We Believe — Believe In Tomorrow provides exceptional hospital and retreat housing services to critically ill children and their families. We believe in keeping families together during a child’s medical crisis, and that the gentle cadence of normal family life has a powerful influence on the healing process.

February 2009 - in this issue

A Very Wisp Winter Family Letter Upcoming Events A Revived Hands On Adventure Begins: NHRA White Cake, Vanilla Frosting, and a Jar of Sprinkles Port to Fort to … A New Lifestyle Respite Housing: A Valentine’s Beach Weekend Spotlight: The McBanes find a Home Volunteer-of-the-Month: Ms. Virginia, the Real Boss Interactive: Valentine’s Day Gift-making

A Very Wisp Winter

Every winter, as snow flurries begin to stick to the log cabin roof at the Believe In Tomorrow House on Wisp Mountain, Believe In Tomorrow families flock to the resort to experience the beauty of the frozen, winter wonderland. This year - with record snowfalls, booked weekends and continuing activities - is no exception. Read below for some fast facts about Believe In Tomorrow’s 2008-2009 winter season at Wisp!

Fast Facts About Wisp

• From the kick-off of ski season (Thanksgiving weekend) until March, an estimated 92 people will visit the Believe In Tomorrow House on Wisp Mountain
• Every weekend from Thanksgiving through March is booked (18 consecutive weekends)
• Families have visited Wisp during the week (and you can too!)
• So far in 2009, Wisp Mountain has received 87 inches of natural snow
• The resort usually averages around 100 inches of snow every year
• Younger families are having fun building snowmen or lounging around the fireplace
• Teenagers and older families are skiing, snowboarding, and tubing
• Everyone, young and old, loves to go out to go to Wisp Resort and enjoy all the generously donated amenities, including dinner at the resort restaurant.

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Family Letter

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Upcoming Events

Believe in Tomorrow will rock the house of the Baltimore Blast, the indoor soccer stadium situated just next to Canton Square. The popular orange crush cocktail mixed by Nacho Mama’s own Patrick “Scunny” McCusker will set the bar (literally) for the evening’s food and drink, which includes offerings from The Gin Mill and Kali’s Court. Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Bank is title sponsor for the event, with live and silent auctions, complimentary food and drink, and entertainment from the popular 80s cover band: The Real Geniuses (featuring Abby Mott.)  The event kicks off at 7 p.m. on March 7. To buy tickets ($75) call: 410-744-1032 or purchase them online here.

Head to your closet and dust off those running shoes you’ve been hiding all winter. It’s that time of year again … to register and begin training for Believe In Tomorrow’s annual run/walk: Port to Fort. Participants will leave the starting line at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 26 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Highway. Staffed and timed by Charm City Run, Port to Fort encourages teams of armed service members, coworkers and friends to compete, gives individual awards, and even allows strollers and iPods. Open to the general public, with opportunities to raise extra money for Believe In Tomorrow through Firstgiving.com, $20 will get the first 1,200 registered runners and walkers a commemorative t-shirt, race goodie bag and invitation to the post-race party with music, food, and beverages. Sign up today: www.believeintomorrow.org/p2f  or contact Stephanie Nesbit for more information: snesbit@believeintomorrow.org/410-744-1032.

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A Revived Hands On Adventure Begins: National Hot Rod Association

Members of the 35,000 licensed competitors in the National Hot Rod Association invite Believe In Tomorrow children from coast to coast to participate in an exciting season of top speeds and adrenaline.

On race day, whether it’s in Phoenix, Houston, or Chicago, critically ill children and their families will get a tour of open race pits, meet the drivers, place their handprints on driver’s memorabilia and receive special reserved seating for the event.

The goal of the program: to help critically ill children focus on the future rather than the present or the past. Oftentimes, children undergoing treatment get caught up in the routine of hospital visits. Thanks to the generosity of the National Hot Rod Association, children with life-threatening illnesses will receive a day they may never forget and a tool for speeding recovery.

Critically ill children will get the chance to visit one of seventeen major cities around the country to attend this event. Many children and their families who attend the event with Believe In Tomorrow become lifetime supporters and enthusiasts of drag racing.

Drag racing, or “hot rod” racing at speeds that sometimes topple 300 miles per hour, found its first supporters in empty plains of the arid West, and a lifetime supporter in Wally Parks, the founder of National Hot Rod Association.

In 1953, Parks saw the first official race of his association – meant to organize and keep drivers safe – zoom past on the track of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif. Forty-six years later, with an exponential accumulation of fans, the 2009 season for the National Hot Rod Association will begin again February 5.

Believe In Tomorrow will join the tour in Phoenix, Ariz., beginning Feb. 20.

For more information, please visit our Hands On Adventures or Events pages at believeintomorrow.org. If you wish to inquire about attending a National Hot Rod Association event, please contact Amy Bond: abond@believeintomorrow.org or call 800-933-5470.

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White Cake, Vanilla Frosting, and a Jar of Sprinkles

By: Deanna Maida

Making sure there was no “double-dipping” was always the hardest part.

Never mind the sprinkles smashed into the crannies of hardwood floors, window panes or seats of chairs. Forget about the colored frosting smeared onto clothing, hair and tables. And do not even worry about batter crusted to just about everything. The hardest part of the whole process was to make sure that the children did not take that batter or frosting spoon out of the bowl, lick it, and place it back in its original location with a grin. (And yes, it was sometimes difficult to teach the adults as well.)

