- What is Kids Cancer Crusade and how did it get its name?
- My child has been diagnosed with cancer, how do we join and how long can my family participate?
- Can my child be listed on the website without receiving Care Packages?
- My child has been recently diagnosed and I am looking for other families going through the same thing. Can you help?
- How can my child become a Featured Child?
- Is there a list of the children's birthdays?
- Where can I find out how the children are doing?
- I want to help, what can I do?
- Are my donations tax-deductible?
Kids Cancer Crusade was created by Jennifer Lehmann in April 2006, as a means of networking families of children with cancer in an effort to show them they were not alone. A young family friend, named Christi Thomas, had been battling Neuroblastoma, but was known to say "I'm not sick, I just have cancer" as she visited the other children on the oncology floor to brighten their day. As the directory of children grew, inspired by Christi's heart, Jennifer felt the need to do something more. In 2007, Care Package programs began. These Care Packages give the children something to look forward to and perhaps just for a moment forget about the needles, scans and medicines while sticking to the original purpose of showing them they are not alone. During this time, Jennifer sought assistance in filing government documents for Kids Cancer Crusade as well as volunteers to host various drives and fund-raisers to keep the Crusade going.
Aside from the fun alliteration, the name Kids Cancer Crusade stemmed from the idea that many parents of children with cancer refer to their fight as a "war" and often call the children "little soldiers".
MY CHILD HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, HOW DO WE JOIN AND HOW LONG CAN MY FAMILY PARTICIPATE?
We would love your family to join. To do so, please complete the following application.
http://kidscancercrusade.org/Application2008.pdf
Your family can participate until the diagnosed child's 20th birthday. However, siblings may only receive care packages until age 20 as well. Some families remove themselves from the Care Package programs when the child achieves remission, although it is not necessary. By the time some children go off treatment they are DONE with thinking of themselves as cancer kids and are ready to leave it behind, others still need the extra support. Do whatever works for your situation. *We will send an email at the end of each year requesting you to verify if you wish to remain in the program for the next year. So it is important for you to notify us if your email address should change.
Back to top.
CAN MY CHILD BE LISTED ON THE WEBSITE WITHOUT RECEIVING CARE PACKAGES?
Absolutely. This is what some of the families of children in remission do, as referred to in the previous question. They wish to save the Care Packages for children in active treatment but also share their success story of hope. Some families of children in active treatment and angels, do this as well because they feel they are getting enough of that kind of support elsewhere but still wish to have the opportunity to connect with other families. This is 100% up to each individual family and what works for them.
Back to top.
MY CHILD HAS RECENTLY BEEN DIAGNOSED AND I AM LOOKING FOR OTHER FAMILIES GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING. CAN YOU HELP?
That is why we are here! Each child that we serve is listed through the links on the following page in a few different ways:
http://www.kidscancercrusade.org/thekids.htm
There you can search for another child by Location or by the specific Diagnosis. Click on each child's picture to visit their personal website. If the child's picture is not linked, they do not have a website. In this case, email us and we will do our best to get you in contact with that family through email.
Back to top.
HOW CAN MY CHILD BECOME A FEATURED CHILD?
First, check if your child's cancer has been recently featured.
http://www.kidscancercrusade.org/featuredchild.htm
If not, send us an email with the same type of information as the current child (name, birthdate, brief story, website, photo). If your child's cancer has been recently featured, you may still send your child's information, but please understand that it may be a few months until we can use them. In addition, your family must be part of our organization for your child to be featured.
Back to top.
IS THERE A LIST OF THE CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAYS?
Yes, and the children love getting birthday messages on their websites! Don't forget siblings!
http://www.kidscancercrusade.org/importantdates.htm
Back to top.
WHERE CAN I FOUND OUT HOW THE CHILDREN ARE DOING?
We have a few volunteers that spend a great deal of time keeping the following page current with each child's progress. It is a great reference to know when especially to send the children and their families words of encouragement or congratulations.
http://www.kidscancercrusade.org/updates.htm
Back to top.
I WANT TO HELP, WHAT CAN I DO?
We run completely on the wonderful kindness and support of many individuals. A few ideas are listed on the following page, but the possibilities are endless!
http://www.kidscancercrusade.org/howtohelp.htm
Back to top.
ARE MY DONATIONS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE?
Yes! We are now an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible.
Back to top.