SpaceX flight gives St. Jude hospital a cosmic funding boost
NEW YORK (AP) — SpaceX’s first all-civilian space flight set for late this year will provide an out-of-this-world fundraising opportunity for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which says it expects to generate $200 million for cancer research and other causes.
It's off to a fast start: $1 million in donations in the first day since the flight's announcement.
Jared Isaacman, the billionaire businessman who will finance and pilot the multi-day mission for himself and three others, will drive the publicity push, with the help of a Super Bowl commercial next weekend. Of the $200 million that St. Jude hopes to raise this year, $100 million is to come from Isaacman, with the rest from donations generated by raffling off one seat on the flight.
Richard C. Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude, said the money raised will go toward the Memphis hospital’s $1 billion annual operating cost, as well as its global partnership with the World Health Organization. The overarching idea is to raise childhood cancer survival rates around the world from 20% to 60% by 2030.
“We have this, big audacious goal trying to help kids all around the globe,” Shadyac said. “This big, audacious campaign is going to help fuel that.”
Until the end of February, anyone 18 or older can go to St. Jude’s website to enter for a chance to win a seat on the Inspiration4 and go into space later this year. There's no need to donate to enter the raffle. But those who do will receive special packages — from 100 entries for anyone giving $10 to a flight in a MiG-29, an authentic flight suit and VIP passes to the launch, as well as 10,000 entries, for those who donate $100,000. The winner will be chosen by random drawing March 1.
“He and SpaceX want space to be accessible — that’s why we’re going to...
