Our Purpose
We Believe in Katie, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that seeks to honor Katie Udelhofen-Clark's young life tragically cut short after a yearlong battle with leukemia. The goal of our work is to raise awareness and funds for blood cancer research, support Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and provide scholarships for high school seniors. These causes reflect the strength and dignity she so bravely exhibited throughout her year-long struggle with cancer and the values and principles she strove to live by.
Our Mission
We Believe in Katie, Inc., honors Katie's battle with cancer, promotes cancer research and strives to help those less fortunate.
The Inception of “We Believe in Katie”
In the fall of 2016, shortly after Katie lost her battle with leukemia, a small group of her friends planned a birthday party/fundraiser on April 28, 2017. This would have been Katie’s 33rd birthday. Their intention was to honor Katie’s life and deepen her legacy by raising funds for blood cancer research and grant wishes to children who are struggling with life-threatening illness through Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. The event was a fun-filled evening of music, refreshments, and silent auction that celebrated Katie’s life and raised funds for causes Katie believed in. We raised over $21,000.00, an amount that greatly exceeded our expectations.
Given this success we decided to become a 501 (c)(3) organization and invited others to help us. With the help and support of so many, we have continued our fundraising and cancer awareness efforts by participating in other smaller fundraising opportunities throughout the year and continuing the larger event held on or near her birthday in April.
To date, We Believe in Katie, Inc. has raised over $160,000.00 making it possible to award 4 scholarships to Verona Area High School Seniors, grant five wishes via Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, support a specific blood cancer research study at the Carbone Cancer Center in Madison and support the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society of Wisconsin.
Our fundraising efforts continued until the spring of 2020 when the pandemic put a halt to any type of large group gatherings and impacted other fundraising opportunities.
Thankfully the pandemic has subsided, and we are pleased to announce, “Katie’s Birthday Benefit – 2023.” While we are excited about the benefit , we’ve decided it will be our last large-scale fundraising event.
Katie was a deeply loving remarkable young woman who is profoundly missed. Believing in something bigger than ourselves and giving back to others truly reflects how she tried to live her life. Her legacy is strengthened and continues through “We Believe in Katie.”