No One Budgets for Cancer: Helping Parents Have Peace of Mind
In Kansas City each year, more than 200 families will receive the heartbreaking news that their child has cancer. Many thoughts go through these parents’ minds as they process their new reality.
They will face complex science and terminology, care and treatment schedules and frequent planned and unplanned visits to the hospital. How much time will one or both parents miss from work?
Meanwhile, life goes on at home. Bills do not stop coming. Parents are quickly faced with the decision of missing work to be with their child or missing a key treatment in order to work so that next electric bill gets paid.
A group of Kansas City volunteers believes a parent’s place is at their child’s side. That is why Supporting Kids Foundation exists. Supporting Kids Foundation, or SKF, is an all-volunteer organization started in Lenexa, Kansas, in 2009 by a group of neighbors. The goal was simple: help KC-area families focus on their child’s health and not worry about bills at home. Many great organizations focus on research, care and treatment. SKF focuses on helping with the hidden, unplanned side effects of battling childhood cancer.
SKF started with the basic premise that people like to help and people like to have a good time. The organization combines these two concepts into three main events throughout the year. They have a poker tourney in January, a golf tournament in October and their Annual Hearts of Gold event in September, which coincides with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. These events have served as the primary source of revenue over the years.
Since inception, SKF has helped over 550 families and disbursed more than $1.8 million in direct assistance to pay day-to-day bills on behalf of families. An additional $80,000 supported families during their stay in Children’s Mercy Hospital. Some of this assistance is given weekly in the form of fresh food and supplies for the parent room on the hematology/oncology floor and to provide entertainment systems, games and videos in the 4-Henson teen room; in addition, it helped fund the installation of an on-call room on 4-Henson to allow the most critically ill kids to have quicker access to their doctor.
All of this has been accomplished by a dedicated group of individuals who volunteer their time, energy and talents. ■
If you would like more information about helping SKF help KC families battling childhood cancer, please follow them on Facebook, email at friends@supportingkids.org or visit supportingkids.org, because no one budgets for cancer.
