Ella’s Tea Party and Arizona Motor Vehicle Department partner to raise childhood cancer awareness

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the Motor Vehicle Department has a new way to help pay for research and treatment of childhood cancer here in the Valley.

When we first brought you Ella's story back in February, little Ella was trying to teach ABC15's Amy Murphy how to play soccer.

The 5-year-old was running and hula hooping, showing very few signs of her 3-year-long battle with cancer.

On Wednesday, Ella's non-profit organization, Ella's Tea Party , had some pretty good news to announce.

"On Monday, the MVD will release a new license plate that will benefit childhood cancer research here in Arizona,” said Ella’s father Lyndon Vidrine.

Vidrine started Ella’s Tea Party as a way to raise money for childhood cancer research.

“It was a challenging process,” said Vidrine. “The plates require legislative approval on top of going through MVD for approval of the design."

It took the folks at Ella’s Tea Party four long years to get license plates approved. And as for that design?

“That was a 7-year-old girl from Phoenix Children’s Hospital; her name is Cammie Weeks,” said Vidrine.  “That's a self portrait of her that really embodies the spirit of ‘this is what I look like now after treatment.’”

For every childhood cancer license plate sold, $17 goes directly to childhood cancer research right here in the Valley. Before you get yours, Vidrine says you'll need to get in line behind him.

“Absolutely, I’ve got number one,” laughed Vidrine.”