About Jill Just Wants 2 Help

Our Mission

Jill Just Wants 2 Help (JJW2H) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing assistance to families with children and young adults undergoing cancer treatment. Created in 2009 in memory of Jillian Siegel, the organization’s mission captures Jill’s extraordinary spirit and lifelong devotion to making a difference.

Building the Dream

Our ultimate vision at JJW2H is to build a residence, a home that will provide shelter and support to families whose children are receiving treatment for cancer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Your Support

Contributions to JJW2H go to a dedicated endowment fund at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP).

Until the goal of building a residence is realized, interest earned on the Fund serves a vital role in providing financial assistance to families trying to meet every day needs while caring for a child in the hospital.

Funds are not used for medical expenses, but for essential, every day needs such as gas or transportation to and from the hospital, babysitters for younger family members, or hotel rooms for families who have travelled a distance to reach HUP. Every dollar makes a difference, and can lighten the weight for those already carrying an impossible burden.

A Lesson in Courage and Selflessness

It was Jillian Siegel herself, who without realizing it, laid out the mission for the nonprofit organization that would be created in her name. Despite her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2008, the 20-year-old Penn State sophomore would continue to focus all of her attention and energy on helping others.

Committed to supporting Penn State’s THON – the largest student-run philanthropy in the world – Jill raised $3,000 for the fight against pediatric cancer from her hospital bed at Johns Hopkins, all while undergoing chemotherapy and awaiting a potential donor match for a bone marrow transplant.

Her concern centered on the wellbeing of the other young people she befriended on the hospital ward, and their families. She witnessed the financial and emotional toll that cancer was taking on them, and she felt fortunate, because both of her parents could be by her side to support her in every way.

Jill lost her battle with AML in February 2009. For all who had the privilege of knowing her, she continues to be an inspiration.

Making It Count

Jill’s parents, Nancy and Phil Siegel, knew there could be no more fitting tribute to their daughter than to continue her legacy. Jill possessed a commitment to live life to the fullest, a selflessness that always put the concerns of others before her own, and an unyielding desire to help – especially children – in any way possible.

JJW2H was founded to carry on the dreams of a remarkable young woman who understood only achievement – not setbacks – and who celebrated the potential of every one of us to positively affect the lives of those around us. After all, life is not defined by the difficulties we face, but by how we face them, and the purpose we find through those experiences.

Making It Real

Founding a successful charitable organization is a momentous undertaking. It can seem nearly insurmountable, despite the most honorable of intentions. The Siegel Family took a note from Jillian’s extraordinary resolve, and surrounded by a growing community of supporters, JJW2H is achieving its vision.

Since its inception in 2009, JJW2H has raised more than $300,000 toward the goal of building the home that will carry Jill's name and forward her mission. Until then, interest earned on the Fund is thoughtfully utilized to help meet the day-to-day needs of families with children and young adults currently receiving treatment for cancer.