Hi Everyone,
In this blog post I would like to tell you about an organization very close to my heart. Chai Lifeline Midwest is an organization that provides services to those who are sick. Their organization serves families across the Chicago area. Their mission statement, "fighting illness with love," is exactly how they go about their programming. They provide meals for those stuck in hospitals, volunteers to assist the families in need, monthly activities for the siblings of those who are sick, and overall financial help in regard to the payment of medical bills. Furthermore they provide opportunities for their warriors (those either fighting an illness or in remission from one) to travel around the world. Lastly, they run Camp Simcha-- an overnight camp that serves as a haven for those requiring constant medical care. It is a hospital within a overnight camp. Furthermore, it only runs for two weeks, which allows the campers to visit their doctors quite often.
Chai Lifeline's Website:
https://www.chailifeline.org/region/midwest
Camp Simcha:
http://www.campsimcha.org/
For information on Chai Lifeline's financial status:
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6707
The reason this organization holds so close to my heart is for an unfortunate reason. A few months ago a friend of mine from home passed away from stage four osteosarcoma. Caleb Meir z"l was an incredible person. He was kind, caring, and always bringing joy into the world. Even when he was nearing the end, he constantly inspired and gave strength to those around him. When he first became sick, Chai Lifeline provided for my community in ways you can never imagine. They provided my friends and I with counseling, activities, and ways to get involved in their organization. They gave us a way to carry his inspiration forward.
I cannot even begin to explain how much Chai Lifeline provided for Caleb's family. They gave their family meals, helped pay his medical bills, and provided them with volunteers to take care of their home and Caleb's family. Most of all, Chai Lifeline gave them LOVE. The fight was horrid and heartbreaking at times, but for every moment of tragedy their was one of love. Their mission statement could not be more true!
If you donate to this organization, I cannot tell you specifically where the money will go. However I can assure you it will either pay for a meal for a family in a hospital or an outing for a warrior and his or her siblings. I have seen repeatedly how such small amounts of money towards this organization can benefit a family need. So I urge you to consider donating to Chai Lifeline Midwest.
May his memory be a blessing!
Thank you.
Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you for sharing this amazing organization. I also have a lot of experience working with Chai Lifeline and know first hand all the amazing things that they do. Chai Lifeline has been a part of my life for a very long time now. I've been hearing about it and participating in events supporting it since i was in elementary school with all my classmates. So many of my friends worked in Camp Simcha and they told me about how important it is to these campers who are so sick and things are so hard for them at the time and being in camp just completely flips their moods and the campers and counselors have the most awesome time. Again, thank you for bringing this organization to everyones attention.
Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, this organization draws similarities to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the sense that they are both organizations dedicated to helping those who are ill or close to someone who is sick. This is something which I can somewhat also draw personal experience from. Last year, the son of a family friend sadly passed away-at the mere age of 19-from a terminal disease which he was born with. He was known and loved by many. During his short, but extremely meaningful life, there were three things he loved more than anything: video games, Hershey's chocolate, and, most-of all the New York Mets. So, in 2015, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him one of his biggest wishes, to literally "meet the Mets." They gifted him front row seats to a home game and the players periodically came up to his seat to say hello throughout the game; it made his day. As a result of having known what organizations which are dedicated to helping the sick, such as Chai Lifetime, are capable of, I have all my faith that our donation, no matter how small, would go directly toward putting a smile on a patient's face or toward helping the family of a patient, so long as the organization is trustworthy on both the financial and economic sectors.
Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for the unfortunate circumstances that brought you across this organization. This is the first time I have heard about this organization and also the first time I hear about a program like 'Camp Simcha'. I am very impressed with taking alternative measures to ensure that patients are still able to encounter joy in hard times of their life by attending the camp. Throughout the course of the semester, I have been eager to find out about organizations that provide opportunities that are less conventional, such as a camp for persons who are struggling with illness.
When doing some research on organizations that may take a similar approach, I came across the Starlight Children's Foundation, who bring mobile fun stations and entertainment to hospitals. They want to bring joy to children who are suffering from illness and do this by hosting activities such as Virtual Reality games and Netflix viewings.
This is the link to their organization: https://www.starlight.org
Dear Molly,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about this organization. I loved the organization for a specific reason. The fact that they provide meals and volunteers at home is a great thing. Families have a huge burden when their relative is sick, they need physical help as well as compassion. The last thing the family should be thinking is food insecurity. I like how they are dedicated to their goal of fighting illness with love.
Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your close friend, but time heals these wounds. Chai Lifeline believes that ill-children need support in more ways than just medical assistance. They provide much need support for young patience, their families, and friends in the most desperate of times. The counseling, programs, and opportunities providing a much needed distraction from reality for all those effect. The ability for the sick children to travel and continue to experience life while going through treatment is an incredible. The Camp Simcha sounds like a program that can boost the morale while still medically providing for the patience. The most important aspect of the Chai Lifeline organization is the personal connections and support they provide to the families, friends and the community. The acts of kindness that they provide can real help during the difficult fight for life. Great Job!
Sincerely,
David Engelmann
Molly,
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have heard of Chai Lifeline but it bears a lot of resemblance to Jaclyn’s Red Devils organization where both provide an extra level of help and care to people suffering from health issues. This trend of nonprofit organizations providing the extra step in care is something I have not seen before. Organizations that really care about people and help in ways that are not really considered but are still important. Helping with meals and expenses at home, providing friends and family with counseling, and giving sick people the opportunity to enjoy themselves. These organizations are providing support and improving the quality of people's lives in ways that traditional medical care simply cannot. I would like to see more organizations like Chai Lifeline and the Red Devils come into existence because they really are providing a great and much needed service.
Hi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate you sharing this organization because I think it targets a group of people in need of help that we have not considered before. I'm sure that most of the people in our class have been, themselves, or know somebody who's life has been affected by cancer, so this could be a good organization for our class to get behind. I'll spare the personal story, but I know that one of the things that helped my friend and his sisters through a tragedy was the support they received from not only their friends, but by their community in general. The mental support that this organization offers to families going through the toughest time of their lives is immeasurable; I this our money would do a lot for Chai Lifeline and I'm sure a lot of the class will agree. Your personal story really makes me put my friend's story into perspective; even through it wasn't cancer in my friend's case, the love and support through a tragic time can be understood through both lenses.