Draft:Kevin John McAleese Memorial Foundation

The Kevin John McAleese Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing patient and family advocacy and scholarship opportunities to families battling brain cancer.

History
In 2010, Kevin J. McAleese, retired colonel in the Army Reserve and former executive director of the Miss Philadelphia organization of the Miss America system, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme. McAleese's philanthropic spirit was evident through his work with the 358th Civil Affairs Brigade providing donations to Kuwait, his work for the Navy's Wounded Warrior program as well as his revival of the Miss Philadelphia scholarship pageant to support higher education for women via $150,000 in awarded scholarships. He died on February 15, 2013.

Dr. Kiplee Bell Morris, Miss Philadelphia 1998, was asked by McAleese to be his medical proxy over the course of his treatment. They saw the emotional and financial toll patients and families endure. In 2013, Morris founded the Kevin John McAleese Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Philanthropy
The Kevin John McAleese Memorial Foundation's mission is to provide financial support to those affected by glioblastoma, both patients and families, in honor of McAleese's legacy. The KJM Foundation donates funding to a namesake patient and family respite center at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center’s Glioblastoma Center of Excellence, awards research grants to find a cure for glioblastoma and provides patient-family financial assistance. An annual holiday giving initiative provides special memories for both patients and families.

The foundation's Believe Gala is a fundraising event which commenced in 2019. The gala has recognized honorees for their contributions to philanthropy. Donations allow the Kevin John McAleese Memorial Foundation to award higher education scholarships. Scholarship winners have pursued careers in law, medicine, journalism, business and entertainment. Initial awards were granted in collaboration with the Miss Philadelphia competition to contestants who submitted to an essay contest. The scholarship program has branched out to include children of glioblastoma sufferers. Past keynote speakers who have supported the event include Dr. John A. Bookvar, vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in Harlem and contributor to the docuseries Lenox Hill on Netflix.