For about two and a half years, Patrick and I have baked cupcakes at the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House. We embrace every moment.

When we first arrived for our tour of the house to see if it was a fit for us, we thought it would be fun to sit around in the toyland and play with the children. We quickly learned that we needed to find a way to catch the residents’ attention and to have all people, both young and old, engaged in a single activity. As college students, we decided food would be the answer.

Cupcakes were the solution to our problem. We set up stations where families could mix ingredients, color the frosting and help me search the house for the load of different sprinkle jars hidden on every floor. From helping me mix the ingredients, to putting the sprinkles on as the final touch, it was a fun, hands-on experience not only for the children, but for the adults as well. It is amazing having the opportunity to meet so many different people from all over the world.

Cupcake baking, and of course eating, is always fun, but the most touching aspect comes from what families share with us as we volunteer. I love returning to smashed sprinkles and smeared frosting because of the parents that open up to us while sharing dessert and coffee and the children that push themselves to be present at our baking parties.

I feel as if the families need me as much as I need them.

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Port to Fort to … A New Lifestyle

For many, Port to Fort – the annual run through Charm City benefitting the critically ill children of Believe In Tomorrow – evolved as a tradition through the years since its inception in 1996.

Twelve years later, the event became one of Baltimore city’s largest races, with 1,484 runners and walkers lining up at the starting line in 2008.

Josh Sutherland stood among those runners in 2008. A public accountant for a law firm, Josh worked with Believe In Tomorrow as an auditor.

 “Once I learned what the organization did I was interested in assisting!” says Josh.

The father of two pitched in as a volunteer, deep-cleaning the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at St. Casimir, cooking a family supper at the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins and keeping the silent auction at the Benefit and Auction running smoothly.

In January of 2008, Josh began a new track toward health improvement and as part of it he made his “running debut” at Port to Fort. He also spent time fund raising for the event.

Josh lost 50 pounds in eight months and ran the Baltimore Marathon this year (his first marathon ever) in 4:00:34. 

Currently, Josh is training for a DC marathon in March 2009 and will run again in Port to Fort 2009.

Says Josh: “Not only do I expect to beat my time from last year, more importantly I expect to beat my fundraising total!”

Are you a Believe In Tomorrow family? You can participate in Port to Fort at a reduced rate. It’s one of the easiest ways to show support. Bring strollers and run or walk in honor of someone, to give back, or simply to participate in an event with other Believe In Tomorrow families like you. Go here to sign up and start fundraising. See you there!

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Respite Housing: A Valentine’s Beach Weekend

For many, Valentine’s Day is all about showering a significant other with gifts. But for Believe In Tomorrow families, the month of love can serve as an opportunity to use the long weekend for spending time with each other.

Even though the waves in Ocean City have turned gray and blustery and temperatures sometimes don’t reach 40 degrees, the fresh, salty air at the beach might be a part of the perfect respite trip this Valentine’s Day weekend, beginning Friday, Feb. 13.

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Spotlight: The McBanes find a Home, and a Name, in Baltimore

The first thing Julie and Chad McBane did after they checked out of the hospital following the birth of their one-and-a-half-year-old son, Camden: check into the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Julie and Chad did not plan on coming to Baltimore via overnight drive, one thousand miles from their Florida home. Nor did they expect to get a room at the Children’s House following the birth of Camden, who is a bladder exstrophy patient. They did know one thing, however, after staying at the Children’s House on several return visits: they needed to find a way to give back.

“It’s just so valuable to bond with other families when you are about to go through something,” says Julie.

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Volunteer-of-the-Month:
Ms. Virginia, the Real Boss

By Mindy Weidman

I met Virginia Turner in the first five minutes of my career at Believe In Tomorrow. She swept into my office to welcome me bearing a blue, fleece blanket which, she explained, was the organization’s uniform that I must have if I was going to work here. 

When Virginia’s son, Bill, started volunteering with Believe In Tomorrow over 20 years ago, he asked other members of his family, Virginia included, to help at the annual Benefit and Auction.

“And they haven’t forgiven me since,” jokes Bill.

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Interactive: Valentine’s Day Gift-making

Submitted by: Justin Silver
Looking for love to walk into your door this Valentine’s Day? Try starting with this doorknob decoration craft, submitted by a Believe In Tomorrow respite family, the Silvers.

Materials: Four small wooden hearts, paint, glue, glitter, and two pieces of ribbon (18-inch and 8-inch).

Assemble:

1. Paint all four wooden hearts. We chose to paint two red and two pink. 
2. Let dry.
3. With your glue, write one letter on each heart: L-O-V-E. Before the glue dries, sprinkle the glue letters with glitter and let dry.
4. Once the glitter letters are hard, place the four hearts in a vertical line like this:

L
O
V
E

Leave about an inch of space between each.

5. Place a thin line of glue on the back of each heart, running from top to bottom, at the heart’s center. Take your 18-inch ribbon (we chose red) and lay it across the lines of glue, making sure to maintain the space between each heart. You should come away with a connected string of hearts.
6. Place glue on the top heart (the “L”) on the left and right sides of the longer ribbon. Put both ends of the 8-inch ribbon on the glue. Let dry. The top part of the ribbon should look like a big loop for hanging on a door knob.

Now you have a little love to hang on your door knob. It’s the perfect Valentine's decoration for your home, office or for someone special.

And then, love walked in.

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