This Star Won’t Go Out

This Star Won’t Go Out is a Quincy-based nonprofit that supports New England families facing childhood cancer, starting with financial help. Its grants are meant to ease the burden of bills so parents can focus on their child’s treatment instead of worrying about money. Donations go directly to families, and the organization shares the stories of its STAR Kids to show supporters how their gifts give a family hope and aid a child’s treatment.

The organization shares its name with the memoir of Esther Earl, a teenager who died of thyroid cancer in 2010 and whose family founded the charity in her memory. Her story continues to reach people: one recent grant recipient, a pediatric oncology nurse diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2025, credits Esther’s memoir with inspiring her career, and a grant eased the strain of being unable to work during treatment.

What to Know

• The organization has held a Shine Under the Stars Gala, where STAR Kids have been featured.
• STAR Kids it has helped have faced leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma and an optic pathway glioma.
• Donations of any size are accepted.