Who founded St. Jude?
Founded by Danny Thomas on Feb. 4, 1962, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital opened in Memphis, Tennessee. It was all because of one man's dream — that "no child should die in the dawn of life."
When St. Jude opened, the overall survival rate for childhood cancer was 20%, and hospitals were still segregated in much of the South.
With St. Jude, Danny Thomas' vision ensured that a new kind of care dawned. Children were treated regardless of their race, ethnicity, beliefs or a family’s ability to pay.
Raising funds and awareness
Danny, who was of Lebanese descent, needed to fund St. Jude, so he turned to his fellow Americans of Arabic-speaking heritage. Danny believed that by supporting his dream, this group of Americans could thank the United States for the gift of freedom given to their parents while honoring their forefathers who’d immigrated to America.
In 1957, five years before the hospital opened, 100 representatives of the Arab-American community met in Chicago to form American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities® (ALSAC) with a sole purpose of raising funds for the support of St. Jude. These 100 Arab-Americans and their families are forever known as the original founding families of St. Jude.
Since that day, ALSAC has been responsible for all of fundraising efforts for St. Jude.
Today, ALSAC operates out of 33 offices across the United States and Puerto Rico, which consist of more than 1,800 employees from various walks of life. They work toward one common goal: to ensure the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.
Because of our generous supporters, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so a family can focus on helping their child live.
Our mission goes global
Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped raise the survival rate for children with cancer in the United States, where 4 out of 5 children survive cancer. In many countries, however, 1 out of 5 children who develop cancer will survive.
In 2022, St. Jude launched a historic six-year, $12.9 billion strategic plan that will expand patient care and accelerate research in the U.S. and globally for children with catastrophic diseases.
Every child deserves a chance to live their best life and celebrate every moment. When you support St. Jude, you can help make cures possible for kids with cancer. Together, we can save more lives.
St. Jude volunteers at the St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend
You're part of our legacy
Since we opened, our supporters have allowed St. Jude to provide treatments at no cost to families.
Treatments for pediatric cancer can last up to three years or more and the average cost is approximately $450,000 including travel, housing and food, but the individual cost of care can vary greatly.
Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors.
When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won't stop until no child dies from cancer.
Terre, Tony and Marlo Thomas
A family's dedication
Danny's children took up the mantle after he passed away in 1991. The Thomas family has dedicated their lives to helping us continue our lifesaving mission.
Because of your support, we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families.
Your support helps us continue our lifesaving mission:
Finding cures. Saving children.®
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Timeline: From Dream to Reality
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St. Jude in the civil rights era
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Our unique operating model
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ALSAC Preamble
Read the preamble to the ALSAC Constitution that St. Jude and ALSAC founder Danny Thomas signed in 1957. ALSAC raises the funds and awareness for St. Jude.
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History of CEO/Directors of St. Jude
A look at the history of CEOs/Directors of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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ALSAC/ St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors
The ALSAC/ St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors serve without compensation and provide governance and strategic oversight for both ALSAC and St. Jude.