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Lake County Council proclaims September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month after presentation by local advocacy group
Summary
The Lake County Council adopted a resolution proclaiming September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and recognized the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation after co-founder Donna Criner described federal and state policy setbacks and local family support work.
The Lake County Council on Sept. 4 adopted a resolution proclaiming September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and recognized the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation, following remarks from the foundation’s co-founder, Donna Criner.
The resolution, identified in the meeting packet as a council proclamation recognizing the foundation and the month, was approved by voice vote. Council members signified approval and the motion passed with the council reporting the body present for the vote (majority aye; one member absent).
Donna Criner, co-founder of the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation, told the council the group began in 2009 with a mission summarized as “Hope, Help, Heal.” She described the foundation’s work providing peer support, short-term financial aid and advocacy for families of children with rare pediatric cancers. “What that does is we try and give our families the one thing they’re looking for when their child is diagnosed, and that is hope,” Criner said.
Criner also outlined recent federal setbacks. She told the council that several pediatric drug–development bills that had been bundled into year-end legislation did not survive final passage, and that a later Senate objection left several initiatives unpassed. She said those setbacks paused some research projects and could limit near-term pathways for new pediatric cancer treatments.
Criner urged residents to contact federal legislators and distributed informational materials to the council. She described operational concerns for families who rely on Medicaid, saying some families are already reporting difficulty with co-pay increases and access when out-of-state specialty care is needed.
Council President Sid Brown and Council member Christine both thanked Criner and the foundation for their work. The council then approved the proclamation recognizing Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation.
The council packet included background text summarizing the foundation’s founding, advocacy efforts and recent federal legislative history; Criner said she left copies of bill summaries and advocacy information with the council.
