Black and white photo of a giant baseball display from the 1950s for the Jimmy Fund

Mission & History

Learn about the storied history of the Jimmy Fund and our mission to support cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The Jimmy Fund’s Mission 

The Jimmy Fund began in Boston in 1948 as a way for the community to raise money in support of Dr. Sidney Farber's groundbreaking cancer research and care. Collecting donations of all sizes from friends, family, community members, and sponsors, the Jimmy Fund today supports Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through volunteer-led fundraising events including walks, races, auctions, golf tournaments, bake sales, and even online gaming. 

Donations from thousands of Jimmy Fund community events have added up to hundreds of millions of dollars since its founding to support Dana-Farber's breakthroughs in cancer research and care for adults and children, saving countless lives in Boston and around the world.

History of the Jimmy Fund

See how the Jimmy Fund has grown since Dana-Farber's founding in 1948 and learn about the important milestones in the organization’s history.

1948

A patient of Dr. Sidney Farber, dubbed “Jimmy” to protect his identity, appears on a radio broadcast organized by the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. A call for donations is made to help buy Jimmy a television so he can watch the Boston...

Black and white photo of adults and children watching TV in the 1950s
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Black and white photo of adults and children watching TV

1948

A patient of Dr. Sidney Farber, dubbed “Jimmy” to protect his identity, appears on a radio broadcast organized by the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. A call for donations is made to help buy Jimmy a television so he can watch the Boston Braves while in treatment. More than $200,000 is raised, and that group of generous donors helped to found what has become known as the Jimmy Fund.

1949

The Theater Collections Program, the Jimmy Fund’s original and longest running fundraiser, begins. A special movie trailer is shown before volunteers walk the aisles with collection canisters and ask for donations to support the Jimmy Fund. Early...

A vintage Jimmy Fund coin collection can
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1949

The Theater Collections Program, the Jimmy Fund’s original and longest running fundraiser, begins. A special movie trailer is shown before volunteers walk the aisles with collection canisters and ask for donations to support the Jimmy Fund. Early trailers featured celebrities including Joan Crawford, Bing Crosby, Ted Williams, and Ed Sullivan.

1953

Boston Red Sox owners Tom and Jean Yawkey adopt the Jimmy Fund as the team’s official charity when the Boston Braves move west to Milwaukee, marking the beginning of the longest and most successful charity and sports team partnership in history.

Fenway Park in the 1950s
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Black and white photo of Fenway Park in the 1950s

1953

Boston Red Sox owners Tom and Jean Yawkey adopt the Jimmy Fund as the team’s official charity when the Boston Braves move west to Milwaukee, marking the beginning of the longest and most successful charity and sports team partnership in history.

1969

With the help of funds raised by the Jimmy Fund community, Dana-Farber is able to expand its services to treat adults with cancer in addition to children.

Ground-breaking for the hospital with Dr. Sydney Farber
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Ground-breaking for the hospital with Dr. Sydney Farber

1969

With the help of funds raised by the Jimmy Fund community, Dana-Farber is able to expand its services to treat adults with cancer in addition to children.

1980

The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a two-day bike-a-thon across Massachusetts, is founded. The PMC contributes 100% of every rider-raised dollar to the Jimmy Fund, and in 2024 surpassed $1 billion raised for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

An early starting point for the Pan-Mass Challenge
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Black and white photo of an early starting point for the Pan-Mass Challenge

1980

The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a two-day bike-a-thon across Massachusetts, is founded. The PMC contributes 100% of every rider-raised dollar to the Jimmy Fund, and in 2024 surpassed $1 billion raised for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

1983

Jimmy Fund Golf, the nation’s oldest and largest charity golf program, is officially organized, raising more than $150 million for the Jimmy Fund since its beginnings. The first Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl®, an annual three-day, all-you-can-eat ice...

Jimmy Fund golfers on the green holding the number 16 flagstick
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Jimmy Fund golfers on the green holding the number 16 flagstick

1983

Jimmy Fund Golf, the nation’s oldest and largest charity golf program, is officially organized, raising more than $150 million for the Jimmy Fund since its beginnings. 

The first Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl®, an annual three-day, all-you-can-eat ice cream festival, is held on the Boston Common.

1989

The Jimmy Fund Walk begins with support from the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.). The Walk is the only event other than the Boston Marathon® itself to use the historic course and is now the largest single-day walk fundraiser in the country.

Jimmy Fund supporters holding a Jimmy Fund poster
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Participants holding a Jimmy Fund sign at a past Jimmy Fund Walk

1989

The Jimmy Fund Walk begins with support from the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.). The Walk is the only event other than the Boston Marathon® itself to use the historic course and is now the largest single-day walk fundraiser in the country.

1998

The Jimmy Fund celebrates 50 years of progress in the fight against cancer. Just in time for the celebration, Einar Gustafson is identified as the original “Jimmy” and returns to Dana-Farber as a symbol of hope for thousands facing cancer.

Jimmy waving at a podium in Fenway Park
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'Jimmy' waving at a podium in Fenway Park

1998

The Jimmy Fund celebrates 50 years of progress in the fight against cancer. Just in time for the celebration, Einar Gustafson is identified as the original “Jimmy” and returns to Dana-Farber as a symbol of hope for thousands facing cancer.

2002

The inaugural Jimmy Fund Radiothon airs on WEEI, raising more than $325,000 through radio appeals from doctors, patients, and celebrities. NESN joins the event the following year, turning it into a two-day radio-telethon that broadcasts live on...

