Big Buddy Mentoring Program
This program started in 1987 with University of South Florida Medical School students and the young patients at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. Starting each September, The Big Buddy Mentoring Program pairs second year medical students with brothers and sisters of patients for an entire medical school year.
Big buddies are required to attend an orientation session previous to working with the children. After buddies are paired, the medical students meet their little buddies and their families at a kick-off party.
From September to June, the pairs of buddies get together on a monthly basis for special outings of their choice. In the past, these have included horseback riding, hockey games, movies, pizza dinners and picnics in the park. The Children's Cancer Center provides the buddies with a reimburse to cover the outing expenses. With the conclusion of the medical school year, the Children's Cancer Center hosts an end-of-the-year trip to a local theme park.
The Big Buddy Mentoring Program is designed to accomplish three main goals:
- To provide a hands-on volunteer experience for second-year medical students and educate them, outside of the classroom, about how an illness affects the entire family.
- To give the siblings, who must also cope with the issues surrounding their brother or sister's illness, special one-on-one time and attention.
- To give parents support by providing an outlet for their children.
- To foster empathy and compassion in our future physicians.
For more information about our Big Buddy Mentoring Program, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Camps
The Children's Cancer Center currently hosts three camps for families throughout the year, all of which are completely free for families to attend - Kite Camp, Camp "Laff-a-lot", and Flight Camp.
Summer marks the arrival of week-long day camps, including Kite Camp and Camp "Laff-a-lot". Kite Camp welcomes oncology patients currently on treatment, along with their siblings, while Camp "Laff-a-lot" serves children with all types of chronic blood disorders. Both camps include a full itinerary of educational and recreational activities. Participants meet at the Children's Cancer Center each day for a wide range of activities including tours of local sports venues, arts & crafts, delicious restaurants, kid-friendly outings, swimming and much more!
Held early in the fall, Flight Camp (Fun and Laughter In Groups Hoping Together) is a weekend camp that serves families currently on treatment. Families stay for the weekend along with the older patients and their siblings.
For more information about our Camps, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Family Fun Events
Various Family Fun Events are held several times throughout the year for families to have fun and enjoy themselves away from the medical environment. Our current events include Fall Festival, Winter Holiday Party and Spring Carnival.
One of the best ways for a family to deal with a child's illness is to share experiences with others facing the same issues. However, families are often reluctant to attend traditional support groups due to time constraints or the intimidating nature of groups.
The goals of the Family Fun Events are:
- To provide parents, siblings and patients an opportunity to meet and create a network of support with others facing similar issues. They may share information to help them cope better with the stress of chronic, life-threatening illnesses.
- To promote a sense of normalcy and recreation for the whole family away from hospitals and clinics.
The Children's Cancer Center also recognizes the continuous strain put on parents and hosts at least one Parents' Day/Night Out, Mom's Spa Day, and Dad's Night Out per year. If you are interested in contributing spa services or products towards Mom's Spa Day or a fun activity for Dad's Night Out, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Holiday Adopt-A-Family
Holiday Adopt-A-Family program helps struggling families have a happy holiday season. Businesses, organizations, families and individuals agree to adopt a family in need during December. All gifts are brought to the Children's Cancer Center for families to pick up.
Struggling families are recommended to the program by the hospital or clinic social workers starting in October. Donors are matched with a particular family based on the donor's ability to provide these needs. The donor takes on the role of Santa Claus for the family providing toys, food and gifts.
For more information about Holiday Adopt-A-Family, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Hop-To-It Kanga Krewe Program
The Children's Cancer Center developed the Hop-To-It Kanga Krewe Program in an effort to educate the children with sickle cell disease, the family, the school, and the community. The program includes Camp "Laff-a-lot", a support group, Sib Shops and Mr. McDaniel's Classroom tutoring program. Since kangaroos can only hop forward, this program's mascot was chosen to be a kangaroo named Dr. Tickle Sickle.
Mr. McDaniel's Classroom is a tutoring program started by Randall and Marianne McDaniel, a retired Tampa Bay Buccaneer player. This program is only for sickle cell patients who are currently enrolled in school from kindergarten through eighth grade. Participants are matched with a tutor to help with a sometimes overwhelming load of homework and special projects.
The program strives to give children more control over their illness by educating them about their disease and emphasizing the importance of school attendance and achievement. Through good grades, attendance, citizenship and participation in activities at the Center, tutoring participants earn "Kanga Cash" to spend in the Kanga Corner store.
For more information about Kanga Krewe, please contact Jamie Nettles at jnettles@childrenscancercenter.org.
