American Childhood Cancer Organization
The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO), previously named Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization dedicated to childhood cancer.
Today their membership of over 50,000 members of the national office and more than 100,000 members across the country, including ACCO affiliate groups, includes:
Parents of children who are being treated or have been treated for cancer
Children with cancer
Survivors of childhood cancer
Immediate or extended family members
Bereaved families
Health care professionals
Educators
History
The organization was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by parents of children and adolescents with childhood cancer to advocate for their needs, and to support research so every child survives and leads a long and healthy life. The Candlelighters name is derived from an old Chinese proverb "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Two other Candlelighters organizations formed simultaneously in 1970, one in Florida, the other in California. The initial focus of the Washington D.C. group was legislative; to achieve congressional and administrative support for increased funding for childhood cancer research during the Nixon Administration and the writing of the National Cancer Act.