New ACCO Board Member Mr. Ken Wegner, President of Jel Sert
The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) is very pleased to introduce as its newest Board Member Mr. Ken Wegner, President of the Jel Sert Company and father of a childhood cancer survivor. Mr. Wegner is the grandson of Jel Sert founders Charles and Lillian Wegner, and has worked at Jel Sert since 1985, first as Director of Purchasing and then as President since 1997, although he notes that his employment at Jel Sert really began right from childhood, when he and other children in the family would help suggest, and test, new products and flavors! A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Mr. Wegner has a long and noted history of charitable and philanthropic endeavors, including serving as Chairman of the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, a board member at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, and membership in WPO – Chicago.
ACCO & Jel Sert Partnership
Mr. Wegner’s partnership with ACCO began in 2008 with the introduction of two incredibly important programs in support of childhood cancer awareness. First, Jel Sert began proudly displaying the gold ribbon, the internationally-recognized awareness symbol for childhood cancer, as well as information about ACCO on their Fla-Vor-Ice freezer pops. Jel Sert’s support for the Gold Ribbons for Childhood Cancer Awareness now extends to many more of their packaging, including Otter Pops and Pop-Ice. Second, Jel Sert founded the Take a Pop, Share a Smile program. Recognizing that freezer pops play a critical role in easing the pain of mouth sores, keeping children hydrated, and alleviating many other negative side effects of cancer treatment, Jel Sert generously donates freezers and a continuous supply of freezer pops to more than 115 childhood cancer treatment centers across the United States. Jel Sert’s ongoing partnership with the ACCO and support of the ACCO’s mission to raise awareness about this disease became personal for Mr. Wegner when his teenage son was diagnosed with cancer in 2011.
About Jel Sert
Since its founding by the Wegner family in 1926, Jel Sert has been a family-owned company located in West Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Wegner continues his grandparents’ commitment to offering innovative, high quality, and great tasting food products, following the guiding principles of quality, flavor, fun, and value instituted by Charles Wegner back in 1926. Jel Sert’s products currently include freezer bars, dessert mixes, powdered drink mixes, and ready-to-drink beverages. Jel Sert’s nationally-recognized brand names include, among others, Wyler’s, Wyler’s Light, Pop- Ice, Flavor-Aid, Fla-Vor-Ice, Royal, My*T*Fine, Otter Pops, and Mondo.
Today, Jel Sert employs more than 1,000 employees in US-based manufacturing plants that continue Jel Sert’s commitment to maintaining the highest possible quality standards, meeting the standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry. Incorporating these industry standards into its manufacturing practices has enabled Jel Sert to produce pharmaceutical-grade products such as Pedia Care Pops for Pfizer and Pedialyte for Abbott Labs. Jel Sert’s consist commitment to quality and innovation have enabled it to compete nationally with significantly larger food manufacturers; its products are currently distributed to more than 60,000 retail outlets across the country!
We appreciate Mr. Wegner’s and Jel Sert’s ongoing support of the ACCO and the childhood cancer community, and look forward to working closely with Mr. Wegner as we continue to pursue and develop the ACCO’s mission to build awareness about childhood cancer and the needs of families who are facing or who have faced this terrible disease.
About American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO)
The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) is a non-profit charity dedicated to helping kids with cancer and their families navigate the difficult journey from cancer diagnosis through survivorship and bereavement. At the national level, the ACCO promotes the critical importance of ensuring continued funding into new and better treatment protocols for childhood cancer. At the grassroots level, the ACCO is focused on the children: developing and providing educational tools for families and learning resources for children in order to make the lives of children and their families a bit easier and perhaps even brighter during this difficult time. Many of our resources are available free of charge for families coping with childhood cancer.
For additional information on our resources or information on how to obtain our resources free of charge, please visit our website at www.acco.org.
For more information about the American Childhood Cancer Organization and how we can help, call 855.858.2226 or visit:
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Dr. Aune is a childhood cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 16 and as an adult, has suffered serious late effects as a result of the highly toxic chemotherapy regimens required to treat his disease. However, Dr. Aune has harnessed his personal experiences into a lifelong dedication to studying the impact of childhood cancer protocols on cardiac health, developing less toxic chemotherapy regimens, and building awareness about the critical needs for additional research on more effective, less dangerous childhood cancer treatments.
Mr. Janson is a Principal at Mojo Lab LLC, an advertising agency and production house in Spokane, Washington that has collaborated with the ACCO as well as numerous local and international childhood cancer organizations on several critical fundraising projects, including the Kemper Foods Pizza Ribbon fundraising campaign. However, Mr. Janson’s dedication to fighting childhood cancer started long before Mojo Lab’s collaboration with ACCO. Mr. Janson first become interested in the fight against childhood cancer when he heard his brother-in-law’s story. Michael Moyles is a three-time brain cancer survivor! In 2010, Mr. Janson and Mr. Moyles founded Team Michael Moyles, a cancer charity fundraising team. While in Austin, Texas to accept national recognition for the success of this organization, Mr. Janson and Mr. Moyles participated in a 5k fundraising run led by dozens of pedicabs carrying local children battling cancer. Watching these brave cancer warriors only inspired Mr. Janson to work harder on behalf of all children facing this dreaded disease. He has since founded HOPE Run Spokane and works closely with the American Childhood Cancer Organization Inland NW. He is very excited to lend his experience and enthusiasm to the fight against childhood cancer at the national level through his participation in the ACCO Board of Directors.