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Help the RAKMF

Grants and Funding


Since 2003 when the RAKMF was founded, we've helped children, their families and the medical community in a variety of ways consistent with our organization's mission and goals.

The funds coming into the organization are directly attributable to our Ryan's Run events and to corporate and larger private sponsorships and donations.  Our success to date would not have happened without the sponsors who gave large donations, resources and time.

In order to achieve our yearly goals, RAKMF must balance its time between securing funds to distribute and finding the right organozations, projects and people to distribute those funds to. 

Where the Money & Resources Go


Our Trustees believe that one wonderful way for the RAKMF to honor Ryan's memory is to contribute to the improvement in the care of children with congenital heart disease. Additionally, the stress, challenges and unforeseen financial necessities facing the families of these children during medical stays can be enormous. Providing the funding to these families at during this time is critical so the RAKMF helps in this was as well.


To date, we've distributed significant funding to organizations and projects that have had tangible impact to delivering on our mission

Here are some of them:
  • K. Hovnanian Jersey Shore Childrens Hospital - Childrens Playroom donation
  • K. Hovnanian Jersey Shore Childrens Hospital - Multiple donations included purchase of pediatric heart equipment
  • Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch, NJ - Playroom
  • Ronald McDonald House, St Christopher, PA - Playground
  • Deborah Heart Center Family Lodging Assistance
  • Congenital Heart Surgeon Society and Data Center Fellowship Grant
  • CHSS John W. Kirklin Fellowship Fund
  • Significant financial assistance to individual families, including lodging and and travel.

Our Trustees are always looking to fund Doctors and Hospitals who are leading providers of acute medical care for pediatric heart patients. Read below to learn more about Our Relationships with Medical Leaders.

Healthy Active Children


Keeping children active is a critical way of keeping children healthy.  We discovered back in the beginning of our organization, that an alarming trend existed that few knew about and even fewer were doing anything about.  The deterioration of the safe playgrounds and play areas in our local communities.

The number of public safe playgrounds that are considered unsafe do to the deterioration of equipment and grounds is alarming.  This includes school playgrounds as well as public parks.  They often find themselves at the top of the list for cost-cutting on budgets for schools, parks and hospitals.

Given the importance of active children and safe place to be socially active, play areas seemed to be one place we could make an instant impact, helping the community, families and children.  We were fortunate to partner with one of the premier playground equipment manufacturers in the country, GameTime and together have an agenda to refurbish where we can to bring playgrounds up to code once again.

  • Six child-friendly playgrounds built to date

Corporate Sponsors


The consistent success of Ryan's Run at raising the funds we need each year to achieve our goals would not be possible without our  Corporate Sponsors.  Their comittment of monies, resources, product, co-marketing and manpower continue to be outstanding.  Learn more about our current Corporate Sponsors and about becoming one by clicking here.

Our Relationships with Medical Leaders


From the very beginning when we started the RAKMF, we've worked to find professionals in the medical community with which to build relationships with.  We rely on their research and expertise, their points of view and their guidance. One particular doctor that we've been working with from the very beginning is Dr. Marshal Jacobs, the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Pennsylvania.


Dr. Jacobs is also a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine. Andy and Lauren Kaiser first met Dr. Jacobs in 1996 at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in New Jersey. He was the Chief of Surgery at the time, and their Ryan's Heart Surgeon.


Our conversations with Dr. Jacobs about starting the RAKMF, focused initially on we would like to help other children and their families in the fight against congenital heart disease. Our goal initially was to have a local presence since the fund was only in its first year.  We also spoke with him about our concern about funding the "right" Doctors and Hospitals which we needed guidance to find.


Dr. Jacobs introduced us to an organization that represents almost 100 leading heart surgeons performing pediatric heart surgery at some of the best medical centers in North America, as well as some in South America. Its is called the CHSS, Congenital Heart Surgeon's Society www.chssdc.org.


The general goal of this organization is to improve the care of patients with congenital heart disease through the exchange of ideas and information with their peers. This is accomplished through open dialogue on new surgical approaches, therapies, academic studies and in most general terms, the sharing of surgical data relevant to improving the outcomes of children facing potentially several open-heart procedures.


The CHSS also supports the CHSS Data Center and research staff, which studies multi-institutional outcomes research concerning selected diagnoses and forms of therapy within the realm of Congenital Heart Disease. This data is used to look back on past operative methods to decide how to improve upon them.


Should you have or know of a family or an organization that could use our help, please CONTACT us here.


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Our Grant Partners

Childrens Playfoom Grant
CHSS website




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Our Sponsors

Our Corporate Sponsors