Who I Am

I am a wife to a loving and understanding husband and a mom to 2 beautiful and wonderful kids, Brayden, age 5 and Kennedy, age 3. Before coming to Heroes for Children I worked for a nonprofit blood bank in California. When my son was born in 2003 I became a stay at home. We moved our family of 3 to Texas in 2004. Right around this time, I was involved in an online mom’s board and two days after Allie was diagnosed with AML there was a site message that took us to http://www.scotthousehold.com (yes, I was one of those internet stalkers). I was immediately captivated by those blue eyes and her mom’s strength. I remember staying up late hoping for the day’s update, many times reading through tears. I remember being in awe of how much courage Jenny had to share every bit of Allie with so many people. Shortly after moving to Texas we found out we were pregnant with our baby girl. When Allie passed away I so badly wanted to go to her funeral but I felt I would be intruding on this family I only knew through the computer. I continued to follow Allie’s story. When Jenny and Larissa started HFC I knew I wanted to get involved but I also had a 6 month old (who screamed A LOT!!) and a 2 year old with no family in the area to help me with babysitting. I participated in the 5K in 2005 to support HFC and still knew that I wanted and needed to get involved with the organization.


In the fall of 2007, Brayden started his last year of preschool and at registration time (that happens 8 months before the school year starts) I didn’t register Kennedy, thinking she wouldn’t be ready. But of course she proved me wrong the first day of school when she kicked and screamed “where is my class,” while I dragged her away and right pass the director. She gave me one of those I told you so looks but also offered to see what she can find for Kennedy. Oh the excitement I felt walking out of that school that morning. I was going to have both my kids in school 2 days a week. It took 2 months for them to find a spot for Kennedy but once they did, both Kennedy and I were hooked...preschool rocks!


By January I was feeling the need to do something with my free time. I had too much of it apparently. So I finally filled out the volunteer form for HFC! In March I started with addressing envelopes and that progressed to volunteering every Monday in the office while my kids were at preschool. Jenny and I hit it off and I feel like we walked into each other’s lives at the precise moment we needed to. When Jenny started talking to me about coming to work for HFC I was ecstatic to be offer the opportunity to not only do what I love to do (events) but to be working for such an amazing organization, I couldn’t resist. Though I do admit I had a few “what I am doing going back to work after being a stay at home mom for 5 years” moments during the 2 month approval process. But I couldn’t ask for a better job, with wonderful co-workers, and being able to make a difference in people’s lives.

New Addition to the HFC Team!

We've had some changes around the Heroes for Children office. Christi Disch has moved over to become our Program Services Coordinator. Christi's main responsibility will be working on ensuring the mission of the organization are fulfilled through things such as Heroes Milestones, Laptops for Love, and other special services to families with children battling cancer. She will lead the HFC Friends Women's Auxiliary, along with our 2008--2009 President Christie Cahoon to coordinate volunteers to impact families as well. We're thrilled to have Christi in this new role.

With this change came the need for a new Special Events Coordinator. I'm very excited to announce that Danielle Soffa has joined our team! Danielle started last week with Heroes for Children and is already hard at work on the Heroes for Children Golf Classic and the 5K Run/Walk.


I don't want to steal her time in the spotlight. I'll let her tell you all about herself and why she's involved with Heroes for Children. In the meantime, please join me in welcoming Danielle to the HFC team!

Shining Star Jocelyn Celebrates 15 in Style!!

Jocelyn’s Quinceanera was a night for her and her family to remember for a lifetime. With the help of HFC Friends and other Heroes for Children supporters we were able to provide Jocelyn with a fantastic Quinceanera Celebration.

Jocelyn arrived in style at the Hampton Inn in Mesquite at 7:00 PM. She was welcomed by the Hampton staff and multiple Heroes for Children volunteers. She arrived in a stretch Hummer with her 12 attendants, her date, and a few other friends.

Thanks to many gracious supporters of Heroes for Children, we were able to provide Jocelyn with the party of a lifetime. She wanted a star theme with light blue and silver colors- so we filled the room with balloons and stars. The balloons were donated by Balloons Everyday .The venue and food were donated by John Q Hammond Hotels (They run the Hampton in Mesquite). Mesquite High School Hospitality students and Hampton Managers were the servers. The dress, accessories, cake, and limo were all donated by HFC Friends members. The glowing floral centerpieces were arranged by Megan Williamson, our resident graphic/ floral designer:) And HFC Volunteers came to help set-up and tear down. We can’t thank you all enough for helping us celebrate Jocelyn’s life in such an extravagant manner.

The best quote of the evening was from Jocelyn’s father, “ I just want to thank Heroes for Children for making my baby girl’s dream come true!”. Jocelyn and her family thanked us profusely for providing them with this special celebration!

Check out NBC for a great segment from the event.

Event photos courtesy of the fabulous Taylor Made Messages (Taylor Pointer) and Haute Shot Photography (Jennifer Zindler). Pre-event photos courtesy of Stacy Sims .

Million Reasons to Celebrate

Heroes for Children provides a million to families!

Since January 2005, Heroes for Children has been serving families in Texas with children battling cancer. This month, we celebrate a huge milestone--a MILLION dollars spent on programs for families since 2005!

That's right, more than a million dollars has been spent to help families keep their homes, cars, pay for utilities, and find financial relief during cancer treatment. More than 1,250 requests for assistance have been fulfilled, 105 laptops donated, 25 families helped during the holidays, and nine children served through our newest program, Heroes Milestones.

Join us in providing the next million! Volunteer at the Heroes for Children office, participate in an event such as our 5K Run/Walk in September, join an event committee, be a super hero through the Super Heroes Birthday Club or make a donation to provide for families in need. You can make a difference for a family struggling through a cancer diagnosis!

Thank you for your support. We thank you--a million times!


Gratefully,

Jenny Scott & Larissa Linton

Co-Founders

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!