Since 2007, SurvivorVision Foundation has made grants totaling over $86,000 to support a variety of cancer survivorship programs in the metropolitan and greater Chicago areas. Following is a list of these special programs:

Children's Oncology Services of Illinois (COSI)

The Springfield Advocacy Program gives young teenagers an inside look at the Illinois state government. Students travel to the state capital and learn about the power of advocacy as they meet with legislators to address issues important to long-term cancer survivorship. Students also tour historical monuments and museums. The program also provides travel, accommodations and meals to participants.

The Children's Oncology Services Education Fund (COSEF) is proud to support the continuing education of cancer survivors with scholarship opportunities. It is their goal that these scholarships will empower cancer patients and survivors pursuing post-secondary education and will ultimately assist them in attaining their personal, professional and educational goals.

Text Book Scholarship Fund Textbook Reimbursement scholarships are available to any pediatric cancer patient or survivor pursuing post-secondary education, who was treated or resides in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan or Wisconsin. Students may receive up to $2,000 for books or other course-related materials needed for college or trade school.

The Pediatric Oncology Survivorship in Transition (POST) clinic of Hope Children's Hospital at Advocate Christ Medical Center

The POST clinic at Hope Children's Hospital is one of the most extensive pediatric cancer survivors support programs in the Midwest. It has addressed the needs of patients treated for pediatric cancer who have not relapsed in three years. A cornerstone of the program is to provide a general health screening of childhood cancer survivors per standard recommendations for age. The POST Clinic Challenge engages 20 childhood cancer survivors into physical activity, teamwork, and leadership. Children who have completed cancer therapy, voluntarily participate in hourly training sessions once a week for 10 weeks to prepare for a 5K running event.

University of Illinois -Chicago Cancer Survivorship Clinic

In 2009, the UIC Cancer Center along with the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine recently launched the UIC Cancer Survivorship Clinic. They serve patients who are currently in remission and at least five years off therapy. They may have received a diagnosis as babies, children, and adolescents or as young adults (less than 30 years of age). The program serves a diverse patient population especially patients who have limited resources. This new clinic is a place for some of the 10,000 childhood cancer survivors in the Chicago land area to seek evaluation and management of their late effects and learn more about their complex medical history and needs. The program educates patients about these effects.

Survivors Taking Action & Responsibility (STAR) Program at Children's Memorial Hospital

The STAR (Survivors Taking Action & Responsibility) programs at Children's Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive long-term follow-up care to cancer survivors from childhood to the age of eighteen.  This program provide services within a clinical setting with an emphasis on patient care, education, and research that addresses the physical and emotional effects of patients' cancer treatment.  Patients enter the STAR program five years after diagnosis, pending a cancer-free diagnosis. This program currently serves approximately 360 patients annually. SurvivorVision has granted funding to finance a social worker's salary for one year to support this program and conduct research to determine the causes of survivors' decreasing bone strength that elevates their risk for fractures.  

Survivors Taking Action & Responsibility (STAR) Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital

The STAR Program began in 2001 to provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive care to young adult survivors of childhood cancer, beginning at the age of eighteen.  SurvivorVision has supported STAR's research studies directly effecting patient care such as their MRI breast imaging study, special events for cancer survivors, and educational symposiums for survivors, caregivers and healthcare providers.

The program currently manages care to over 250 young adult survivors of childhood cancer - many of whom have ongoing, complex medical and psychological needs. In the last few years, the prevalence of secondary cancers diagnosed in the clinic has increased significantly. This increase reflects the critical need for the long-term follow-up care for survivors of childhood cancer that the clinic provides through education and outreach initiatives.