Kallan s Klan Newsletter

Transcription

1 Kallan s Klan Newsletter Scott Hammaker Co-Founder, President, Treasurer, Chairman of the Board Lora Hammaker Co-Founder, Vice-President, Secretary Heather Stormin Member of the Board, Director of Donations Michelle Serafin JFC Liaison to the Board Members of the Klan ALL OF YOU Welcome to Kallan s Klan 1 st Newsletter!! Welcome to Kallan s Klan s very first Newsletter!! We hope to update you on our many activities, things we have done, and events that are coming up. Thanks for reading!! Kallan Leigh Hammaker Memorial Play Area Kallan s Klan has partnered with the Penn State Hershey Medical Center to sponsor the main play area in the new children s hospital at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. This play area will be the main play room in the Hematology/Oncology Outpatient clinic and will be across from the check in/out desk. Children coming to see their Oncologist will be able to utilize the play area while they wait for their checkup, blood test results, or an infusion room to receive their chemotherapy. Most of the visits last 4 to 5 hours and this will allow the children to escape to a fun, bright area while they wait. This play room will certainly be a benefit to children undergoing therapy for Pediatric Cancer. A portrait of Kallan will be put in the play area so that Kallan can watch over the children as they play. While Kallan was sick, the playroom was the one place at the hospital that Kallan felt safe and actually smiled. Now, her legacy will live on watching over those kids that will travel the same path as she did. Kallan s Klan will also have a once a month day in the Kallan Leigh Hammaker Memorial Play Area, where we will go in and play with the children, provide crafts and activities, and see how many smiles we can make.

2 Kallan s Klan Named an Everyday Hero by Mid-Penn Bank Kallan s Klan was notified in March that they have been chosen as an Everyday Hero sponsored by Mid-Penn Bank. This program recognizes those organizations that go above and beyond to further their cause. We are very honored to be nominated by our charity partner, JFC Staffing Associates, and even more honored to be selected. Thank you JFC and Mid-Penn Bank!! Kallan s Klan Partners with The Meadows Kallan s Klan has partnered with The Meadows, a frozen custard franchise based in Western Pa. There are a number of locations in Western Pa with the closest in Chambersburg, PA and one in Gettysburg, PA opening in April Kallan s Klan will own and operate The Meadows, which will be located in Enola, PA. All profits will be donated to Kallan s Klan to assist in our mission of enhancing the lives of pediatric cancer patients lives, enhancing the lives of the children in Kallan s community, and to find a cure for Pediatric Cancer. This will also provide jobs for our young citizens while enhancing the community. From our visits to the different Meadows locations, we have found that the customers are fiercely loyal to The Meadows, and the owners of the franchise system are absolutely wonderful. We are eternally grateful for all of their help. Look for this in the Fall 2009!! Kallan s Klan s First Annual Pancake Breakfast Our pancake breakfast held in December was a huge success!! We were able to raise over $2,000 dollars, had a wonderful time, remembered Kallan during her favorite time of year and in her favorite place, and brought awareness of Pediatric Cancer. Since this was our first attempt at this type of fundraiser, we learned from the mistakes that were made. These things will be corrected for next year!! Thank you to all who attended, and we will look for you again in December It will be bigger and even better!! Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2009

3 Kallan s Klan Commits $100,000 to Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center Kallan s Klan has committed $100,000 to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to specifically be used by Dr. Kim Kramer in her work with I-3F8 and I-8H9. These therapies are known as monoclonal antibody therapy. It is an exciting new approach to cancer treatment. This therapy is given thru an Ommya Reservoir, which is implanted in the child s head. The medicine circulates the brain and spinal cord, seeks out and finds the cancer cells, attaches to them and delivers a lethal dose of medicine to those cells, while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed. Currently, this therapy cannot penetrate the cancer lesions that larger than a certain size. This is why Kallan s Klan is motivated to assist Dr. Kramer in her work to improve this therapy so that this can be a viable alternative for children suffering from brain tumors, especially relapsed brain tumor children. Kallan participated in this therapy during her last relapse. We were not successful, but we did see remarkable improvement in Kallan after the therapy, and we believe it slowed down the growth of her cancer. We also believe that based on our experience and our research, that this therapy will eventually help those children like Kallan. This is why we feel it is critical to support this very important work. In addition to supporting this therapy financially, Kallan s Klan will offer support to the families by sharing our experience with them. These types of therapies are the hope that children need. These are representative of the future. Don t Forget about the Kallan Leigh Hammaker Memorial Scholarships Kallan s Klan currently offers two different scholarships. The first scholarship is for a Pediatric Brain Tumor survivor that received the majority of their treatment at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center and the second scholarship is for an East Pennsboro Area School District graduate that wants to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. These scholarships are representative of Kallan. The scholarship we offer for a student wanting to pursue a degree in Elementary Education is representative of Kallan s dream. At present, these scholarships offer $1,500 per year for four years, but we hope to increase that as Kallan s Klan grows. Scholarship applications are available on our web site and in the guidance office of East Pennsboro High School. Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2009

