A Donation That Helped Bring Smiles 

July 22, 2022

This year, State Farm teamed up with the Roc Solid Foundation to provide a playset to Ellarae Neary, a 4-year-old from Wilmington, Delaware fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

The sponsorship supports the nonprofit’s Roc Solid On Demand program, which provides playsets to families fighting pediatric cancer anywhere in the contiguous United States. Ellarae’s family received all the materials and hardware, as well as Play Kits of Roc Solid swag to make it a great day.

Roc Solid Foundation’s mission is to build hope for families fighting pediatric cancer through the power of play. The organization believes that “play defeats cancer,” because when kids are playing, cancer is the farthest thing from their minds. Additionally, with compromised immune systems during treatment, kids fighting cancer often cannot visit public places or interact with other children. A backyard playset provides them with a safe, germ-free place to play.

Roc Solid has been building backyard playsets since 2009, but since Roc Solid On Demand launched in 2020, the organization’s reach has expanded tremendously. They plan to provide at least 700 playsets to kids fighting cancer throughout the U.S. this year.

“State Farm has been an amazing partner to us,” says Roc Solid Foundation founder and pediatric cancer survivor Eric Newman. “We are so grateful for their continued support as this new program has evolved, so we can continue to provide play to kids during a very difficult time.”

“Giving back to communities where we live and work is a big part of who we are at State Farm,” adds State Farm Corporate Responsibility Analyst Dwayne Redd. “We are excited to partner with Roc Solid and give Ellarae a safe place to play and make memories with her family.”