Of the award, Katie said,"Thank you so much! I am so incredibly humbled and honored to be the recipient of the 2020 Wyoming Jefferson Award! Thank you to the Jefferson Award Committee of Wyoming for this tremendous honor and to the person who nominated me! This is such a great honor, and I am absolutely grateful to represent the great state of Wyoming!
When I started the Olivia Caldwell Foundation nearly 7 years ago just after my daughter died, I never could have imagined what this would turn into. At the time I was shocked, horribly sad, and trying desperately to find some meaning from the horror I had watched my daughter experience at the hands of pediatric cancer. In those 7 years we have seen real change and real progress in the fight for our missions! We’ve seen the cure come for several types of pediatric cancer, including the one that killed my own baby girl. We’ve also seen the addition of the Pediatric Specialty Outreach Clinic in Casper, which brings expert pediatric care to Wyoming kids without the need to travel out of state. None of this progress would have been possible without the amazing support we receive from the Casper community and beyond! The evolution of where we have gotten to has been the result of hard work and dedication by so many amazing people! I want to say thank you to the incredible board and staff of the Olivia Caldwell Foundation, both past and present. These absolutely amazing people have dedicated countless hours, donated their own hard-earned money, and worked their tails off to make sure other families don’t have to lose their children to this horrific disease. I love each and every one of you and I am so thankful to have you to fight this battle with me! I want to say thank you also to my wonderful family who has stood by my side and helped tremendously over all of these years. To my parents who uprooted their lives and came here to Wyoming when Olivia was sick and have continued to support us above and beyond. Thank you! I want to say thank you also to my wonderful husband Wayne. Thank you for always supporting me, pushing me to follow my dreams, being my best volunteer, and being so willing to do whatever it takes to make sure I can pursue this mission wholeheartedly. I love you honey! Thank you also to my little boys, Wyatt and Landon, for your love and willingness to pursue this mission with me to honor your sister! There is still so much work to be done! But thank you just isn’t enough for everyone who has supported us to get to where we are today! Thank you to all of our volunteers, sponsors, partner organizations, donors, and everyone who has ever attended one of our fundraising events! You are the reason why more children will be able to survive pediatric cancer and why life will continue to get better for more children with complicated medical conditions! Thank you again!"
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