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We Believe — Believe In Tomorrow provides exceptional hospital and respite 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.
Respite Spotlight: The Moser’s Go off Track to Get Back On
By Dawn Carroll
The Believe In Tomorrow House on Fenwick Island is a little beach place off the beaten path. For the Moser’s, from Shillington, Pa., the Believe In Tomorrow House on Fenwick Island, a Respite Housing destination, is also a family favorite.
In 2002, the Mosers were forced off the beaten path for different reasons. Doctors diagnosed their 2-year-old son, Dylan, with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
The Moser family first learned about Believe In Tomorrow and its Respite Housing program through social workers at the Hershey Medical Center in 2004. They didn’t know then that their relationship with Believe In Tomorrow would span five years and create for them a reoccurring place to get away and bond together.
The National Hot Rod Association: Serious VIP Treatment
To all the great people - From Seidel and Family |
Hands On Racing, the partnership between the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and Believe In Tomorrow National Children’s Foundation, is accelerating, full speed ahead.
The renewed relationship between the foundation and the national drag racing organization took off March 14 in Gainesville, Fla. and since then dozens of NHRA stars have jumped on board to make every child’s experience a memorable one.
The Noles family of McDonough, Ga. recently discovered just how memorable the drivers and tour guides of the NHRA can make one afternoon while attending an event in Atlanta.
David Fankhauser, who led the tour of the race pits for the Noles, said the family met team owner/legend Kenny Bernstein and he immediately escorted them to a drag racing car to take pictures in the driver’s seat.
Later, Tony Schumacher, six-time world champion, signed the boys shirts and passed them some U.S. army hats. Jack Beckman, the winner of the “Funny Car” class, brought the boys to the hospitality pavilion to rest from all of the action and excitement.
Invite to Gala By the Sea
We cordially invite you to a black-tie optional gala event, held the fifteenth of May, in the Grand Ballroom at the Clarion Resort in Ocean City. Join us to dine, listen to live music, and bid on silent and live auctions. The event celebrates the magic of creating beach memories for the very special children of Believe In Tomorrow. All proceeds benefit the Believe In Tomorrow House By The Sea and the Beach Respite Program. Dance with us until midnight. Call (800) 933-9470 for tickets.
Secure your spot in the Believe In Tomorrow Ocean City golf tournament
Test your seaside swing at this annual Believe In Tomorrow event to benefit the Believe In Tomorrow Beach Respite Program in Ocean City, Md. Hosted at the Ocean City Golf & Yacht Club, the Ocean City tournament promises to be one of the largest golf tournaments Ocean City has ever seen. The event invites individuals and foursomes from the area and beyond (many are already signed up from Baltimore) to participate in a seaside day of golf, with tee time at 12:30 p.m. All golfers have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and raffle, with lunch provided by the golf course and Carrabba’s providing dinner. $125 per golfer / $514 per foursome. Call (800) 933-9470.
The 2000 plus participants in Believe In Tomorrow’s Port to Fort race arrived to stretch and mentally prepare for the 9 a.m. 6K on April 26 with an air of anticipation, happy to soak in the early sunshine. As race directors from Charm City Run ushered runners, walkers, strollers, and Believe In Tomorrow family teams out onto the Key Highway starting line, Jessica Hoffman belted the National Anthem. Sean Sites, district manager of Port to Fort title sponsor Home Depot, let the air horn blow and the runners were off. Top runners sprinted from Port … to Fort (McHenry) … back to Port and crossed the finish line, some in just over 21 minutes.
Among those who completed the 6K:
- “Team Serena” a Believe In Tomorrow family team running for Serena Lambert
- “Sarah’s Brew Crew” a Believe In Tomorrow family ream running for Sarah Brewer
- “Life is Fragile, Love is Not” a team running in memory of Henry K. Scheck
- Alex Van Valkenburgh, a 9-year-old race participant who raised over $1000 in the final week of fundraising
- Other top fundraisers: Dennis Robinson, Becky Lambert, Marty Delaney, Josh Sutherland, and Edward Brennan
- Military teams representing the Air Force, Army, and ROTC. Some members showed up in full gear carrying 15 pounds of weight on their backs
- The event raised a net amount of over $50,000 for Believe In Tomorrow programs
Please take a moment to browse through our pictures and video of the event , and thanks again to all who made the event a huge success. See you next year!
Hospital Spotlight: A First-hand Account of a Brain Tumor Battle from the McGowan Family
By Jasmine Touton
Frank McGowan of Danbury, Conn. sat with his 4-year-old son on his lap while teaching him to type his name, Tom, on the computer keyboard. He noticed the boy turned his head to the side to look at the computer monitor, and pointed this out to his wife, Emily McGowan.
She shrugged it off, as did Tom’s pediatrician, but almost as an afterthought the pediatrician said, “Just to allay your fears, I want you to go see a neurologist in town.”
