Around Fox Chase

An audible gasp arose from among the Ogden Family as Polaris was unveiled for the first time in Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Leidy Auditorium. Their anticipation for the moment had peaked, but nothing could prepare Larry Ogden’s wife, Janice, or their three adult daughters for seeing the artwork – brilliant-colored pencils on thick, grayish paper – or for how remarkably well the artist captured their collective memory of the man.

On May 20, 2025, Owens set out east from San Francisco toward Ocean City, New Jersey in the saddle of his Cannondale bike to commence a 3,566-mile ride. His goal: to raise funds and lung cancer awareness on behalf of Ride Hard Breathe Easy (RHBE), an organization that has generously supported lung cancer patients and researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center and other institutions throughout the East Coast. His efforts have raised over $55,000 to date.

With the enormous interest in signing up for the tournament this year, things were in constant motion, says Angela Stevens, a graduating senior at AFS and member of the committee. “We had to keep expanding our brackets and moving the start times earlier,” said Stevens. “I am an AFS lifer and a huge soccer fan​.​​​ ​​I’ve played in the tournament but didn’t know students ran the event, so this has been a ‘full-circle’ moment for me.”

In an institution blessed with more than its fair share of really, really clever people, it takes a certain type of person willing to put those smarts to the challenge at the Second Annual Fox Chase Cancer Center Employee Trivia Contest, which was held at noon on Monday, March 31, 2025.

To recognize the importance of this work, the Association of Clinical Research Professionals designated May 20 as Clinical Trials Day in 2014, marking the annual observance since that time. At Fox Chase Cancer Center, the Office of Clinical Research (OCR) celebrated this year with its fourth annual luncheon.

If it’s summertime, it’s baseball season. And there is no place in America where fans love their team more than in Philadelphia. So, to celebrate the season and to show some much-deserved appreciation for the many people who make up Philadelphia’s Cancer Center, Fox Chase hosted a Phillies Block Party on July 17.

Fundraising helps fuel the work of Fox Chase Cancer Center’s labs and clinics. Often, these funds come from everyday people who simply want to make a difference. This is the sentiment behind the Board of Associates—the volunteer group that supports Fox Chase—which presented its annual donation in June, totaling $447,406.56.

“The coin is something tangible, I can hold on to it, find comfort in it, and feel the weight of it in my pocket,” said Elaine Spangler, Co-Chair of Fox Chase’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC). “I like the concept, like a little emotional support mechanism to forestall distress.”