4 THON Sets A Record with $7.4 Million Raised for Pediatric Cancer Penn State University s annual dance marathon, known as THON, raised over $7.4 million dollars for the Four Diamonds Fund. The Four Diamonds Fund assists those families being treated at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center with food vouchers, gas vouchers, assistance with medical bills and research. THON is totally planned, run and executed by Penn State Students. This was our 7 th THON, and our second without Kallan. We were honored this year to have Kallan remembered in the Celebration of Life video during Family Hour on Sunday afternoon. THON is a very moving experience, and seeing is believing. THON is held at the Bryce Jordan Center, and admission is free, but get there early, because it is always filled to capacity. Kallan at Thon in the fashion show 2006 Kallan s Klan to Hold Spring Fair in Conjunction with the Cruisin Creekers On May 16, 2009, Kallan s Klan and the Cruisin Creekers will hold a Spring Fair at the West Creek Hills Elementary School. The Cruisin Creekers are a dedicated bunch of teachers from West Creek Hills Elementary School who participate in the Carlisle Relay for Life. There will be many games including Cow Patty Bingo, a Cake Walk, and many others. Most games will offer prizes for the participants. In addition, there will be good food, entertainment and lots and lots of fun!! We will also have an advocacy booth filled with education materials on both pediatric and adult cancer. This will be staffed by other local charities including the American Cancer Society and Caitlin s Smiles. Not only do we want all who attend to have a wonderful time, but we also want to bring awareness of this horrible disease and let people know where to turn to for help if they or their family, friends or next door neighbors are diagnosed with this horrible disease. Page 4 Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2009

5 Upcoming Events: Kallan s Klan Commitment to Pediatric Cancer Education for Families May 16, 2009 Spring Fair at West Creek Hills Elementary June 19/20, 2009 Camp Hill Relay for Life, Trinity HS Upcoming Events Sponsored by JFC: April 20, 2009 Dinner at Friendly s, Harrisburg by the new Target 4-9 pm May 19, 2009 Dinner at Texas Roadhouse, Harrisburg, PA June 13, 2009 Hot Dog Sale at Sam s Club, Harrisburg, PA August 15, 2009 Hot Dog Sale at Sam s Club, York, PA Kallan s Klan is committed to educating families with children who have been diagnosed with Pediatric Cancer. We want to assist in educating the families about their child s specific cancer, treatment options that are available, organizations that are there to assist them, and support groups that share the same horror of having a child diagnosed with Pediatric Cancer. Our philosophy is that you can never have enough information. Knowledge is power; the power to defeat this disease. We currently have multitudes of information on our website about Medulloblastomas, the type of brain tumor Kallan had. Our next step is to add information about all pediatric brain tumors, and then all forms of pediatric cancers including Neuroblastoma, Lymphoma and others. We will also keep in stock publications by the leading Pediatric Cancer authorities in the country for those families that request them and have a need for them. Contact Information: Kallan s Klan 5 E Red Gold Circle Camp Hill, PA Thru our experience, we know how important this will be to the families. We hope to bridge that gap. Kallan s Klan Future Plans info@kallansklan.org Kallan s Klan has many future plans. Some of these are: Continually enhance the lives of Pediatric Cancer patients Enhance the lives of children in Kallan s community Continual support of clinical trials that will some day find a cure for Pediatric Cancer We are also working on some great new fundraisers. Our philosophy on fundraisers are to have fun, give a great experience to all those attend, bring awareness to Pediatric Cancer, and to do all this while remembering Kallan. Guarantee these are fundraisers that have not been done before in Central Pa. So plan for a lot of future fun!!! Page 5 Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2009

6 Calling All Those Who Like to Cook!! We need Recipes!! The ladies at Rolling Green Memorial Cemetery are putting together a cookbook for Kallan s Klan. This cookbook will have removable sections, many pictures of Kallan, and of course, great recipes!! If you would like to submit a recipe, please them to info@kallansklan.org. No recipes will be turned down!! All proceeds from the sale of these cookbooks will go to Kallan s Klan. Thank you ladies, we really appreciate it!! Why We Do This This question comes up from time to time to our founders. The answer is simple. No other family should have to endure the loss of their child, and if we can help one family to avoid this experience, then we have completed our mission and Kallan would be proud. March 30th is a day Kallan s family will never forget. 6 years ago, we were given the horrible news that our oldest daughter had a brain tumor. Hiding our fear from the girls, we managed to calm Kallan, and get Krystian home, so she did not have to see the doctors and nurses put IV s into Kallan. Those initial memories are burned into our memories and fuel us with the passion that if another family gets this horrible news, they have someone to turn to for help. Who better to turn to than an organization, named in memory of their little angel, who had seen just about everything there was to see in the world of Pediatric Cancer. With your help, we will win. We owe this to Kallan. Page 6 Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2009