The mission of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is to provide expert, compassionate care to children and adults with cancer while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases.  As an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute, the Institute also provides training for new generations of physicians and scientists, designs programs that promote public health-particularly among high-risk and underserved populations, and disseminates innovative patient therapies and scientific discoveries to our target community across the United States and throughout the world.

Since its founding in 1948, the Jimmy Fund  has supported the fight against cancer in children and adults at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping to raise the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world.  The Jimmy Fund formed when the Variety Club of New England (now the Variety Children’s Charity of New England) and the Boston Braves baseball team joined forces to help a 12-year-old cancer patient dubbed “Jimmy.”  On a national radio broadcast, millions heard the boy visit his heroes from the Braves as they stood by his hospital bed.  Contributions poured  in from people everywhere, launching an effort that continues to bring hope to thousands of kids and adults!