DEKM Fund: Advocating for the Overlooked

Meet Founder Evelyn Morris and join our mission to amplify the stories of the underrepresented

Our Story

“This is not OK!”

Those words lit the spark.

In 2014, DEKM Fund Founder, Evelyn Morris, her husband David, and their daughter, Kate, began their fight against an early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A newly identified form of leukemia (discovered by St. Jude in 2009), it had a 30%, 5-year survival rate.

The reason Kate survived is because of funding for the research to find a treatment.

Kate went off treatment in 2016 and celebrated her 10 year remission-versary in February 2024.

Evelyn and David got involved with DIPG in 2023. They came across a Facebook post about a little girl who’d been diagnosed with DIPG.

DIPG is a brain tumor, typically found in children, and 100% fatal. Originating in the brain stem, and located just above the back of the neck, it takes over an area that regulates crucial bodily functions: breathing, heart rate, and nerve flow.

Upon seeing the photo, they exclaimed, “That looks just like Kate’s cousin!” Followed by, “This is not OK! Someone needs to do something.”

That was all it took to ignite Evelyn and David into action. They contacted ChadTough that evening and started learning how they could get involved and provide funding for research.

DEKM Fund hope plant growing

The DEKM Fund was founded as a change-making catalyst

We contribute in a meaningful way to causes that are overlooked, and underrepresented.

We work with small, persevering, and compassionate organizations in the trenches working on problems that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

We’re here for:

How we support:

Courageous Advocates

We shine a light on causes that are underrecognized, amplifying stories and journeys of those affected.

Beacons of Awareness

Guiding the way as we raise awareness, inspire others to action, and lift up the voices that go unheard.

Ambassadors of Hope

We embody hope in the face of adversity, fostering perseverance and determination in our pursuit of positive change

Community Leaders

Our vision is to inspire a global movement of compassionate community leaders supporting neglected and unrecognized causes.

A Vision for a Better Tomorrow

Evelyn and David Morris started the DEKM Fund with a vision of a world where every individual, animal, regardless of circumstance, has access to hope, healing, and opportunity. Our goal is to inspire a global movement of compassion and action where neglected causes are recognized, supported, and transformed to improve outcomes.

It starts with a single spark…
will it be yours?

DEKM Fund Change

We believe change is possible.

Healing our broken world starts with YOU.

Stories of Hope

Awareness icon

“We are extremely grateful to the DEKM Fund for their generous contributions to lab for cancer biology,” says Dr. Mancias. “Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to make groundbreaking advances in developing new targets for pancreatic cancer therapies.”

-Dr. Mancias, Mancias Lab at Dana Farber

“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something”

- Max Lucado