Our foundation was approved as a nonprofit corporation in October, 2009 and through the generosity of family and friends we are able to continue to help these special children year after year.
2015
Wishes
This year we granted a wish to a local little girl in our
hometown of Little Egg Harbor. Lily Rose
is five years old and was diagnosed with aggressive
neuroblastoma, a stage IV cancer. We reached out to Lily’s school teacher and was able to connect with her parents. Lily’s wish was for new clothes for the summer and anything Disney for Minnie Mouse & Frozen. In addition to her new clothes, I went on a buying spree for the Disney things. Most important request was a Roller Luggage
bag for when she goes to the hospital. Due
to Lily’s surgeries and hospital stays, I didn’t meet her personally but her
teacher delivered the items for us. In addition to the items for Lily, we provided
a bank card for gas as she is being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Our next wish was for Naomi. Naomi was diagnosed with acute
lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010 and has relapsed twice. Naomi will be attending
high school this year. Her wish was a
shopping spree for new clothes to start high school and a mini ipad . Naomi
and her family face their challenges and don’t get down about their
circumstances.
For the Little
Ones
Over the years we have stayed close to one of Michael’s
nurses who works in the Clinic. During a
conversation with her, we found out that the children really wanted a sand
table to play with during their visits. We purchased a magnetic sea life table
for them and it was a big hit. Along
with the sand table we filled their “treasure chest” with gifts that they can
take home after treatment.
Scholarship Sponsorship – On Going
Ashelyn – Penn State
University: Ashelyn, our scholarship recipient completed her sophomore
of year of college! Ashelyn is a driven individual. She was a
research assistant in a study that involves a virus that kills breast cancer
cells and tumors in mice.
This study has encouraged her to focus on becoming the doctor she has
dreamed to be. She attended summer classes and is looking forward to her
junior year at Penn State as well as continuing to work on cancer research.
Jonathan – Rutgers
University: Jonathan had a great freshman year at Rutgers and did really
well in his classes – 3.5 gpa for the year!! He participated as a dancer in the Rutgers Dance Marathon
for embrace kids as well as other embrace kids events. Jonathan
is also a driven individual and took summer classes this year. Our support for Jonathan continues via gift cards to purchase all needed
books for his studies.
2014
Thanksgiving
We were able to continue our “tradition” of providing food
for the Thanksgiving Day Luncheon at the hospital. The luncheon is very special to those
confined to the hospital on this holiday. They celebrate with extended families of other patients, doctors and nurses
which are truly a special bond and provide an atmosphere of joy for the day.
Holiday Gift Giving -
Christmas
Michael’s friends probably remember he liked Christmas shopping. He loved giving and receiving presents.
Most parents will tell you that buying for teenagers is quite
difficult. So this year, thru coordination
with Embrace Kids, we were able to provide surprise gift cards to 10 teenage patients. They were so appreciative and looked forward to spending their own money. Their smiles were priceless and couldn’t wait to go shopping.
Hospital Prom Night
This year’s Prom Night was May 30th. Again a room at the Children’s Specialized
Hospital in New Brunswick was transformed into a beautiful prom setting.
The prom was for patients and their dates to celebrate their own very special “SENIOR
PROM”. It was a wonderful night and the
“kids” had so much fun. As in
the past, the hospital team was on board to greet them and be part of their
very special night. We were able to provide raffle gifts again this year such as
gift cards and a Sony PlayStation 4. Michael loved PlayStation so that was a very meaningful gift
for us.
Scholarship
Sponsorship
Ashelyn was our
scholarship recipient in 2013. She took
many difficult courses her first year of college and adjusted well to college
life. We continued our scholarship support
to Ashelyn in 2014 as she entered her second year at Penn State.
A Wish for Jonathan –
Rutgers University
Our Wish Program
took a slightly different approach in 2014 with the Embrace Kids Scholarship program.
Jonathan completed his treatments and graduated from high school this
spring. Jonathan is a driven young man
and was accepted to Rutgers University School of Engineering. After learning about Jonathan, and his need
for financial support to attend Rutgers, we wanted to help him. Michael’s Foundation
will be fulfilling his wish to cover book expenses, items needed for his dorm
room and miscellaneous items as he starts his Freshman Year at Rutgers.
St. Jude's Children's Hospital