The Miracle Maker Leadership Council (MMLC), part of the The Expect Miracles Foundation, held its first annual awards reception last night in Boston for the three recipients of the 2012 MMLC Funding Awards.

Fund industry notables Ken Starr, vice president of Interactive Data Corp and Don DeBolt, vice president of business development for Data Communique were on hand to present the outsized checks to representatives of the charities.

Receiving awards were:

• Friends of Julie raises funds for parents with late-stage cancer and their families so they can make memories together away from the daily realities of cancer.
• The Joe Andruzzi Foundation provides financial assistance for patients and their families and also funds pediatric brain cancer research. The MMLC grant will fund the Patient Touchdown Program, a new initiative that provides $700 grants to families in need.
• The SAMFund helps young adults recover from the financial impact of cancer treatment and bring them one step closer to achieving their personal, professional and educational goals.

The MMLC is part of the Expect Miracles Foundation. It gives members of the Financial Services community the opportunity to personally allocate funds to grassroots cancer organizations.

“We established the MMLC to further strengthen the Expect Miracles Foundation's position as the financial industry's leading advocate in the war on cancer through financial support, example and leadership,” said Frank Strauss, chairman and founder, Expect Miracles Foundation. “With completion of the first annual award program, the MMLC has proven to be a resounding success. We look forward to growing the program in the year ahead and helping additional grass roots cancer-fighting efforts across the country.”

William Jackson, president of Computershare Funds Services and a board member of the MMLC, said that it's the personal involvement that makes a difference.

“What's different about MMLC is that individuals are part of the decision process,” Jackson told the MFWire.com.

Mark Porzio's (President and Founder of Friends of Julie) wife Julie was diagnosed with late stage breast cancer in 2008.

“We wanted to make the most of the remaining time,” Porzio said. “We spent two years traveling with our daughter. We wanted to give other families in the similar situations the opportunity to do the same.”

“Friends of Julie gives families with a child between three and 18, in which a parent has been diagnosed with terminal cancer the funding to travel,” said Erin Tetreault, executive director of Friends of Julie.

To become part of the MMLC, an individual can choose from donation levels of $1,000, $3000, $5,000 and $10,000. All members of the council receive input into how the funds are spent. Those at the $5,000 and $10,000 levels have final approval of which organizations receive grants. 

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