The InVINCEable Foundation
By Kathryn Allen
Most people are familiar with national organizations that help families facing devastating medical diagnoses involving their children. In their promotions, we see their pain and worry and feel deeply for the challenges their children face. We may even offer our financial support. We can be grateful if we are fortunate enough to never face the situation of having a child with cancer.
It would be understandable if these families put all their energy and focus into finding the best treatment options and support for their children. Here in Apex, the Van Almen family decided to take what they learned from their own journey to offer support to other families. They founded the InVINCEable Foundation, an organization that provides direct and targeted support to families fighting pediatric cancer.
The InVINCEable Foundation (a 501c3 non-profit) was established in 2021 when Scott and Kim Van Almen’s middle child was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after suffering what seemed like an ordinary virus. For the next 30 months, they navigated treatment schedules while trying to maintain their normal family routines as much as possible. Scott says, “We are a family of faith, so when we were tested, we relied on the anchor faith provides.” Scott and Kim felt called to use what they learned to reach out to other families with a child diagnosed with cancer. They volunteer their time and talents for the work of the foundation, directing all the money they raise to help the families they serve.
Scott tells us, “The InVINCEable Foundation’s mission is two-fold: first to remove financial hurdles, so the families can focus their energies on their child while eliminating some of the money worries families suffer with the costs of complex medical treatment.” The second part of the mission is to provide emotional support. The foundation works with families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis both locally and around the country. Scott says, “The only filter we use is that the families have a child with cancer.”
Families find the InVINCEable Foundation in various ways, but mostly organically through family, friends and other patients. Some are referred by the treating hospital, doctors or other support organizations like the Ronald McDonald Houses in Durham and Chapel Hill. However they find the foundation, the families only need to show that they have a child with a pediatric cancer diagnosis, no other criteria. InVINCEable has served 78 families, donating over $451,000 since its founding, with 130+ families in their pipeline. Most of these families live in North Carolina, but the foundation’s reach is nationwide.
The support each family receives is targeted to the specific needs of that family, both in the present and in the future. Families receive help for monthly bills, medical bills, travel, and other expenses so they don’t have worry about finances and can focus on supporting their children. The InVINCEable Foundation also starts or contributes to a college savings account for the child, which they refer to as Hope Scholarships. Recently, the foundation added a new service for families by partnering with a bereavement counselor to support families who have lost a child to cancer.
The Lucas family shared how the InVINCEable Foundation provided emotional and financial support as their 4-year-old son, Alex, has received treatment for a form of brain cancer, DIPG, at Duke Children’s Hospital. Alex’s mom, Catherine, says that Scott contacted the family after hearing about Alex through a friend of a friend. In that first conversation, Catherine remembers, “Scott called and said he had heard about our family and Alex and offered to help.”
Scott and InVINCEable provided assistance with acute medical bills and monthly expenses. Catherine reminds us that even with great insurance, which her family is fortunate to have, many costs (like ambulance trips) aren’t covered. By covering the mortgage and car payments, Catherine and her husband could take time from work to go with Alex for treatments. Most importantly, Catherine says, “Scott has been a mentor, giving me and my husband another parent we can relate to and connect with — someone who understands. Pediatric cancer is so unforgiving and unfair. Scott and the InVINCEable Foundation have given us time to focus on Alex and our family.”
Zane Abernathy, dad of an Apex family assisted by InVINCEable, explains that his family heard about the InVINCEable Foundation through a longtime supporter of the foundation who happened to be a friend of his wife’s. Scott talked a few times to Zane’s wife before contacting Zane directly. At first, Zane admits, “I thought, being a man, I didn’t need to talk with anyone, so I brushed Scott off. But Scott said a few things that grabbed my attention. He asked how I was doing as a person, but I still wasn’t ready to open up. Scott was very persistent and called again a few more times and shared more of his story. Eventually, I felt comfortable enough to accept, and Scott was able to help with some financial burdens. But more importantly, he stayed in touch with me regularly to see how I was doing.”
Zane’s family’s cancer journey has taken many twists and turns with remission and recurrence. Through it all, Scott has continued to reach out, connecting Zane and his wife with people in different parts of the country who are experts on their daughter’s cancer. Zane tells us, “I don’t know what we would have done without Scott and the InVINCEable Foundation with all the information they shared with us. Pediatric cancer is a whole different world.”
The Nguyen family from Apex heard about the InVINCEable Foundation through a friend of a friend who is a pediatrician. Tiffany Nguyen says, “People may not realize that for most pediatric cancers, there are only a few places in the country offering the specialized care each child needs for that specific cancer type. For us, this care was at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. Once we got into the treatment program at MSK, we had to make the difficult choice to either relocate to the New York City area or separate our family. Many families don’t have any choices, but the InVINCEable Foundation provided us with the down payment for a rental home so we could move together and that relieved us of the burden of traveling back and forth, allowing us to focus on our son.” Tiffany also says that Scott has been an incredible emotional support for her family, especially for her husband.
The InVINCEable Foundation’s primary source of financial support is its annual Gala, held each spring. Starting with a golf tournament in 2023 and then transitioning to its current event format, the Gala has raised 90% of the funds each year used to support the families the foundation serves. InVINCEable also works with corporate sponsors who help make the InVINCEable Foundation’s work possible. While the foundation raises money both nationally and locally from individuals and corporations, there are several local companies that consistently support the foundation’s work, including Fortis Gypsum, Window World, Keen Decision Systems, and Teleflex. One of the foundation’s greatest supporters is the Miter Foundation, the non-profit arm of MI Windows and Doors. Scott recently spoke at their annual event as a keynote speaker.
The InVINCEable Foundation was born out of one family’s experience when faced with a journey no family wants to take. Scott and Kim Van Almen made the decision to use the knowledge and experience from their own journey with their son in service of others, giving families in Apex and beyond hope and strength. Learn more about the InVINCEable Foundation by visiting their website at beinvinceable.org. To contribute to their work, please go to beinvinceable.org/donate.
