Bringing Smiles and Holiday Cheer

The holiday season is upon us and many individuals dedicate this season to thinking of others by reaching out to help someone in need of extra cheer in their life.

Families with children who have received a cancer diagnosis within the year are often overwhelmed with the treatment process and the holidays can be an added stress. The Adopt-A-Family program was created by Children’s Cancer Connection for those families to be able to celebrate the holidays, despite the additional financial burden the families are experiencing, due to additional hospital costs.

Local businesses, civic organizations and extended family choose to sponsor a family and receive a list of items they need in addition to holiday gifts the kids would like. Each family also receives gift cards to local grocery stores and gas stations to assist with day-to-day expenses.

The sponsors bring the purchased items to the Children’s Cancer Connection office, so the staff can deliver the gifts one week before Christmas. One staff member shares their past story of a gift delivery:

“One delivery that really touched my heart was to a single mom and her three children; the youngest was a one-year-old with cancer. When we arrived, one of her children hugged my co-worker’s legs the minute we walked into the door. The family lived in a small apartment with a couch, television and kitchen table with one chair. The family had no Christmas tree to put the presents under, so we placed them in a room that had a crib and stroller along with a deflated air mattress the mom was using as her bed.
Knowing that Children’s Cancer Connection’s Adopt-A-Family program helped make this family’s Christmas brighter was a wonderful feeling to have during the holiday season.”

Holiday cheer can be spread in more ways than just this one. How will you reach out to others during this holiday season?