Tag: events

Fantasy Flight by Cops Care Cancer Foundation

Posted hopePosted in Support network

We recently learned about the Fantasy Flight event from a friend. Cops from Bay area did an amazing job at organizing this annual event for kids fighting cancer. Kids and their families were treated to a VIP experience of riding in a motorcade of 50+ cop cars on 101 freeway (yep, with traffic stopped!), and kids operated the sirens. The icing on the cake was watching Santa arrive in a helicopter to distribute gifts to the kids!

The day was packed with fun games and events, including cops dressed as Superheroes, Star wars characters, and in various other costumes. HUGE THANKS to cops from San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Fremont, Los Altos and nearby areas for creating beautiful memories for children in treatment!

Kids and Art Foundation

Posted hopePosted in Support network

Cancer sucks. Art heals.

This is the motto of the Kids and Art foundation. Started by a mom who lost her kid to cancer, they focus on improving the quality of life of patients and siblings by “healing cancer through the arts”. Check out their monthly art workshops at various studios. If your kid is in Lucille Packard (Stanford) or UCSF, they even have weekly art workshops at the hospital.

We came to know about this organization a year ago, and since then have attended every single monthly art workshop. Our kid LOVES them! Not only is it a safe space to take children in treatment, but it’s a happy space where kids can just be kids and have fun, without worrying about their treatments and scars. The joy on their faces says it all!

Tonight, they had an exhibition of artwork by kids, and a special event to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Several artists (incl. some child artists), volunteers and generous donors gathered to celebrate their milestone. The foundation has helped 1800 kids so far, and has ambitious plans to expand their reach to more hospitals / locations, including bringing art programs directly to the hospital room (e.g., for kids in the stem cell units, ICU).

Way to go Kids and Art foundation! Inspiring to see how the pain from one mom who lost her kid to cancer, was converted to giving hope and joy to several hundreds of children…

Pablove – Empowering kids through photography

Posted hopePosted in Support network

Pablove Shutterbugs teaches children living with cancer to develop their creative voice through the art of photography. What a wonderful concept! I was blown away when I saw how it empowers kids to express their creativity and sense of wonder. Our kid, for instance, was so excited after last summer’s Pablove classes that she’d go everywhere with her new camera and try shooting pics at worm’s eye view and bird’s eye view :).

Yesterday, Pablove organized a half day event at Curiodyssey at Coyote point. About a dozen kids aged 7-18 gathered to photograph animals and birds, followed by outdoor pics in the bay. Some animals, like the otters, moved so fast that they were really hard to shoot. Interesting to see how the kids persisted — they kept trying patiently for several minutes until they got a good shot!

As the kids made new friends and photographed away merrily, parents had a chance to mingle as well, and share some lighter moments as well as stories. Behind the seemingly normal looking kids, were silent untold stories of pain, courage, strength, and sometimes several years of difficult treatment. Thanks to organizations like Pablove for empowering these kids! Kudos to Pablove!!!