Why?

Since you woke up this morning – 46 parents have been told that their child has cancer. Behind every kid with cancer is a family that needs help.

The Fighting Children’s Cancer Foundation believes that the support we provide goes hand in hand with finding a cure for childhood cancer.We believe that no child should miss a treatment due to the high cost of transportation.

We believe that no parent should worry about how they will maintain their monthly living expenses due to lost wages, while caring for their ill child.

We believe that a lack of funds should not deter a family from continuing to celebrate the joyous occasions in life. We believe that the quality of each day of a child’s life should be the best we can help it to be.

We believe there is power in the sharing of caring.

Here's how you made a difference...

“It’s important for you and your organization to know that even though not every child can be saved from this horrible disease, the work you do, and the way you touch people’s lives goes hand in hand with finding a cure for children’s cancer.”

“We pray every day for a miracle, because we know miracles happen every day.”

“All of your actions, all of the giving has touched our family. We have been blessed.”

“Kindness is God’s language, one you speak with simple eloquence.”

“What our son lacks in health, God certainly made up for in the caring, loving family that he has.”

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1. What kind of assistance do you provide?

The assistance we provide takes many forms and depends on each families unique needs. We speak with the families, the health care professionals assigned to the child and often a friend who is acting as an advocate on the families behalf.

Examples of assistance recently provided include:
• Funding emergency repairs for an auto that was the sole means of transportation for a child’s medical treatments
• Rent payments for a family facing eviction due to loss of wages while caring for an ill child
• Child care payments to assure that siblings are in a safe environment while parents are away from home
• Nursery School tuition for a recovering child
• Gift cheques to purchase back to school clothes
• Purchase of a video camcorder for a family to record the memories of a trip they received from the “Make A Wish Foundation”
• A “Day of Beauty” before the Senior Prom
• College tuition assistance to support the dreams of young survivors
• Monetary gifts to brighten the Holiday Season

2. How do you find the families that you support?

Unfortunately, the need is great. Families care referred to us through the Valerie Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, treating physicians at Hunterdon Medical Center and other medical professionals who are aware of the service we provide.

Many of our families come to us through ‘word of mouth’. A friend may have attended one of fundraising events, a local school has a child in need, they may have read about FCCF in the local papers.

3. How does the selection process work?

Each family applying for assistance must complete a Case File Application that is validated by the treating Pediatric Hematologists/Oncologists and Licensed Social Worker assigned to the child.

The form may be download from our website or you can call/write the FCCF.

While the medical professionals are not able to make direct recommendations about a specific child, they present us with a clear unbiased assessment of the situation.

The file is then forwarded to the FCCF Family Needs Assessment Review Committee for further evaluation . The committee is comprised of three members of the FCCF Board of Directors who make their recommendation. When possible, they try and speak and/or meet directly with one of the parents, recognizing that this is not always possible when a child is in crisis.

Due to the fact that we are often called upon when he need is urgent, we are committed to acting expeditiously, often completing the process in a few short days.

4. Do you stay in communication with the families?
The support that the Fighting Children’s Cancer Foundation provides goes far beyond the monetary gifts. A large part of our growth is from families that have found a way to heal through helping others in need. They attend our fundraising events, donate goods and services, volunteer for special activities. The outreach is genuine and the support is real. ‘Caring through Sharing’ has become an important component of our belief system.

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