Barrick Gold sponsors Washington trip for young cancer survivors

Barrick Gold’s U.S. Vice President of Public Affairs, Michael Brown, assists Nevada families on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as they seek more funding for pediatric cancer research.

Walking hand-in-hand up the path toward Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., six-year-old Mikayla Jeppson and 11-year-old Bailey Johnson looked very much like two children on a school field trip.

But the pair was not in Washington to see the sights. They traveled all the way from their home state of Nevada to petition the government to increase funding for pediatric cancer research.

Both survivors of a childhood cancer diagnosis, the pair and their parents visited the offices of Nevada’s federal representatives as part of an annual lobbying event organized by the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. The two-day event draws advocates from across the country to the capital to lobby the government to spend more on cancer research.

Accompanying the children and their parents was Michael Brown, Barrick Gold’s vice president of U.S. Public Affairs, who volunteered his time and expertise to help the families learn how to effectively bring their issues to Washington.

“It was wonderful to see such young children taking action on an issue that has always been an enormous part of their lives,” Brown said. “We are proud to be a part of it.”

Barrick Gold sponsored the trip from Nevada to Washington for the children and their families. The sponsorship is part of a larger commitment Barrick Gold has made to the Foundation, which includes financial contributions and voluntary support at the organization’s annual Paddle for Pediatric Cancer event.