kids to the aquarium or doing something they will remember for the rest of their life. I think that's what makes Whip Pediatric Cancer so special. We do both. If you are looking for a way to directly help a pediatric cancer patient in either of those ways, we would be a good match."

What are your organization's social media pages or handles?

FB: Whip Pediatric Cancer
IG: @WhipPediatricCancer_

Do you help run a charity?

Nominate it here or share this link with someone who does.