Feltz WealthPLAN and Angels Among Us are helping to ease the financial burden of families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nebraska has the seventh highest rate of pediatric cancer in the U.S., higher than any other Midwestern state.
“The No. 1 diagnosis (in the Nebraska pediatric cancer population) is brain cancer, and the second is leukemia,” said Susie Nelson, Angels Among Us executive director. “Both of these cancers typically entail long treatment plans that last months and sometimes years, and families often experience financial toxicity as a result.”
To compound financial stress, the two Nebraska-based hospitals that serve pediatric cancer patients — Children’s Nebraska and Nebraska Medicine — are both located in Omaha, generating travel expenses for families who live elsewhere in the state or region.
Since its inception in 2006, Angels Among Us has provided emotional support and financial assistance to families who’ve received a childhood cancer diagnosis. With support from valued partners like Feltz WealthPLAN, the organization is able to make approximately $1 million available to more than 80 new families each year.
“In many cases, one parent has to either cut back on work or leave a job altogether to care for their child,” Nelson said. “They’re away from home and in the hospital a lot, which drains their PTO pretty quickly. It all adds up to create financial strain almost immediately.”
Angels Among Us doesn’t distribute funds directly to families but instead makes sustained rent, mortgage and bill payments directly on their behalf. On average, families remain under the AAU umbrella for around 16 months.
The relationship between Feltz WealthPLAN and Angels Among Us goes back nearly 15 years when Feltz managing director Wade Behlen’s wife, Christine, helped get the organization off the ground. A former radio host and established leader in the financial planning community, Todd Feltz founded Feltz WealthPLAN in 1987, growing the firm’s footprint into 38 states before his untimely passing on March 7 this year after a valiant cancer battle of his own.
“Todd was a fighter, and so are all the children who are currently facing this terrible disease,” Behlen said. “Todd’s wife, Amy; his children Ryan, Jenny and Damon; his brother Dan; and Dan’s wife, Julie, all continue to work at our firm. It’s truly a family-first business full of people who care about their community.”
To honor Todd’s memory, Angels Among Us and Feltz WealthPLAN recently announced a new Todd Feltz Competitive Scholarship for pediatric cancer survivors who are interested in pursuing post-secondary education. The partnership is hoping to award its first round of recipients next summer.
Angels Among Us fundraising events this year include an annual gala celebration, a “Birds and Beer” gathering for young Omaha professionals, a corporate summer golf outing and a “Moustaches for Kids” effort that raised nearly $1 million last May. Ongoing contributions are still greatly needed.
“Every family has been affected by cancer in some way, and you quickly realize there really are angels who walk among us,” Nelson said. “That’s the impetus behind our mission. We are there for these families so they know they don’t have to walk this journey alone.”
To make a donation to Angels Among Us, go to myangelsamongus.org. To learn more about Feltz WealthPLAN, please visit feltzwealthplan.com.
