The McGrorty family spread the word about Hope & Heroes at their local St. Patrick's Day parade

You may have noticed that we are working to increase our communications to our supporters and friends. We send out Update:, our printed newsletter, twice a year, as well as periodic E-newsletters, direct mail solicitations and invitations to our various events. We’ll be printing our first annual report this spring. Our next step will be to enhance our web site to provide more information in a more accessible format.

Frequency matters. Conventional wisdom says we need to be told something seven times before we truly begin to hear it. Especially nowadays, there is a bounty of life, work, and family commitments demanding our attention and our time. We believe that each person can choose at which level they want to be involved and how. We are simply showing you the menu of possibilities.

Two other motivations exist for more information. One is transparency. To the fullest extent possible, we want everyone to know what is happening at Hope & Heroes and why. The second reason is community-building. We are all in this fight against pediatric cancer together, which means we need to know who other people are, what they are doing and to celebrate our collective accomplishments.

Some donors prefer providing tangible items to our program instead of monetary donations. To make that an easier process, we have established a Wish List on amazon.com. Among other things, we are currently featuring items for the Arts in Medicine Program, which provides an arts and crafts class for children and their siblings to alleviate the stress of long waiting times. Their requests include crayons and magic markers in packs for children in isolation; lap desks for creating artwork while receiving chemo; and a Converse sneaker art project. Purchase away!

	Dr. Steve Sands is the Director of the Valerie Fund Psycho-Social Programs

The Psychosocial Program and the Center for Survivor Wellness will be providing a free SAT preparation course for patients. Dr. Stephen Sands has created and coordinated this project with Test Takers donating all SAT preparation materials and Hope & Heroes donating the tutoring. The course will be every Monday, 4:00-7:00pm, for eight weeks beginning on Monday, April 7. The course will prepare for the June 7th SAT and will include math, English and writing. SAT registration will be available and financial assistance for those who qualify. In addition, forms for test accommodation will be offered for those who need them according to medical diagnosis and treatment. For more information on scheduling, please contact Dr. Sands at 212-305-3649 or ss2341@columbia.edu.

For the second year, the Center for Survivor Wellness is offering summer media internships for survivors of pediatric cancer ages 17 and above. This year's program will be in July and August. Internships are available at: CBS/Yankees Radio, WFAN, 1010 WINS, CBS-TV, MTV, BET, KROCK, Fresh FM, additional Viacom companies and Major League Soccer. This is an amazing opportunity to get your foot in the door, get college credit and have a coveted work experience. To join the program, please call Solimar Curumi at 212.305.2354 or email her at sc2394@columbia.edu.

	Dr. Kelly with a young patient

Dr. Kelly, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, is celebrating her 10th year as Medical Director of the Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer. Dr. Kelly is one of our attending physicians with clinical expertise in the treatment of children with leukemia, lymphoma and histolytic disorders. She currently serves as Chair of the Committee for Complementary/Alternative Medicine at the Children's Oncology Group, the largest research consortium of pediatric oncology centers in the United States and Canada. Dr. Kelly is a member of the National Cancer Institute's Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board and the Board of Directors of the Society of Integrative Oncology. Dr. Kelly is the principal investigator of many trials investigating the use of complementary and alternative therapies among children with cancer. She lectures extensively on this subject at many conferences throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

Celebrating Its Tenth Anniversary! This unique program provides clinical care and specialized services that help to lessen the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Current services include: nutrition and herbal counseling, aromatherapy, acupressure, acupuncture, Reiki, yoga and movement, massage, and guided imagery. The ITPCC is a service “without walls” as practitioners are available to provide care to patients both on the inpatient and outpatient units – the only one of its kind in the United States. The program’s mission is to facilitate healing in patients undergoing cancer therapy, decrease the severity and incidence of side-effects, to provide reputable information on complementary therapies and to improve the quality and quantity of research in complimentary medicine.

	It was a hazy day at Baltusrol last year but the greens were picture perfect!

Continuing its tradition of prestigious golf, the Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund will be hosting its annual tournament at Winged Foot Golf Club on Monday, August 4, 2008. It’s a great opportunity to play at an exceptional course, to host your friends, family and clients and to support a worthy cause. We expect a sell out event. To reserve your spot, please contact Jeremy Shatan at 212.305.1419 or js2807@columbia.edu.

We are pleased to announce our honorees for 2008 – Noel Wax, General Manager/Director of Sales, CBS Radio and Kara Kelly, MD, Attending Physician, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Columbia University. Mr. Wax has spearheaded our media internship program providing life-changing experiences for our young cancer survivors. Dr. Kelly is celebrating her tenth anniversary as Medical Director of the Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer.

We will be returning to the Ritz-Carlton New York in Battery Park for the event.

Call Jeremy Shatan on 212.305.1419 or email him at js2807@columbia.edu.for more information.

• Burger King Spring For Fries Campaign | April 2008 | Our partners at the Burger King stores around the tri-state area will once again be offering coupon booklets for free French Fries in April to raise funds for Hope & Heroes. Burger King has been a devoted and dedicated supporter of our clinical and research enterprises for over five years. Stop into your local store!
• Memorial Walkathon for Talia Cohen | Thursday, June 5, 2008 | Talia Cohen was just 16 when she lost her fight with cancer in 2002. Mamaroneck High School holds an annual walk in her memory. Donations will benefit the work of Talia's oncologist, Dr. Darrell Yamashiro, who directs the solid tumor laboratory at Columbia University. 
• Jammin’ for Jamie | Saturday, July 19, 2008 | The Kimball family will once again host a day of music, food and fun in Greenwich, CT to raise money for pediatric cancer research.
• Family Fun Day | Sunday, July 27, 2008 | Join the Jay and Corbett families for their second annual Family Fun Day at Nansen Park in Staten Island. Funds will go to Wilms tumor research.

The company and foundation logos here represent some of the important partnerships that Hope & Heroes has been lucky enough to be involved with. These come about either through funding for research and clinical programs or providing other kinds of support and linkages to leading organizations in our community. To learn more about these groups, feel free to visit their websites:

www.bryansdream.org
www.fcsinteractive.com and www.fcsraceforkids.org
www.golfersagainstcancer.org
www.hyundaiusa.com and www.hopeonwheels.com
www.kamson.net
www.pcfweb.org
www.silverliningsociety.org
www.wipeoutleukemia.org