The story began in 1985 when four-year-old Colleen Giblin died from an inoperable brain tumor. In the final stages of young Colleen's battle with cancer, her parents, Paul and Vickie Giblin, decided they would work to spare other children similar anguish.

The best hope, the Giblins felt, lay in finding new treatments and cures for children with neurological diseases. With that goal in mind, they instituted a foundation designed to promote research at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, one of the nation's leading research hospitals.

Mickey Farley, Kathie Lee Gifford, Vickie Giblin, Paul Giblin

"Our goal is simple. We hope that a doctor will never again have to say to a mother and dad, 'Take your child home. There's nothing we can do. ' " - Vickie Giblin

In the few short years since those beginnings, The Colleen Giblin Foundation has become one of the most unique and important charities in our region. The foundation:

* is supported by over 5,000 donors and volunteers, including community leaders, corporate and business organizations, and other caring citizens

* is the first foundation in the country dedicated solely to supporting pediatric neurologic research at a major academic medical center

* has raised and donated over $4.5 million dollars for medical research to help children

* supports world renowned doctors and researchers working full-time on medical advances in neurological diseases in The Colleen Giblin Laboratories at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center