Heroes Milestones-- Quinceanera

Heroes for Children is planning a Quinceanera for the Heroes Milestones program. With the help of HFC Friends we are providing a young woman with the Quinceanera of her dreams.

Jocelyn has been battling cancer for over a year now. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her knee. After the first 3 month round of chemo, she was then told that she needed to have a complete knee replacement to insure all of the infected bone was removed. The operation seemed to be a success. Following the surgery she had to proceed with 7 more months of treatment. If being in the hospital secluded from friends and family was not bad enough, during this time her mother who was already staying home from work to help take care of Jocelyn, had given birth to a little boy. While this brought joy to everyone, they soon found out that he too would have a life of ups and downs and struggles for he was diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Jocelyn completed her 11 months of treatments and was told she looked to be in the clear. Her body responded well to the chemo and all of the cancer was removed, but then her doctors noticed that her heart had taken an immense beating throughout the chemotherapy. She now waits to see if she will need a heart transplant on top of everything else that she was already gone through.

Her family has been burdened with outrageous medical bills and was unable to plan a Quinceanera for Jocelyn. Heroes for Children, with the help of HFC Friends has stepped in to provide Jocelyn with this great celebration for her and her family.

On May 31st, Jocelyn will have the opportunity to share her coming of age with friends and family. Thanks to everyone for their contributions and effort to make this event a memorable one for Jocelyn. With the generous support of HFC Friends, we have provided Jocelyn with her dress and accessories, cake, invitations and much more!

If you would like to help with the event, we need a few more odds and ends and a few volunteers. Please contact Christi if you would like more information about the Quinceanera or Heroes Milestones.

Letter of Thanks

Heroes for Children recently assisted a young man, Anthony, with both financial assistance as well as a gift of a laptop through our Laptops for Love program. Today, this letter of thanks was in our mail.....

Dear Heroes for Children,

Thank you for helping my son and our family. At first, when the social worker at the hospital told us about your organization and your willingness to help, I was overwhelmed, feeling we did not deserve such generosity and kindness. I personaly have never been good at asking for or accepting help, but we are learning. Since my son's diagnosis on December 8, 2007, life has been a whirlwind. There has been so much too learn. Learn about cancer, learn about nutrition, medicines, shots, side effects, blood counts, clinic, hospitals, insurance, and all this information felt like it was coming at us all at one time. Add to that worrying about finances and loss of income. Your generosity has helped ease our immediate needs. Thank you!

My 17 year old son, my only child, a senior in high school was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer. The mass was located around his heart and trachea, and he was in very serious condition when we arrived at Cook Children's Medical Center. Ten days in ICU and then another seven on the cancer floor. After four rounds of chemo and 14 days of radiation we now hope and pray that the cancer is gone and that minimal damage, or better yet no damage, has been done to his heart and lungs.

Anthony is doing well as he has throughout treatment. He has been an inspiration to me and those he comes into contact with. He has remained positive through this experience. It has changed him, not just physically, or medically, but at his core. His compassion for others has grown. He has always been a very sincere young man, but it seems more so now.

On June 1, 2008, Anthony will graduate with his class as a Texas Scholar. In August, he will attend the Texas Massage Institute and in the spring of 2009 will begin college studying to become a Doctor of Chiropractics.

Again, I thank you so much. Your organization truly did make a difference!

Sincerely,

Anthony's mom

May Volunteers of the Month

I love when families get involved together in volunteering their time! This month's Volunteer of the Month entry comes in a pair. Angie and Phillip Knight are both getting involved this year with our 5K Run/Walk. Phillip serves as our Sponsorship Chiar, and Angie is working with Logistics. We're lucky to have such great families like the Knights involved with Heroes for Children. The added bonus is that they are so fun to be around! I truly enjoy being around them each and every time. My daughter LOVES to play with their daughter, Natalie!

Happy reading! I'm sure you will love the Knights as much as we do!

Name, Age, Occupation:
Angie Knight, 32, Stay home Mom/Educational Diagnostician
Phillip Knight, 33 (I’m technically 3 months older than her, but way behind in the maturity factor), Information Systems Manager, Merit Energy Company

How did you get involved with HFC?
Allan and Jennifer Rayson were our original “recruiters” for the Heroes 5K event. The timing was impeccable, as we were both looking for ways to be more involved in the community.

Do you have any kids and/or pets?
We have two kids, Mason (4) and Natalie (2). We had a cat named Chico who ran away once he found out we were having our second child. J We had an iguana when we first got married, but let it loose on a country road half-way to Denton. According to our calculations, he should be about 100 feet long by now and could swallow a human being. You might lock the car doors if you’re driving in the area.

