Ponte Vedra Couple Continues to Invest in Brain Cancer Research and Patient Support
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida has received a $5 million donation to The Brain Tumor Network Designated Fund from Rick and Susan Sontag of Ponte Vedra Beach. The Sontags established this fund at The Community Foundation as a continuance of their philanthropic focus on brain cancer research and patient support.
Susan Sontag was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1994 so the family knows from personal experience the difficulty of navigating the medical system to find the best course of treatment. Rick was formerly the President of Unison Industries, an aviation components manufacturer, which was sold to General Electric in 2002. His experience helped inspire the formation of The Sontag Foundation and The Brain Tumor Network. Today Rick manages an investment business and is the President of Brain Tumor Network and The Sontag Foundation, a major sponsor of brain cancer-related research.
The Brain Tumor Network was launched in late 2014 and provides personalized treatment-related navigation services through a staff of credentialed nurses and social workers in consultation with a national network of neuro-oncologists and other medical specialists. This service is provided free to adult patients whose lives have been impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis.
“We are honored to have The Brain Tumor Network Designated Fund here at The Community Foundation, and we are profoundly grateful that the Sontags have made such a generous gift to support this work,” commented Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. “While we all fervently wish for a tomorrow when brain cancer is conquered, the Sontag’s gift will help accelerate that outcome while providing crucial services to those dealing with brain cancer today.”
The Brain Tumor Network Designated Fund, like all designated funds at The Community Foundation, supports a specific nonprofit organization. Individuals or the nonprofit itself may establish a Designated Fund, and anyone—including individuals and corporations—may contribute to these funds.
