I HAVE FAITH
The drama and emotion of the annual Labor Day telethon for Muscular Dystrophy has held me spellbound since I was a little girl. There has always been something about both Jerry Lewis and the children and families that rivets me to the TV and requires me to have a box of tissues right at my side. Maybe Jerry and his kids is what silently influenced me to become first a volunteer fundraiser and then a professional one.
I confess. I just love begging. But only if it’s for a really good cause.
When I turned the telethon on this year it was with a sense of worry - how would they do in this economy? Last year the MDA raised $65,000,000 and I couldn’t imagine how they would even get close to that amount in 2009. But after 21 hours they raised an amazing $60,000,000. To come so close to last year’s high in the current economic climate is a success of enormous proportion.
What does it really mean? It says to me - in a very loud and clear collective voice - that despite the very serious financial concerns all people have right now, they still open their hearts to those less fortunate. People will give when they can see where the money goes and what happens as a result of their giving.
It’s impossible for me not to relate this to ALYN. We have much in common with the MDA. At ALYN in Jerusalem we have patients who suffer with neuromuscular diseases as well as many other conditions. At ALYN you can see where every dollar goes and how badly it is needed. At ALYN we have children and families depending on us to help them find maximum mobility. And also like MDA, we are just starting our largest annual fundraiser - the WHEELS OF LOVE International Charity Bike Ride - in a time of financial insecurity.
In major ways we are nothing like the MDA. We don’t have the benefit of a telethon; nor do we have corporate sponsors all around the country helping us. What we do have is a group of the most amazing men and women working on behalf of our patients and their families - our bike riders. They are the best beggars I know - they reach out to their friends, family and colleagues asking for support.
I know our riders are worried about how successful they will be this year. But I am encouraged by what happened on the Telethon. I am encouraged that people still understand that despite their financial burdens they are very, very fortunate if they have the gift of good health. There is nothing more heart-breaking than a sick child. A child struggling and in pain. Because of people’s humanity and generosity, Jerry’s kids will benefit from all the money raised. They have a fighting chance.
We hope that our riders will find the same humanity and generosity so that when we tally up how our ride does we can boast the same success that MDA had.
We have no choice but to be succesful. The kids and families at ALYN are depending on us.
THE ONE-TWO PUNCH
“Childhood cancer” is a misnomer – it should instead be called family cancer.
It is the worst news a parent can hear from a doctor – that one’s child has cancer and now has to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments. For however long it takes, radiation and chemo are the focus of the entire family’s life, stealing not only your child’s hair but their spirit as well. Although you know that the treatment is probably your child’s best bet to kill the disease, as a parent, it is agonizing to watch your child endure the grueling and dehabilitating effects of chemo. Besides the emotional strain of the treatment, side effects can include extreme weakness, loss of appetite and inability to walk. It is unimaginable to watch your child grow weaker with every treatment and lose the abilities to do things that he/she used to love, while you feel helpless to ease their pains – the physical and the emotional.
Recovery seems so far – out of reach almost. Very often, after enduring chemo, you still have to go through rehabilitation to get back the physical abilities that were lost. This can take another year, or even longer in some cases. You try to be strong for your child, but secretly you wonder how you will ever get through this. Just like your child, you are battling cancer every day. Cancer is no longer just a disease – it is your life.
In Israel, two great facilities have been battling cancer separately. Up until recently, Hadassah Hospital’s Pediatric Oncology Department did a fabulous job of delivering chemo and radiation. Then they referred these brave children to ALYN Hospital for their outstanding rehabilitation so that these kids could regain the physical abilities they lost. Recognizing the strain that cancer and rehab puts on families, Hadassah and ALYN Hospitals have come together in a wonderful pilot program so that children can receive the treatment (chemo and/or radiation) and the rehab simultaneously!. Incorporating rehabilitation with treatment not only minimizes the side effects of chemo, but shortens the process – a small silver lining in an otherwise dismal sky. For families suffering through cancer treatment and rehab, this idea is truly life-changing.
The dual treatments make the cancer treatment a completely different experience for families. Physical and emotional healing begins sooner. You no longer feel as consumed by the chemo, but rather you feel empowered by the rehabilitation process and have a renewed spirit to endure treatment. Instead of watching your child lie in bed in pain, you now can watch their recovery in progress. As a parent, it is incredible to watch your child work hard to overcome the side effects of chemo and actually gain strength. It makes you feel stronger. With every step your child takes, he or she becomes the winner rather than the loser.
ALYN’s multidisciplinary and holistic approach to rehab gives families battling cancer the tools to beat some of the devastation of this disease and the ability to reclaim their lives. By combining Hadassah’s treatment with ALYN’s rehabilitation right from the beginning of a patient’s treatment, chemo doesn’t seem as unbearable and recovery doesn’t seem so far.
One can only hope that hospitals around the world will follow Hadassah and ALYN’s lead and combine the treatment and rehabilitation processes – the perfect one-two punch to beat the effects of cancer.
LOSING A MODEL PHILANTHROPIST
Eunice Shriver defined philanthropy … she had the financial resources to support a cause she deeply cared about but much more importantly she had the energy, passion and conviction to implement that cause. In so doing; she changed the world. For the better. In an era when mental disabilities were hidden behind closed doors she trailblazed the way for people with disabilities to get their fair share of mainstream society.
The Special Olympics make it possible for young people with handicaps to pursue their love of sports. The annual games continue to teach the world that often a “broken” body or “misfiring” mind belie a heroic spirit within. In founding the Special Olympics, Eunice Shriver’s greatest gift may have been the living example to all of us of what a difference just one caring human being can make.
We have all lost a heroine today.
May her wonderful memory be a blessing to her family and the world.
Mind the Gap
There’s a generational gap in nonprofit…just as there is in most industries. It’s extremely important to remember how we arrived at the doorstep of social media. It’s all the old-fashioned fundraising principles that provided the stepping stones to microgiving and blogging and supporting causes on Facebook and Twitter.
The 20-something development associate probably easily out-blogs, out-Twitters and out-Facebooks the 50-something veteran Director of Development. In doing so, the generational gap seems miles wide. But it quickly closes when one realizes that the seasoned Director most likely excels in terms of knowing the ins and outs of the organization and the how-to’s of proposal and grant writing.
Don’t ignore the gap and don’t let it stop you. Celebrate it! Every day that different generations work side-by-side can be a learning experience for both. The most feature laden cellphone on the planet will fail at microgiving if the “ask” doesn’t honor the tried and true rules of fundraising:
Make every prospective donor an offer to give that’s impossible to refuse!
