CURE Childhood Cancer Annual Report 2013-2014

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s u p p o r t p r o g r a m s OPEN ARMS PROGRAM To help defray the overwhelming out-of-pocket expenses that come with lengthy hospital stays, and to provide families with much needed one on one support and fellowship, CURE staff and volunteers serve dinner each Thursday night and lunch each Tuesday at the Scottish Rite and Egleston campuses of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. CURE staff also provide weekly lunches to inpatient families at Children’s Memorial in Savannah. The dinners give families welcomed opportunities to connect with other families sharing a similar journey. CURE staff and volunteers serve not only meals, but smiles, hugs, words of encouragement. And hope. CURE served 104 Open Arms dinners to nearly 9,000 patients, family members and hospital staff. 64 Open Arms lunches were served to 2,560 patients, family members and hospital staff. 1,847 Brown Bag lunches, an extension of our Open Arms program, were delivered to Scottish Rite and Egleston campuses for patient caregivers. Also, as part of our Open Arms programs, we deliver snack bags for families who may have unexpectedly long outpatient clinic visits or unexpected hospital admissions. Or perhaps when siblings have to come along and need a snack. In 2013-2014, we delivered 476 snack bags to families. We also delivered toiletry bags to 210 families. “I just want to say thank you. Sometimes we have little to no food in our room and no money to go to the cafeteria. As a stepmother of a child with cancer, thank you so much for all you do.” COUNSELING PROGRAM In August 2013, CURE launched a very significant new program as a pilot, our Partners in Caring Counseling Program. A needs assessment revealed that families were suffering emotionally from issues arising from childhood cancer hitting their households, and many were unable to receive the professional help they need because of the cost of counseling. CURE partnered with the Summit Counseling Center to offer families professional counseling at little to no cost. Families were able to use the allotted counseling sessions according to their needs — whether grief support, family counseling or individual counseling. During our 2013-2014 pilot year, the Summit provided 38 counseling sessions. We are looking forward to broadly expanding this program next year. “I should have been there for my son on the night of his death. After counseling sessions, my depression lifted completely. For two years, I knew I was stuck, and this got me moving forward again.” BEREAVEMENT CARE We grieve the loss of each and every child who does not survive cancer. Our hearts ache to comfort our families when the unthinkable happens. Each year, we host a Weekend of Hope and Healing, providing families who have lost children the opportunity to come together to remember their children and receive tools to help them through their grief journeys. In February 2014, 121 parents attended the weekend. In one parent’s words, “CURE was with me in the days gripped with fear and disbelief. Thank you for your friendship, fellowship, hugs, smiles and tears.” 2 0
c u r e ch i l d h o o d ca n c e r 2013-2014 a n n ua l r e p o r t MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT WORKSHOP In August 2013, CURE hosted a pilot Marriage Enrichment Workshop program for bereaved couples. Our first six couples attended the workshop to strengthen and deepen their relationship through effective communication strategies. We plan to build on this successful workshop in future years. ANNIVERSARY CARDS We know that many parents who lose children to cancer fear their children will be forgotten. On the anniversary of a child’s death, CURE sends personal cards to families, reminding them that their child will never be forgotten by CURE. In 2013-2014, we mailed 294 handwritten cards. We often hear from families saying how this small gesture is so impactful to them. COMFORT BASKETS When a child is nearing end of life, families sit in constant vigil at the child’s bedside, unwilling or unable to leave the room. While we know we cannot ease the pain of these families, we do want to offer loving comfort. In these circumstances, we deliver CURE Comfort Baskets, filled with fresh fruit, snacks, gum, peppermints, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, coffee mugs, chapstick, lotions, tissues and other items which hopefully offer a small but caring comfort to the families. In 2013-2014, we delivered 10 Comfort Baskets to families. HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE The holidays are typically a time of joy, gifts and fellowship. But for families battling cancer, time and finances are constrained. For them, holidays take a back seat. This year, CURE hosted two holiday parties, in Atlanta and Savannah, for families of children who were diagnosed with cancer. Also, through the Holiday Angels program, generous individuals and companies “adopted” a CURE family and donated gifts for the family’s children. On Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas, children and families at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite and Egleston were treated to festive meals donated by Copeland’s of New Orleans, Whole Foods of Briarcliff and Church’s Chicken. CURE staff, board members and volunteers graciously spent holiday time in the hospital, serving families. 21
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CURE Childhood Cancer Annual Report 2013-2014

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