From looking at you, no one would guess that…..
Angie – I once got kicked out of a soccer game for fighting…. And I have a lovely tattoo…. My parents are so proud!
Phillip – I once had long hair (Angie will admit she was jealous of my golden locks back then). I like to call that my Grateful Dead phase. I think Angie gets a little nervous when I zone out in my guitar jam sessions every now and then. Ahhhhh good times…

Favorite place to eat:
Angie – Nobu (Sushi)
Phillip – without a doubt Nobu. I habitually crave that raw tuna!

What’s on your book shelf?
A bunch of technology books about programming with some funny looking guy on the back of the book (Angie wrote that). Also some special education books, inspirational /devotional books and a bible.

What’s in your iPod/CD changer?
We’re about as diverse as could be….
Angie admits to Top 40, jazz, Madonna, techno for workout purposes, Sarah McLachlan & Nora Jones.
Phillip admits to just about every other genre out there (with a tendency to avoid top 40). Classical, Classic Rock, Alternative/Metal, Country, Hip-Hop/Rap, Blues, Reggae, Jazz…and of course the jam bands.

Who’s your hero?
Angie – my grandmother. A strong woman of faith who raised 5 boys and survived!
Phillip – Angie’s mother (and father). I admire anyone that survived 18 years with my wife and lived to tell about it!

Power of the Purse

Heroes for Children is proud to announce the final totals of Heroes and Handbags 2008! Our Houston event raised a total of $329,000, and the Dallas event held one week later raised $332,000! With a combined total of $661,000, Heroes and Handbags was a tremendous success!

Ladies and handbags really is the perfect combination, don't you think? Thank you to all the special people that made this event happen. We are very grateful to have such incredible supporters behind the organization to help create such success events such as these two.

The best part about raising so much? Helping families like this sweet little girl's, Morgan. Worth every minute of planning.

Photos courtesy of Brett Chisholm Photography

April Volunteer of the Month

Please excuse our tardiness on this post regarding this month's Volunteer of the Month. Heroes and Handbags was all consuming! Luckily, we had volunteers like Danielle to help throughout the time! I'm so excited to share this months volunteer, Danielle Soffa, with our readers. Danielle has recently started volunteering on a consistent basis with the staff at Heroes for Children. I've gotten used to seeing her in the office every Monday morning at the volunteer computer in our workroom assisting with post event wrap details. We've had her alphabetizing, entering data, and sorting handbags. She's done it all with a smile! Besides her office volunteer time, she has also joined the Heroes for Children 5K Run/Walk committee with the Logistics groups. It's Danielle's job to make sure that we have enough snacks and goodies at the event. Not a small feat for an expected crowd of 1,500 participants, but she'll do great!

Name, Age, Occupation:

Danielle Soffa, 30, mom and wife

How did you get involved with HFC?

I followed Allie's story from very early on. I read Jenny's daily updates and was amazed by her strength and courage. I thought of Allie often and prayed for a miracle. When HFC was started I had 2 small children but I knew I wanted to get involved so when both my kids started going to preschool, I vowed to get involved and started volunteering weekly in the HFC office.

Do you have any kids and/or pets?

I have 2 wonderful kids, Brayden 5 and Kennedy 3, and two mischievous dogs.

From looking at you, no one would guess that…..

Something about me you won’t know is that I have complete 3 sprint distance triathlons and a marathon.

Favorite place to eat:

Anywhere that serves macaroni and cheese to make my kids happy so that I can enjoy my meal...I don't get out kid-less much ;)

What’s on your book shelf?

Everything written by Nicholas Sparks, The Official Guide to Walt Disney World, To Kill a Mockingbird and My Sister's Keeper by Judi Picoult will be there soon once I finish reading it.

What’s in your iPod/CD changer?

Lots of country music...Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and then a mix of others...Home by Daughtry, Bubbly by Colbie Caillat, Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, a few American Idol downloads and my most recent addition...I'm a Little Teapot (Kennedy's dance recital song).

Who’s your hero?

My hero is my sister-in-law Tracy. She is a full-time teacher as well as a professional triathlete. Just hearing her training schedule tires me out but she gets up at 4am every morning to train and then finishes what she didn’t get to after teaching all day. Her dedication, strength, endurance, courage, and charisma inspire me daily. And the fact that she puts up with my brother is a feat in itself!

Heroes and Handbags x 2!!

