Young cancer patients and their families traded hospital rooms for cotton candy, face painting and slime-making at Kinder Children's Cancer Center in The Woodlands on Thursday, Sept. 24.

The Faris Foundation sponsored the afternoon celebration for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, observed each September. Gold is the campaign's symbol. The event leaned into the color as children and families gathered for music, crafts and treats.

The celebration gave patients a chance to step outside their treatment routines and enjoy an afternoon together close to home, according to a Texas Children's Public Affairs announcement.

Kinder Children's Cancer Center is a joint venture between UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children's, created through a $150 million gift from the Kinder Foundation announced May 14, 2025. The donation, from Rich and Nancy Kinder, was described as one of the largest philanthropic gifts ever made to an American pediatric hospital.

Texas has the second-highest number of pediatric cancer cases in the country, according to UT MD Anderson. Globally, 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year.

The Faris Foundation, which organizes gold-themed parades, carnivals and art parties at children's cancer centers across the country each September, was founded in honor of Faris D. Virani. Virani battled Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and grew frustrated by the lack of public recognition around childhood cancer awareness.

"Don't kids matter? Aren't we important? When I grow up, I will let there be GOLD," Virani said, according to the foundation's October 2025 newsletter. That line became the motto behind the foundation's annual "Let There Be GOLD" campaign.

The foundation's 2025 Brighter Days Golf Classic raised more than $1 million for childhood cancer research and programs. The 2026 edition is scheduled for Oct. 26.