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| Eli Kahn shows his official Maryland hometown hero proclamation. |
Johns Hopkins University Celebrates Volvo for life Award Hero
posted: 10/15/2007
On September 27, the renowned Johns Hopkins’ University medical center celebrated one of their youngest major contributors, sixteen-year-old Volvo for life Award Environment-winner, Eli Kahn. Acute Lymphocytic leukemia struck Eli Kahn when he was only two and half years old. A natural born fighter, Eli fought back, blow by blow. In his years-long battle, he weathered demanding chemotherapy treatments at the pediatric oncology unit of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Early in his treatment, Eli made two vows: win his fight against cancer and raise funds for cancer research to help find a cure for childhood cancer. Now sixteen, Eli has kept both his promises. He is both cancer free and a major contributor to the Johns Hopkins University’s ground-breaking Children’s Center’s Division of Pediatric Oncology. At a celebration held at the main campus, Eli’s family, friends, world-class medical researchers, doctors and staff, and local Baltimore luminaries, gathered to applaud the young hero’s contributions. Johns Hopkin’s President, Dr. William R. Brody, praised Eli as one of the remarkable, and certainly among the youngest, of Johns Hopkin’s benefactors. Dr. Donald Small, Interim Director of the pediatric oncology unity, and Charlene Moore Hayes, VP, Human Resources, spoke movingly about how the Hopkins medical team helped Eli through his successful battle against his cancer. They also praised the young hero for giving back to the University through his environmentally friendly program, “Cartridges For A Cure.” This innovative initiative, for which Eli won a Volvo for life Award in the Environment category, entails collecting old printer cartridges and sending them to a recycling company for processing and resale. Eli receives monies for every used, recyclable printer cartridge that he supplies. He then turns over the proceeds for cancer research. To date, Eli has donated almost $84,000, $50,000 of which came from the Volvo for life Awards charitable contribution Eli won in his category. Fittingly, Eli’s project not only generates funds to battle cancer, but also does so by removing suspected carcinogens – printer cartridges – from the general environment. The environmental component of Cartridges For A Cure sufficiently impressed the University administration to such an extent that it has incorporated Eli’s project into its campus-wide, environmentally friendly (e.g., “green”) recycling efforts. Not to be outdone by Johns Hopkins, a representative from the office of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon announced that by city proclamation, Eli Kahn would be henceforth an official “Maryland Hometown Hero.” A brave and compassionate young man, Eli Kahn survived his own battle against acute lymphocytic leukemia. He has kept his vow not only to beat cancer, but also to help provide our great research institutions and clinics the means to carry on the fight to save other children. Cancer survivor, Volvo for life Awards Hero, Johns Hopkins patron, and official Maryland Hometown Hero, Eli Kahn shows that our youngest heroes can have the brightest ideas – and the mightiest of hearts.
How You Can Help Eli Kahn
To learn more about Eli and his cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit: www.cartridgesforacure.com.
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