The sideways stare at the computer screen at age 4 was the first indicator that prompted eight years of treatment for the problems surrounding a plum-sized tumor in Tom’s brain, possibly developing since birth. The neurologist visit sent the family straight to the MRI where the McGowans watched their nursery school student disappear into the massive machine and saw the white mass that popped up in Tom’s head on the live x-ray screen. A nurse watching the MRI ran past the parents and out the door. She was crying.
When the Fidos for Freedom therapy dogs trot in through the door of the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins, you almost forget their owners/trainers are leading them in. Usually it’s the other way around.
For canines like Nick, Oliver, and Salsa, who lent their loving services to the Children’s House on a recent Thursday night, visiting the Children’s House once every month has them tugging on their leashes as they enter and heading downstairs to prepare for playtime.
The Fidos for Freedom therapy dog session is just one of the endless activities at the Children’s House providing a sense of normalcy and some much needed distraction for critically ill children and their families experiencing the rigors of medical treatment. The families who gather in the Children’s House lobby to watch tricks, cuddle and play with them get to fill the void of a beloved pet left at home or experience a simple evening of entertainment where the whole family can participate.
Every summer, as the three coastal Believe In Tomorrow respite houses fill with laughter and excitement in Ocean City, Md., and Fenwick Island, Del. the weekly Believe In Tomorrow cookouts – inviting all the families staying at the Believe In Tomorrow House on the Bay, By The Sea, and on Fenwick Island – commence on the upper deck of the Believe In Tomorrow House By The Sea.
This year, Believe In Tomorrow staff and volunteers will give summer beach respite families a chance to wield chef’s hat and spatula.
We know our Believe In Tomorrow families are grill masters. We also know families experiencing a life-threatening illness might appreciate the opportunity to connect with others. That’s why we’ve structured this year’s cookouts to foster greater group support and let parents and families show off their stuff.
At a Believe In Tomorrow Walter Reed pediatric cancer group respite trip (a special event for our Military Initiative) last October, four families had a chance to connect during an afternoon of grilling and relaxation. As the afternoon wore on, and families blended cocktail sauce for the grilled shrimp, turned sizzling steaks, shucked corn and baked brownies, a special camaraderie began to develop. Husbands chatted, kids played at the house’s child-friendly tiki bar, and teenagers who bonded at the event headed over to the go-cart course after.
One afternoon of team cooking transformed into an evening of new friends and conversation – an evening of normalcy – the Walter Reed families aren’t soon to forget.
All cookouts this summer will be modeled after that day in October, with great food, as an extra service to families visiting our beach respites.
Practice those cooking skills and we’ll see you there!
Volunteer of the Month: Jim Hamlin, Master of Ceremonies
Feast of Optimism With an attitude fitting of their name, the Towson University Optimist club prepared a feast Tuesday, April 14 for families at The Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins as part of the family supper program that runs entirely on goods and services donated by volunteers. Groups like the optimist club prepare a home-cooked, family style supper for families several times a week.
Serving Sweet Tooths Everywhere… The Girl Scout troop #55006 recently made a donation of 40 boxes of cookies to go in the Wisp Mountain welcome baskets for families who visit the Believe In Tomorrow House on Wisp Mountain. This service-based troop also plans on coming to the house this summer to do a cleaning. |
When Jim Hamlin fell victim to a major stroke in April 2000, he’d never been in a hospital before, except when he was born.
“While I was recovering I was around all sorts of people,” says Hamlin. The time spent in the hospital combined with the people and children he met along the way helped drive Hamlin to start volunteering with Believe In Tomorrow.
Hamlin meets six families a week, a number that multiplied to become hundreds of critically ill children and their families on beach respite in the eight years since he began his work as a dedicated volunteer.
Featured Volunteer Opportunity
The Believe In Tomorrow House on Wisp Mountain, open since 2005, is a favorite respite destination for Believe In Tomorrow families. Help make the families feel welcome by joining our Wisp Welcome Basket Committee. With each family that walks across the welcome mat of the thirteen-room facility, Believe In Tomorrow needs volunteers to prepare a welcome basket full of goodies for the family to use while on respite. The foundation receives donations of toys, gift cards, and activities. Help us by assembling these packages, and, if you’d like, adding an extra touch – anything from baked goods to extra restaurant gift certificates from your favorite area restaurant.
Welcome Basket Committee members work one month at a time on a rotating basis and also serve as ambassadors for the visiting family. Believe In Tomorrow issues business cards to each Welcome Committee member for inclusion in the baskets. The volunteer then can field any questions the family might have about the house and serve as our eyes and ears when something in the house needs to be fixed. This opportunity is best for those who live in and around Deep Creek Lake and can work for an hour or so assembling baskets every week, in addition to being available by phone. Contact mweidman@believeintomorrow.org for more information.