Volunteers at a past WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon
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Volunteers at a past WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

2002

The inaugural Jimmy Fund Radiothon airs on WEEI, raising more than $325,000 through radio appeals from doctors, patients, and celebrities. NESN joins the event the following year, turning it into a two-day radio-telethon that broadcasts live on radio and television simultaneously.

2004

With Jimmy Fund patients cheering them on from their hospital beds, the Boston Red Sox celebrate their first World Series championship win since 1918. Tim Wakefield, former Jimmy Fund Captain and part of the championship team, visits the Jimmy...

Jimmy Fund Clinic patients and Tim Wakefield with the World Series trophy
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Jimmy Fund Clinic patients and Tim Wakefield with the World Series trophy

2004

With Jimmy Fund patients cheering them on from their hospital beds, the Boston Red Sox celebrate their first World Series championship win since 1918. Tim Wakefield, former Jimmy Fund Captain and part of the championship team, visits the Jimmy Fund Clinic with the trophy.

2007

The Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl celebrates its 25th anniversary with more than 40 flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt at Boston City Hall Plaza. The event raises $253,734 during this milestone year.

Volunteers at the 25th annual Scooper Bowl
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Volunteers at the 25th annual Scooper Bowl

2007

The Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl celebrates its 25th anniversary with more than 40 flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt at Boston City Hall Plaza. The event raises $253,734 during this milestone year.

2009

Former Red Sox player Mike Andrews retires as Jimmy Fund Chairman, after dedicating more than 30 years in support of Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund.

Jimmy Fund chairman Mike Andrews at the Jimmy Fund Clinic with patients
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Jimmy Fund chairman Mike Andrews at the Jimmy Fund Clinic with patients

2009

Former Red Sox player Mike Andrews retires as Jimmy Fund Chairman, after dedicating more than 30 years in support of Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund.

2013

The Jimmy Fund and the Boston Red Sox celebrate the 60th anniversary of their historic partnership.

Red Sox players and staff celebrate 60 years with the Jimmy Fund with a check presentation
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Red Sox players and staff celebrate 60 years with the Jimmy Fund with a check presentation

2013

The Jimmy Fund and the Boston Red Sox celebrate the 60th anniversary of their historic partnership.

2014

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team, the largest charity team in the Boston Marathon®, celebrates its 25th year running to raise money for the Claudia Adams-Barr Program for Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber, which funds the...

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team
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The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team

2014

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team, the largest charity team in the Boston Marathon®, celebrates its 25th year running to raise money for the Claudia Adams-Barr Program for Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber, which funds the creative research and innovative ideas of scientists and investigators.

2016

Boston Red Sox President/CEO Emeritus, Larry Lucchino, is named Chairman of the Jimmy Fund. Lucchino, also a Dana-Farber patient and a member of the Board of Trustees, serves as a dedicated and passionate advocate until his passing in 2024.

Larry Lucchino with a Dana-Farber patient
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Larry Lucchino with a Dana-Farber patient

2016

Boston Red Sox President/CEO Emeritus, Larry Lucchino, is named Chairman of the Jimmy Fund. Lucchino, also a Dana-Farber patient and a member of the Board of Trustees, serves as a dedicated and passionate advocate until his passing in 2024.

2021

The Dana-Farber Campaign launches, becoming the most ambitious fundraising effort in the Institute’s history and one of the largest ever in the U.S. focused solely on cancer. Key funding priorities supported by the Jimmy Fund include next...

Dana-Farber researchers in a lab
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Dana-Farber researchers in a lab

2021

The Dana-Farber Campaign launches, becoming the most ambitious fundraising effort in the Institute’s history and one of the largest ever in the U.S. focused solely on cancer. Key funding priorities supported by the Jimmy Fund include next-generation cancer drugs, immunotherapy, and prevention and early detection.

2023

The Jimmy Fund celebrates a monumental milestone: 75 years of its generous and dedicated community supporting cancer research and care at Dana-Farber. Members of the Institute’s founding families—Dana, Farber, Koster, Lockwood, Perini, Redstone...

Einar Gustafson’s family at the Jimmy Fund 75th celebration
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Jimmy Fund founding families at the Jimmy Fund 75th celebration

2023

The Jimmy Fund celebrates a monumental milestone: 75 years of its generous and dedicated community supporting cancer research and care at Dana-Farber. Members of the Institute’s founding families—Dana, Farber, Koster, Lockwood, Perini, Redstone, Smith, Sullivan, and Yawkey, along with the family of the original “Jimmy,” Einar Gustafson—reunite to celebrate the progress they made possible.

2024

The Dana-Farber Campaign concludes. Driven in part by funds raised through the Jimmy Fund, the Campaign surpasses its goal, raising a staggering total of more than $2.5 billion for cancer research and care at Dana-Farber.

The Dana-Farber Campaign logo
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The Dana-Farber Campaign logo

2024

The Dana-Farber Campaign concludes. Driven in part by funds raised through the Jimmy Fund, the Campaign surpasses its goal, raising a staggering total of more than $2.5 billion for cancer research and care at Dana-Farber.

Chairs of the Jimmy Fund 

The role of the Jimmy Fund Chairs is to serve as lead ambassadors and public spokespeople for the Jimmy Fund, helping to strengthen community relationships and drive forward important fundraising initiatives to support Dana-Farber. Learn about the current Jimmy Fund Chairs on our Leadership page.

Tom Caron and Brock Holt wearing Jimmy Fund jerseys at Fenway Park
Jimmy Fund Co-Chairs Tom Caron (left), NESN Red Sox Broadcaster, and Brock Holt (right), Boston Red Sox Alumnus.

The Jimmy Fund Through the Years

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