Wow!! What an incredible two weeks it has been!! Preparing for our largest two fundraisers to occur within 10 days of each other is quite a feat!! Luckily, we have an amazing office staff, and two amazing event chairs, Elizabeth Gambrell in Dallas, and Mary Lou Fernandez in Houston. We are also blessed with a committee of dedicated, hardworking volunteers who work hard for over 10 months to make these events the huge successes that they are!
Houston Heroes and Handbags was held on Wednesday, March 26th at River Oaks Country Club. With a silent auction of over 160 handbags to bid on, the champagne was flowing and the 500 plus women (and a few lucky men) were in shopping heaven!!
Valobra donated a GORGEOUS custom designed diamond ring with two hearts on it, especially for Heroes for Children. The hearts representing Taylor and Allie. One lucky lady won the raffle and wore it home on her finger! What a prize!! Elaine Turner and her crew were there with a huge display of Elaine Turner bags up for grabs! As I cruised by the table, many of them had already been sold with the "buy it now" option!! No surprise, as her bags are gorgeous! They also had on hand the Taylor and Allie bags available for presale, with 50% of the sale going back to Heroes! All morning line the ladies were lined up to purchase these great bags! Also, we had a special treat and surprise as Chloe Dao, the Season Two winner from Project Runway showed up with one of her sisters! Jenny was thrilled as she is a HUGE Project Runway fan!!
As we moved into the dining room for brunch, we were treated to a moving and at times hilarious speech by Brian Moreno. Brian is one of our board members, and his son, Austin, is being treated for leukemia. Brian reminded the crowd that childhood cancer could happen to any of our kids, and rallied the ladies (and gents) to fill out their donor cards for Heroes for Children!!

Dallas Handbags was held last Friday, April 4th at The Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The wind, rain and cold weather did not deter the 700 plus ladies from making it to this hot ticket event!! Once again, the silent auction room was full with over 180 vintage and designer handbags all up for grabs! From Chanel to Valentino, the choices were endless! Once again, the ladies from Elaine Turner were on hand with a slew of beautiful bags up for auction. I believe over 60 orders were taken for Allie and Taylor bags too! After the auction ended, the group moved into the Chantilly Ballroom and were treated to the moving speech of Jennifer Houser. Jennifer has been very involved with Heroes for Children in many ways. She and her husband, Doug, are our honorary chairs of the event this year. She also serves on our advisory board, and was very involved with Heroes and Handbags this year. Jennifer's son, Ryan, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2001. Jennifer shared Ryan's story of courage with us. Thankfully, Ryan is healthy and happy. He is a grad student at California State University and is engaged to be married next year. Once again, those in attendance were moved to make a donation and make a difference in the lives of children living with cancer. Another lucky lady won the gorgeous Matthew Trent wraught iron and diamond earrings in the raffle!

At both events we had the pleasure of having several of the families and their children that HFC has assisted there. These children are the reason we work so hard to fundraise for Heroes. They are our mission, and we were blessed to have them there. We also had many of the social workers in attendance. These two events will enable Heroes for Children to continue providing families with much needed financial assistance. Thanks to everyone who attended, i know a great time was had by all! (Hopefully you left with a new handbag on your arm too!) After a long nap, I think I will be ready to start planning for next year!

The Real HEROES for Children

(Photo courtesy of Brett Chisholm Photography)

When I was a middle school teacher, people often commented, "I don't know how you do what you do." Of course, they were referring to the drama of working with adolescents, that strange age of 12-14 year olds. One day they liked chocolate ice cream, the next day they hated it. I would chuckle and tell them that it truly wasn't so bad. They were fun, in their own way.

However, I have often thought this same thought when it comes to the medical social workers I have encountered in my job with Heroes for Children. How do they do it? I don't know how they do what they do. How do they work with some of the sickest children in our country each and every day? How do they interact with the parents with the compassion that always seem to come across in their voice? They must be angels. Or possibly heroes. Yes, that must be it. They are heroes.

Did you know that March is National Social Work month? I didn't know that before I got in this career. But I sure do now! One of the joys of my job each day is the daily interaction with the hospital social workers. Check out our ladies at the top of this page (our models--social workers from Texas Children's Hospital--Mital, Bonnie, Arlene, and Jennifer--love these ladies!). When they enter a patient room, they provide so much more then the forms for financial assistance or resources for cancer patients. They bring hope, understanding, and comfort to these families during their darkest times.

I get calls from social workers every day to discuss what we can do for a patient. They champion for their patients and the parents to make sure that those in need receive the resources they deserve through the various community resources available (HFC being one of those). They work tirelessly for their families and treat them all with love and compassion.

They are the real heroes for children. And I am a better person for knowing the many social workers at all the hospitals we work with.

Heroes for Children is honored to work with the social workers at the following hospitals:

• Medical City Children's Hospital of Dallas
• Children's Medical Center of Dallas
• Cook Children's Medical Center of Ft. Worth
• Christus Santa Rosa Hospital of San Antonio
• MD Anderson Cancer Center of Houston
• Texas Children's Cancer Center of Houston

Thank you, ladies. I'm honored to know you all.