About CCCF

A Personal Mission

In April 2004, William Knebel, a long-time Cranberry Township, PA resident who lost his wife Patricia to head cancer in 1999 and his mother to lung cancer in 1984, created the Cranberry Community Cancer Foundation (CCCF). The Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was formed primarily to aid and assist cancer research efforts in finding a cure for this dreadful disease.

The Patricia L. Knebel Memorial Fund

The Foundation is an outgrowth of The Patricia L. Knebel Memorial Fund, established at The Pittsburgh Foundation. CCCF is currently and will remain a separate entity with a broader mission from the Knebel Fund. The Knebel Fund has been and will continue to be dedicated to supporting medical research specifically in head and neck cancer. Since its inception in March 2000, the Knebel Fund has been very successful in carrying out its mission. As of March 2008, the Fund has:

·        Received 132 contributions

·        Cumulative value: $116,000

·        Sources: Gifts, grants and revenues from campaigns and special events

·        Made 12 research grants

·        Total value: $55,000

·        Recipients: Stanford University Medical Center;  The University of Michigan Health Systems; The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; The University of Texas: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; and Cayman Biomedical Research Institute.

Selection of Fund grant recipients has been based on specific project areas and on the more novel and innovative approaches to cancer treatment and control. Several of these studies have been published and directly acknowledge the Fund. The outcomes from several projects have led to some modified and upgraded chemotherapy treatments for cancer victims.

CCCF’s Role in Cancer Research

It is our hope and anticipation that the success achieved with The Patricia L. Knebel Memorial Fund will carry over and continue to flourish with CCCF. The purposes and intent of CCCF will continue as long as there is a need for additional cancer research and for improvement in state-of-the-art cancer treatment technologies.

CCCF Features

·        CCCF is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All contributions made to the Foundation are fully tax-deductible.

·        CCCF is an independent organization and is not affiliated with any national, state or local organization.

·        CCCF will generate its funds through charitable donations from other organizations, corporations, businesses and individuals.

·        CCCF will grant at least 90% of its assets directly to qualified cancer researchers in the United States, with priority on researchers in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

·        All revenues will serve as proceeds to CCCF and will be available toward carrying out its mission. CCCF will not expend any appreciable amount of its assets on publicity, administrative or distribution costs.

·        CCCF will support only the more novel and innovative research projects and approaches toward the prevention, treatment, control and remediation of cancer. Much of current cancer research is based on existing findings. CCCF believes that the field of cancer research must move beyond this traditional approach and use innovative research to find new and better ways to treat the disease.

·        CCCF will actively monitor the progress of each grant recipient and provide continuing funding only upon demonstration of fiscal responsibility and real progress in the study through measurable patient impact.

·        CCCF is dedicated to its donors and strives to honor all donor requests regarding directives for gifts.