Heroes for Children - Get Involved

2007-2008 HFC Friends Women's Auxiliary

HFC Friends provides education to its members about Heroes for Children and its mission, an opportunity to meet other women that share the same passion for this organization, and an inside view of the far-reaching impact that Heroes for Children has on the children and families of Texas that it serves. Heroes for Children provides financial and social assistance to families, within the state of Texas, with children (0-22 years of age) battling cancer.

Membership activities for 2007--2008 membership year:

Membership Fall Coffee--Members joined together at the home of Jill Tanabaum to learn more about childhood cancer and volunteer opportunities.
Holiday Heroes--HFC Friends members joined as volunteer teams to shop, wrap, and donate entire holiday gifts to cancer families. Funding for this project came through dues of HFC Friends 2007-2008 membership fees.
Valentine's Dinner--a romantic dinner and night of free babysitting awaits heroic parents battling childhood cancer. HFC Friends members will plan the evening and create a night for parents to get away from the chaos of their everyday lives.
HFC Friends Spring Picnic--Our annual Spring picnic for HFC Friends members and their families is set for May 18th. To join us at the picnic, members will be asked to bring a new toy for our toy drive to the outpatient clinic at Medical City Children's Hospital.

Specific examples of the difference HFC Friends members made in the 2006-2007 membership year include:

After learning of her daughter’s diagnosis with the common form of childhood leukemia, a single mother and her two daughters settled in to the hospital for their first night of treatment. At their home in East Texas, an electrical fire started in the child’s bedroom, burning the entire home to the ground. Left with only the clothes on their back, the family was in a desperate situation. A social worker at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas phoned Heroes for Children for emergency assistance. Within hours, auxiliary members of HFC Friends in Dallas received the email to help. Clothing, shoes, winter jackets, toys, and gift cards were collected within a matter of days.
Beads of Courage is a program that allows children to “tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path.” Heroes for Children donated funds, along with a volunteer auxiliary group at Medical City Children’s Hospital, to bring this innovative program to the children of Dallas, as well as committed to covering the cost of continual upkeep. Members of HFC Friends met at the hospital for a bead party! Volunteers committed their time to assisting with Beads of Courage to help kids with cancer better understand their treatment process. The program was so successful that Heroes for Children will be funding the request for MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Center in Houston and Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital in San Antonio.
When caregivers from Medical City Children’s Hospital of Dallas were preparing for a family retreat for oncology patients, parents, and siblings, they turned to Heroes for Children and HFC Friends to help. Members donated money specifically to create gift baskets for the families to help make their experience at the Family Retreat even better!

2007-2008 HFC Friends Host Committee

HFC Friends President--Allison Doherty

Suzanne Baird, Kristi Bare, Heather Basso, Shelley Beckman, Jennifer Blevins, Ashley Boisture, Pam Bowman, Betsey Cameron, Rose Fitzgerald, Christine Fraser, Libby French, Elizabeth Gambrell, Mimi Gilliland, Wylly Goodson, Amy Hegi, Brooke Hortenstine, Tiffany Jackson, Amy Jent, Courtney Love, Randi McParlin, Kristen Olmsted, Kim Quinn, Betsy Ramey, Brandy Ratchford, Christie Scardino, Shay Sides, Alisha Sinacola, Paige Slates, Cameron Smith, Jill Tananbaum, Heather Underwood, Michelle White, Alicia Wood