45 years of helping families navigate cancer.
Our Impact
For 45 years, WOKC has stood beside the children of North Texas and beyond as advocates, funders, supporters, and champions of hope. Our legacy continues with each Warrior we serve, each researcher we fund, and each heart we help to heal.
Our mission is lived out through three primary initiatives:
Research
WOKC invests in cutting-edge pediatric cancer research projects across the nation. These newer studies typically don't get traditional funding, but we get the project started so that data required for larger, traditional funding can be requested.
Family Support
Through programs like:
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Buddy Bags – filled with essentials for unexpected hospital stays
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Warrior Family Experiences – offering joyful moments of normalcy
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Family Financial Assistance - offering grocery and gasoline gift cards to combat food insecurity and the high cost of round trips to the hospital.
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WOKC provides tangible and emotional support for children in active treatment and the loved ones who care for them. We walk hand-in-hand with families through some of the darkest days of their lives, offering comfort, encouragement, and community.
Awareness & Advocacy
We believe in the power of voice and visibility. WOKC raises public awareness of pediatric cancer’s harsh realities and the critical need for better treatments. Through storytelling, community engagement, and strategic outreach, we:
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Amplify the voices of children and families
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Mobilize action
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Foster change
Cindy Brinker Simmons
Founder
"My life was touched by the loss of my mother to cancer when I was 12, so I made it my mission to do whatever I could to serve others and to provide hope for those facing this disease. WOKC is focused on helping unlock the mysteries of pediatric cancer and encouraging our valiant young heroes and their amazing families every step of the journey. Onward we go!"
Our Team.
WOKC Staff.
Contact Us
1349 Empire Central Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75247
WOKC Leadership.
Board of Directors
Laura Worsham, Chairperson
Cindy Brinker Simmons, Vice Chair
Tim Schutze, Treasurer
Karee Sampson, Secretary/Fundraising Chair
Kevin Bass
Aubrey Brawner
Christopher Caporaletti
Craig Cohn
Marketing & Communications Chair
Jenice Dunayer
Blake Estess
Jacqueline Harris
Jocelyn Larson
Joanne Slicker Mulcahy
Stefan Noe (ex officio)
Nancy Owen
Michelle Peck
Buddy Bag Program Co-Chair
Claude Prestidge, M.D.
Scientific & Medical Research Chair
Chris Rich
Robert Richardson
Cash Riley, Jr.
Susan Sanford
Warrior Family Program Chair
Ernie Santillanes
Clint Sumrow (ex officio)
Krista Tacey, PhD
Liz Van den Branden
Buddy Bag Program Co-Chair
Craig Zurek
Founder's Forum
Katy and Lawrence Bock
Holly and Doug Brooks
Anne and Kyle Crews
Mary V. Dowling
Cindy M. and Charles L. Gummer
Barbara Levenson
Betty A. Lovell
Ellen McStay
Anne and Norm Miller
Carole and Scott Murray
Denise and Ray Nixon
Mary and Mike Poss
Pat Schenkel
Gretchen and George Seay
Paula Strasser
Lynn and Jim Stroud
Jackie Thornton
Connie Yates
Young Champions Board
Kyle Bittiker
Luke Danner
Ava Danuser
Dante Dean
Dheepya Deepak
Anooshey Dhanani
Sienna Flynn
Haylie Geraci
Emily Hernandez
Max Keating
Warren Peck
Elena Reyes
Gigi Scully
Ryan Songtag
Niko Tacey
Martin True
Wylie Kate Whitehead
Morgan Wright
Founded in 1980 by Cindy Brinker Simmons, Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer (WOKC) is the oldest pediatric cancer charity in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For more than four decades, WOKC has embraced a holistic approach to the fight against pediatric cancer, recognizing that healing goes beyond medical treatment. We are committed to addressing not only the urgent need for research, but also the emotional and practical needs of children and their families.