Home for the Holidays Fund
We will be receiving social worker requests to help high need families facing pediatric cancer with a direct mortgage or rent payment this coming year. If you choose to help a family through this fund, you will be giving parents in the fight for their child’s life the incredible gift of PEACE OF MIND this holiday season. For more information on “Home for the Holidays,” please email our Program & Event Coordinator, Celia at celia@puntpediatriccancer.org.
We invite you to join hands and hearts with us this holiday season to lift families facing one the worst plights imaginable during the “most wonderful time of the year.”
Checks can be sent directly to:
P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative
712 Main Street, Suite 103
Buffalo, NY 14202
Adopt-a-Family
Parents of kids with cancer must somehow find a way to reconcile “the most wonderful time of the year” with a pediatric cancer diagnosis. Christmas magic comes to life in the most genuine way possible through our Adopt-a-Family program as donors and families are paired to turn wish lists into reality. Every single member of the patient’s immediate family is included as donors shop, wrap and present the perfect gifts to strangers who are transformed instantly into family members of the heart. Due to the overwhelming response of the Western New York community, we have had enough donors to adopt every family fighting pediatric cancer these past several years.
Listed below are some FAQs about the program.
What is a typical budget to participate?
There is no set amount required and we work closely with each donor to pair families and wish list requests in accordance with budget parameters. Often, larger or higher need families are adopted by several donors to ensure they are helped adequately. We can also help subsidize through general donations that come to the P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative at holiday time to complete wish lists.
When will I receive my list?
We are in daily contact with the hospital team and send family’s wish lists over as soon as we receive them. An average time frame is about 2 weeks from the time your name is added to the waiting list.
How are the families chosen?
We work directly with the hospitals to determine who will be adopted through the P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative. Our contacts are aware of who is being adopted through various organizations and who the families are that are most in need.
Can I get a receipt letter for my participation in the Adopt-a-Family program?
Donors can write a check to P.U.N.T. and receive a receipt letter for tax purposes and our team can do the shopping and the wrapping.
If you would prefer to do the shopping and wrapping on your end, you can provide us with a list of items purchased and we can issue you an acknowledgement letter reflecting these items that you can use for tax purposes.
Regardless, we would be most grateful if you would be able to provide us with an estimated value of your purchases so we can capture that information for the program.
Checks can be sent directly to:
P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative
712 Main Street, Suite 103
Buffalo, NY 14202
For additional questions that you may have about our Adopt-a-Family program please contact our Operations Manager, Lindsay, at lindsay@puntpediatriccancer.org.
Make a Difference in the Lives of Families Affected by Pediatric Cancer
The P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative is a public charity that relies entirely on individual donations and sponsorships to provide critical support and programs for WNY families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Costs of Cancer
There are almost always hidden costs and challenges associated with a pediatric cancer diagnosis that may not be apparent from the outside looking in. One parent often stops working to help facilitate treatment and an income is instantly gone or wanes. Bills pile up quickly; nearly half of families facing pediatric cancer end up filing for medical bankruptcy.
TESTIMONIALS
“Thank you so much for giving my kids such a great Christmas as I wasn’t able to do much this year. My husband and I cannot thank you enough for being so kind and giving. It’s so nice knowing there still is loving and giving people out there.”
– Debbie (Adopt-a-Family Program beneficiaries)
“It is an amazing feeling to know that there are such kind, warm, generous people living in our community. Thank you is not enough to explain our gratitude. The gift of happiness you brought to us this Christmas will never be forgotten.”
– Marlee (Adopt-a-Family Program beneficiaries)
“Your generosity went beyond anything we could have imagined. Thanks for being a bright spot in our holidays. We hope one day to help a family as you have helped us.”
– Karen Nicpon, Lancaster (Adopt-a-Family Program beneficiaries)
“I want to thank our donor for making my kids Christmas special this year. It really takes some special people to think about others around the holiday, when they have their own family to think about.”