At the Milliken Technical Center, you can always depend on the staff to remind their students to remove their hats when entering the building. However, on March 17th, students were encouraged to leave their hats on! The SkillsUSA students in Mr. Schindlar‚ class helped coordinate EJMTC‚ first HAT‚ ON DAY. Students who contributed a dollar to the Foundation for Children with Cancer (FCC), a project of Reach Our Children, were allowed to wear their own hats. Students could also purchase hats to wear for two dollars. In total, our Center raised almost five hundred dollars for this worthwhile charity.
Hats On Day was founded in 1995 by four sixth-graders in St. Louis, Missouri. They began the fundraiser when their friend and classmate Kevin Baffa was diagnosed with a type of childhood cancer called Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Kevin had been a bright, happy child with a passion for soccer. When he got sick, he began to miss school, had to give up his favorite sport and lost all his hair from the treatments. Kevin also needed a bone marrow transplant, so Hats On Day was planned to show support for Kevin during his suffering and to raise money for his surgery. However, just days before the event, Kevin passed away.
The founders have continued in Kevin’s memory with the aim of creating awareness about children undergoing chemotherapy and related issues like hair loss, illness and missing school. From 1995 to 2004, the fundraiser grew from just a few participating schools in the first year to include most St. Louis area schools. Now Hats On Day is spreading to benefit local charities in other communities across the country. The funds raised are used to make young cancer patients’ daily lives more comfortable as they deal with this scary disease. When you participate in Hats On Day, you make life happier for children with cancer and show compassion for the many difficulties young cancer patients face.
Foundation for Children with Cancer (FCC), a project of Reach Our Children, Inc. is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that helps pediatric cancer patients experience the joy they deserve while assisting the families with the financial burden that often accompanies this illness. FCC is unique in that it eliminates the “red tape” which often hinders families who need assistance. FCC networks with social workers, doctors, hospitals and clinics across the country to discover legitimate, unmet needs.
In addition to dealing with the emotional trauma of having a child diagnosed with cancer, families of pediatric cancer patients are faced with high treatment bills, which can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. FCC’s simple one-page application form, coupled with direct payment to vendors or mortgage institutions, eliminates additional stress for families, allowing them to focus on their child.
“Has Foundation for Children with Cancer made a difference?”
“Yes, a big difference indeed!!!”
‚ Helped a family keep their home
‚ Paid utility bills to enable uninterrupted service
‚ Bought an air conditioner for a family that was returning to their trailer after extensive treatment
‚ Purchased airfare and paid for housing while away for treatment
‚ Helped a family purchase an automobile
‚ Assisted in the co-payments of medical bills
‚ Purchased custom wigs for female patients
‚ Paid for a second opinion
‚ Sent fifteen children on a fun trip to Chicago
‚ Bought a bicycle so a teenager could ride it to work as well as during his leisure time ###
If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Renee Kirkiewicz call 314-822-2265 or email renee@childrenwithcancer.org.