Who We Are

The Brooklyn Project Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to furthering research and clinical trials for childhood cancer patients in the state of Arkansas. We provide funding to the Innovative Therapies Program of the Hematology\Oncology department at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. This program fuels advances in prevention, treatment, and survivorship so that Arkansas’s childhood cancer patients do not have to leave the state during the most critical time in their treatment.

Founded and organized in 2019 by Justin and Susan Ray, The Brooklyn Project honors, remembers, and celebrates the unique life, strength and personality of their daughter Asher Brooklyn Ray, "Bit". We seek out unique, energetic individuals to join us in our fight for brighter, healthier futures for childhood cancer patients and their families. We began 2019 as a grassroots’ effort to raise awareness and funds about the needs of childhood cancer patients in the state of Arkansas.

Asher was diagnosed in 2012 at the age of 3 with Ewing’s sarcoma, the 2nd most prevalent bone cancer in children. A rare and nasty cancer that mutates and metastasizes quickly, Asher went through years of standard therapies that were half century to decades old. The results ravaged her tiny body while only keeping the cancer at bay for short periods of time. New and better treatments were either non-existent or states away from family, friends and her major support system.

In 2016, recognizing a need for more research and clinical trials at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the Innovative Therapies Program (ITP) was formed. Asher was the very first patient treated in the program. Today, dozens of children whose treatment demand the latest in innovation and technology are being treated in the ITP. The Brooklyn Project Foundation intends to assist in making those innovations and technologies possible. As a result, our organization exceeded first year financial goals and head into 2020 with high expectations.

“Our goal is to accelerate the breakthroughs bringing us closer to a cure to speed up the progress that will improve survivorship and quality of life for Ewing’s Sarcoma and other childhood cancer patients today.” – Susan and Justin Ray

Over 15,000 children are diagnosed with some form of cancer yearly in the United States. Hundreds of those children live and are treated in Arkansas. Ninety percent of those are treated at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Dozens of those will exhaust harsh standard therapy without a cure. Research is key to newer, safer and more effective treatment. No institution can do this alone.

And that's not all.

We have a profound responsibility to ensure that our children have the best doctors, nurses, technicians, researchers and equipment our great state can offer.