About Kier’s Kidz

After her diagnosis, Kiersten Hickman-Perfetti fought valiantly, but eventually lost her battle with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer, at only 22. While fighting her own cancer for three-and-a-half years, Kier helped younger children and adolescents who were being treated for cancer in The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as much as she could. Kier would often spend time chatting and consoling other childhood cancer patients. She kept things light, engaging with them and encouraging them to ‘be strong’.

Helping these children became a major focus of the last years of Kier’s life. A year before she died, Kier came up with the idea of Kier’s Kidz. Our NJ nonprofit fundation was set into motion with her direct objectives, and the help of her parents.

Kier’s Kidz is the legacy of love and hope that Kier left for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer, a legacy that she asked all of us to carry on for her after she died.

For several years after Kier passed, Kier’s Kidz raised money for other nonprofits that helped children with cancer. And then in 2012, Kier’s Kidz became a 501(c)(3) federal-designated NJ nonprofit, and we have been able to directly fund deserving families who have kids battling cancer, with direct daily financial and day-to-day logistical needs.

Since 2012 our primary missions have been to help children, adolescents and young adults with cancer, to fund cancer treatment and research, and to engage college, high school and younger students in philanthropic activities and in otherwise not available educational activities.

We help by offering financial support for living expenses in cases of verified need. Typically, we help pay expenses up to $500. We can also identify other national and NJ nonprofits and other resources that may be supportive.

We Fund Pediatric Cancer Research

We partner with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and the Childhood Cancer Therapy Development Institute (CCTDI) to find more effective treatments and cures for rare pediatric cancers like rhabdomyosarcoma, the cancer that took Kiersten’s life.  We also help with aspects of that research under the supervision of Dr. Charles Keller, the founder and chair of CCTDI.​

Kier’s Kidz continues to help children, adolescent and young adults with cancer by raising money through its end-of-the-year donor campaign and through a myriad of other events and activities.

If you would like to help us with our events, or you have an idea for an event, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.

KIER KIDZ AT RUTGERS EXECUTIVE BOARD & ADVISORS

KIER KIDZ AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE EXECUTIVE BOARD

STUDENT ADVISORS