We wanted to share some of the stories about children and families we receive from our social work organization. Some of these children are dealing with life-threatening illnesses which can both emotionally and financially impact a family. Other children are dealing with less severe, chronic illnesses, but oftentimes the treatments can be just as costly and can be emotionally scarring.
Caring for Children tries to help these families during the holidays and throughout the year with basic necessities as well as educational and enrichment programs. These year-round Caring for Children sponsored programs seek to promote a healthy balance of living and learning experiences through enrichment or educational activities (i.e., after-school programs, summer camps, tutoring, developmental programming, etc.). For instance, we have sponsored children to take part in Outward Bound, supported tutoring, dance, and music lessons. Caring for Children has also helped children rebuild their lives after unexpected tragedies like fire, theft, organ transplants, and the sudden death of a parent.
Here are some of their stories.
Carter
Carter Brischler is a curious, sweet, and very funny Pre-kindergarten student. He and his family (Mom, Dad, and older brother) live in Upstate, NY. In December 2015, Carter was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD is a rare, genetic, and degenerative disease that is characterized by normal development in early childhood, followed by rapid degeneration as the disease destroys the brain and the nervous system. There is no cure. Carter’s symptoms will grow worse, leading to complete vision impairment and hearing impairment. He will then develop seizures and will ultimately need a wheelchair due to a loss of muscle control. Unfortunately, this disease eventually leads to death, usually 2 to 5 years from diagnosis. As an added stressor, a few weeks after the diagnosis, Carter’s dad was laid off from his job and the family is struggling financially. Based on the circumstances of this child and family, we purchased $500 worth of gift cards ($250 Target and $250 in Stop and Shop cards) for this family to assist them in this challenging time. Unfortunately, Carter passed away in 2017.
Valenney
Valenney is a High School Senior living with a life-threatening chronic illness. In order to partake in Graduation, the Prom and Senior Week activities Valenney needed $200 which her family couldn’t afford. Therefore, Valenney was going to forgo attending her own graduation and other Senior week activities because she couldn’t afford it. Valenney’s mother, who is also suffering from the same life-threatening chronic illness, has only recently started working and still struggles to make ends meet. Often times the family does not have enough food in the house. Helping Valenney to be able to attend these events will help her feel like the other kids in her class and not isolated like she often feels. There was no question that Caring for Children was going to help Valenney out, as we sent the $200 to her school so that she could participate with her fellow students in all the Senior Week activities.
Saida
A single, young mother, Saida, challenged with HIV/AIDS has two young children 8 and 6 who are being monitored for the same illness as their Mom, are moving into a new apartment and are struggling financially. Saida, because of her illness and child responsibilities can only work a job that provides her with a low income that only meets regular monthly expenses. Therefore, there are a lot of basic needs in moving (i.e., a bed with bedding, cleaning supplies, food, etc.) that she is struggling to finance. We quickly reacted to this application by sending $250 in Target gift cards so that Saida could have the flexibility to use the gift card to help her family in the best way possible (i.e., household items or food, etc.).ltural history and because I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty”.