Kathy's Kids Bereavement Support Program
The Children's Cancer Center offers a bereavement program for parents and siblings of a child who have lost his or her battle to cancer. This program offers a place for grieving families to share their experiences and journey together to find places of healing and hope.
There are two monthly support groups for parents and siblings: one in the evening and one in the afternoon. The Children's Cancer Center also offers a bereavement retreat each fall for families to have a chance to better understand specific grief needs of each member within a family: mother, father, brother, or sister.
For more information about Kathy's Kids, please contact Kyleen Slater at kslater@childrenscancercenter.org.
Lil' Tales Playgroup
Our younger patients and their siblings who have not yet been through kindergarten come in the mornings once a week for Lil' Tales. While the parents enjoy a cup of coffee, the children are next door in the playroom busy having fun with volunteers. These children can often not attend a mainstream pre-school due to immune-suppression and other health concerns. Activities are tailored to the children's skills and interests and special entertainment is brought in from time to time. However, the children love playing with their new friends the most.
For more information about Lil' Tales, please contact Sara Edwards at sedwards@childrenscancercenter.org.
Love Bundles
Designed to alleviate some of the initial anxiety experienced by newly diagnosed patients and families, a representative from the Children's Cancer Center presents families with Love Bundles shortly after the child is diagnosed. Love Bundles are filled with resources, information, as well as distraction and play items selected specifically for the child's age and gender, which help make their clinic visit or hospital stay not so scary.
Through the Love Bundles program, newly diagnosed patients and their families are introduced to the Children's Cancer Center's programs, services and assistance.
For more information about Love Bundles, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Scholarships
In memory of Jason Ackerman, a dedicated Children's Cancer Center volunteer, the Jason Ackerman Fund for Education was created to provide scholarships for patients and survivors in their pursuit of a higher education.
Academic scholarships will be given each year to Tampa Bay youth diagnosed with cancer or a chronic blood disorder before the age of 21. These renewable scholarships are available for community college, vocational training or four-year universities.
If you are elligible for this scholarship, please download the application: Scholarship Application
If you are renewing your scholarship, please download the application: Scholarship Renewal Application
For more information about our Scholarships, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
S.O.A.R. (Surviving Oncology And Readjusting)
The S.O.A.R. program will provide emotional and psycho-educational support to children and families in the Tampa Bay area who have completed treatment for cancer. This program will strive to equip and empower childhood cancer survivors, siblings, and caregivers with resources and psychosocial tools necessary to optimally transition from active treatment into a healthy and well-balanced life after treatment.
Through support, fun, events, and retreats, the Center is growing this program with the support of Tampa Bay Buccaneer Josh Bidwell, a fellow cancer survivor, and Richard Gonzmart of The Columbia Restaurant.
For more information about S.O.A.R., please contact Kyleen Slater at kslater@childrenscancercenter.org.
Support Groups
The Children's Cancer Center hosts four different groups to serve the needs of our families - Oncology Support Group, Sickle Cell Support Group, Bereavement Support Group, Survivorship (S.O.A.R.) Support Group.
Oncology Support Group is for families who have a child who is actively on treatment for cancer. The group usually meets twice a month to hear and share stories of strength, encouragement and solutions to common issues and fears. The evening begins with a family dinner then splits as the parents attend support group and the kids enjoy activities together. Each support group is themed with plenty of games, crafts and occasional special entertainment.
Sickle Cell Support Group meets monthly and gives families a chance to discuss issues and concerns associated with their life-threatening disease.
Bereavement Support Group meets twice a month - once in the afternoon for lunch and once in the evening for dinner.
S.O.A.R. Support Group meets once a month to discuss issues related with survivorship and readjusting.
For more information about our Support Groups, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Teen Group
Teen Group is a monthly outing for oncology and hematology patients on or off treatment. This often overlooked population gathers for peer support and recreational opportunities in a non-threatening environment. The Children's Cancer Center understands that teens feel too old to benefit from children's programs, yet too young to participate in adult programs.
A few of the fun and unique activities that our teens participate in include a Road Rules scavenger hunt, bowling, movies, water parks, festivals, concerts, road trips to the Swamp to watch the Gators play and much more!
For more information about Teen Group, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org.
Ticket Bank
The Children's Cancer Center frequently receives ticket donations from various organizations and individuals, such as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Hillsborough Bar Association, Tampa Bay Lightning, Clear Channel Communications and other sources. These tickets are distributed to families on an as-available basis. The tickets are also distributed to the Big Buddy Program and Teen Group for outings.
For more information about Ticket Bank, please contact Sharin Nelson at snelson@childrenscancercenter.org. |
