Oct 7, 2005

Hines Partners With Cancer FundSource: Hines Horticulture, Inc.

Today, more than 70 percent of children with cancer will survive; however, cancer still remains the number-one cause of non-accidental death in children. Hines Horticulture, Inc. is joining forces with the Curing Children’s Cancer Fund to help finance research aimed at curing children with cancer.

The Big Smile hydrangea, a 2006 Hines Horticulture plant introduction, will be sold across the country next spring exclusively in select independent garden centers. Proceeds from purchases of this plant will support the Curing Children’s Cancer Fund and the search for a cure for the tens of thousands of children who are currently undergoing treatment for cancer and serious blood disorders.

“Hines is determined to help find a cure for pediatric cancer and to bring hope to the children and families it affects,” said Tom Doll of Hines Horticulture. “The foundation of gardening is about promoting life and growth, which is just what we intend to do for the children we are helping.”

The good news is that the survival rate for children with cancer has improved dramatically over the years. Even so, “almost one out of every three children with cancer will not survive. We must improve these odds so that every child with cancer can be cured, and no parent of a child with cancer will have to suffer a loss,” said David G. Poplack, M.D., director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center and one of the founders of the Curing Children’s Cancer Fund. “We are grateful for Hines’ involvement and hopeful that together we can raise funds for research into a cure for children with one of the most devastating of all diseases – cancer.”

The Big Smile hydrangea is a new cultivar that offers dark stems and glossy foliage in the spring, lacecap flowers through the summer and deep merlot fall foliage. Enhanced hardiness makes Big Smile hydrangea work in Zones 5 and 6.

The Curing Children’s Cancer Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating childhood cancer. All contributions to the fund support cutting-edge research by some of the world’s most knowledgeable and promising physician-scientists.