Every day, our community fundraisers—who we call Champions for Children—inspire us with their passion to serve others and raise funds for our patients and their families. In 2015, more than 100 Champions donated their birthdays, hosted toy drives, and even swam laps—all for children’s health! We’d like to introduce you to five Champions who inspired us in 2015.
For the past five years, brothers Cyrus and Chad Morrison have hosted a “Kick for Kids” swimming event benefiting Child and Family Life Services at our hospital.
“Children's hospitals have a special place in my family's heart,” they write on their Champions fundraising page. “The Child Life Specialists were extremely supportive and helpful to my family and me at a very difficult time of need a few years ago. This group helps children get through difficult procedures and treatments, provides toys and activities, and offers support and education to families during children's hospitalization.”
Their 5th annual Kick for Kids event was dedicated to 12-year-old Jack, a friend of Chad’s who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment at our hospital.
“We want Jack to know he is very strong and brave, we miss him, and are counting the days till he is back at school,” they write. “We are rooting for Jack!”
Chad, Cyrus, and their friends from the Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics team kicked across the swimming pool using a kickboard for 60 minutes. They swam way past their initial fundraising goal of $15,000 and raised a tremendous $17,490 for Child Life Specialists.
Luke, Kevin, Cuebeom, and Jason of the Florio String Quartet
Can you say “phenomenal philharmonic philanthropists” three times fast? Luke, Kevin, Cuebeom, and Jason, high school students at The Harker School, formed The Florio String Quartet in hopes of using their musical talents to uplift and serve others in need. In August, the group organized a benefit concert for our hospital featuring classical music from Haydn to contemporary favorites such as Coldplay and The Rolling Stones.
“The members of the Florio Quartet care as much about sharing their music with the community as they do about the music itself,” says teacher Chris Florio, whom the group is named after. “As a teacher, this makes me very proud.”
In lieu of an entry fee, they collected donations, raising more than $2,000 for our patients and their families.
Our Nurses in the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases
Our staff and physicians put their whole hearts into one job: creating healthier, happy lives for children and expectant mothers. That’s why many of our employees are often our greatest Champions by fundraising for the patients they care for so dearly. In June, our nurses in the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases created a fun music video showcasing some of our superhero patients to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research.
“Their courage, their resilience, and their joy even in the most difficult of times is a demonstration of true superhero strength,” the nurses write on their Champions fundraising page. “We created this music video as a fun way to honor our patient families and give you a glimpse into their world.”
The video, which was filmed by nurse Kristina Rivera’s husband, raised more than $14,000 for childhood cancer research.
Parker Douglas brings HOPE to teen patients
As a patient at our hospital, Parker knows the emotional healing that gifts of personal items, games, and more bring to kids in our care. In July 2014, Parker underwent a liver transplant at our hospital at age 16. During his initial five-week stay and subsequent visits over the following year, the care he received from his medical team was outstanding. However, Parker noticed that there was a critical patient experience need not being met. There were very few games, books, and personal items that were "teen-appropriate" to help improve the quality of hospital life.
Parker, now a senior at De La Salle High School in Concord, organized the Parker’s HOPE (Helping Older Peds’ Enjoyment) donation drive for teen-appropriate items at our hospital. In November, he asked friends and family to join him for a fundraiser golf tournament and dinner. In addition to asking people to bring items from his Teen Wish List, he also collected an inspiring $12,045 in donations on his Champions fundraising page to buy more teen-appropriate gifts for our patients!
Cole Staggs: Food Allergy Shootout raises over $41,000 for food allergy research
“My severe allergy to peanuts had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember,” Cole writes on his Champions page. “Whenever I went out, I had to make sure none of the food I ate had even come into contact with peanuts, which made things very difficult and often put me in scary situations.”
Then he learned about the food allergy trial conducted by Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford.
“This study changed my life, so I want to do all I can to give back to Dr. Kari and the organization that gave me so much. My goal is to raise enough money to put another child through the trial so that he or she may be able to have the life-changing experience that I had.”
In August, Cole organized a “Food Allergy Shootout” basketball tournament. The event was free to attend and raised an astounding $41,675 to support other children suffering from food allergies.
—
Are you looking for a way to support our patients and their families? Become a Champion for Children by organizing a fundraiser for the child health program that is most meaningful to you. Learn more and create your online fundraising page today!