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Fair Helping kids battle cancer in Israel
Lawrence-based foundation holds Dec. 7 fundraiser
Harold Blond borrowed $5,000 in 1999 to establish the Lawrence-based Israel Children’s Cancer Foundation and from that humble beginning created an organization that has collected $5 million in donations this year to help children in Israel who are battling an array of cancers.
For the nonprofit foundation’s first 16 years it has existed as a direct mail entity only. The only method used for raising money was mailed donations. Now the organization will begin to host charity events to generate more funding.
Blond said that he’d considered creating a foundation for helping sick children upon his own retirement as a fundraiser for the Israel Cancer Research Fund, but it wasn’t until 1998, after his son Neil was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer when he started his own foundation.
“I thought to myself, ‘If I’m ever going to do something about this, now is the time,’” said Blond, a Lawrence resident. “I wanted to make a difference, and I’d made a promise to myself to do this.”
Dr. Myriam Ben Arush, the director of the pediatric oncology unit at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, said that ICCF has done so much for treating the many different types of children’s cancers through their funding. “The Israel Children’s Cancer Foundation is really remarkable,” he said. “We certainly do need such an organization to deliver a better quality of treatment to our young patients.”
Co-sponsoring the event is Howard Fensterman, a managing partner of the Lake Success-based Abrams & Fensternan law firm. “Charities that are focused on treatment, as well as on finding cures for life-threatening and debilitating diseases, are of a particular interest to me, especially when the victims are children,” Fensterman said. “The ICCF’s substantial funding for treatment and cures for pediatric cancer should make contributing to this organization particularly appealing to those looking to make a charitable donation to a worthy cause, especially as the holidays approach.”
Due to the ICCF’s efforts, 80 percent of the children with cancer in Israel survive annually, and 97 percent of all kids diagnosed with cancer in Israel are treated directly through ICCF efforts, said Melissa Leonard, the organization’s spokeswoman. “We give 87 cents per $1 that is donated, which goes directly towards their treatment,” she said. “ICCF is nonpartisan and helps all children in Israel.”
Grants are provided to six different Israeli hospitals through an application process. The hospitals determine their needs for the children they treat, and then submit their applications to ICCF. One hospital specializes in treating brain cancers, another with dental, and another with bone marrow cancers and transplants.
What makes ICCF different from other children’s cancer foundations is that they monitor each child’s progress from diagnosis to treatment and beyond, Blond said. “We’re the only nonprofit who provides in-hospital care for the patients,” he said. “The children are admitted, treated in hospital to the point of remission, and then released. After that, they have follow-up visits to our clinics devoted to their treatment.”
An art therapy program is used to help the kids transition into their cancer treatments by providing them with crafting projects and entertainment to lift their spirits as they go through treatment. It also helps the parents as it gives them another advantage in helping their children recover by providing a helping hand when parents are weary from caring for their children. “Child Life is used to create a warm environment for the children where there is cold and darkness,” she said. “It’s also a parent’s lifeline.”
To date, 40,000 people have contributed in the past to help the foundation hit the $5 million mark. Tickets for the fundraiser are $54 per person. To purchase or donate, go to www.israelcancer.org. The igive.com website is also used for donations.
