With the bold theme “Cancer Does NOT Define ME!”, Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer (WOKC) will host its 45thAnniversary Gala on Saturday, April 25, at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas in support of children battling cancer and the families who stand beside them.
For 45 years, WOKC has worked to bring comfort, hope, and meaningful support to children facing pediatric cancer, affectionately called WOKC Warriors. The organization’s Buddy Bag and Warrior Family programs and its relentless efforts to fund pediatric cancer research are designed to help families and to remind every child a diagnosis does not define who they are.
“Everything we do is for these courageous and heroic kids,” exclaimed Cindy Brinker Simmons, founder of Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer. “From the initial diagnosis, we meet children and their families at their point of need. Working with children’s hospitals, we provide Buddy Bags filled with essentials designed to bring comfort, hope and a modicum of normalcy to the child and their parents – every Buddy Bag contains an iPad to allow the child to communicate with family, friends, and their school while hospitalized and homebound. Perhaps one of WOKC’s Warriors will someday unlock the mystery of childhood cancer. These mighty kids do not let cancer define them!”
Jersey Mike’s founder Peter Cancro and his wife, Tatiana, are serving as Honorary Chairs for the milestone evening. Their generous underwriting of the gala allows all proceeds raised that evening to directly support WOKC’s mission and to fund novel, innovative pediatric cancer research.
Cancro’s life changed at age 17, when he gave up a potential college football career to purchase a small sub shop, Mike’s Subs, in his hometown of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. That shop became Jersey Mike’s, now one of the top fastest-growing food franchises and fast-casual restaurant chains in America. Under his leadership, Jersey Mike’s launched its popular Month of Giving in 2011, a philanthropic initiative that has generated $143 million for more than 200 charities nationwide through 2025, including $5 million for WOKC during those years. Although Cancro sold Jersey Mike’s in 2025, he remains a shareholder and now serves as Chairman of the Board.
Award-winning ESPN and ABC Sports broadcaster Holly Rowe will serve as master of ceremonies. A five-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the 2023 Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Rowe has spent more than 30 years covering college sports, the WNBA, and other major events for ESPN and ABC Sports. After her own battle with Stage IV metastatic melanoma, she has become a passionate advocate for cancer research and prevention.
Cindy Brinker Simmons and Karee Sampson are serving as Gala Co-Chairs, helping bring the community together in support of WOKC’s mighty Warriors and the organization’s work to fund research and care for families facing pediatric cancer.
Founded in 1980, Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer offers comfort and hope to kids with cancer through support programs serving the entire family and funds innovative research leading to new discoveries and treatments in the fight against pediatric cancer. For more information on WOKC, follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitteror visit WOKC.org.
To learn more about WOKC’s 45th Anniversary Gala, visit wokc.org/gala.