For decades, Stephen and Karen Sanger have had a passion for the University of Michigan. Stephen, who graduated with an MBA from the U of M in 1970, has always had a keen interest in developing leadership programs. In 2015, they donated $20 million to the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business to found the Sanger Leadership Center, which is dedicated to developing leaders with the mindset, skill set, and personal vision to make a positive difference in the world.
When Karen Sanger first saw Chad Carr at a Michigan football game shortly after his diagnosis, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Decades before, Karen’s best friend lost a brother to leukemia. Chad could have been the boy’s identical twin. All of those initial feelings of grief from her youth came flooding back to her.
“Back then, leukemia was a death sentence. In the last 40 years, the treatment of leukemia has changed significantly. If we could in some way do the same thing to advance pediatric brain cancer research, that would be huge,” said Karen.
Karen and Stephen attended the first ChadTough gala and have stayed involved ever since. “What ChadTough has accomplished in such a small amount of time is nothing short of amazing, and we are proud to be a Partner.” The Sanger Family Foundation grants ChadTough dollars to help cover administrative costs, which ensures more funds go directly to research.