|
"Royal Tuck In" Hurley Medical Center, Flint Michigan, April 29th, 2013
By Erin Jenkinson: For a Day Foundation, Hurley Medical Center Chairperson
Oh my goodness Hurley was unseasonably full tonight! Usually the pediatric halls begin to get pretty quiet from spring through summer, but not this year! We saw over 30 children tonight! The girls outnumbered the boys 18 to 14. Thank goodness Darynn and I had our running shoes on! We set out with a goal to limit our visits this evening so we would be able to stay within our time limit. Well that was  a nice goal but never going to happen. We are both guilty of getting caught up in every child's story, so needless to say it took us a little longer to visit with every child , but who is watching a clock when your hanging out with the coolest kids in town? In the Intensive Care Unit we meet Kaiyana, a sweet young lady who was very happy to get lots of goodies from the Queens. My heart melted when Kaiyana and her sister giggled and smiled for the group picture. Little did we know we had a real treat waiting for us on the general Pediatric floor, her name was Lollie! This little burst of sunshine was so full of joy and happiness you would never know that she has been battling cancer for quite some time. Lollie's contagious smile and determination is such an inspiration! If you would like to be a part of these For A Day Foundation moments, please feel free to join us May 20th for our next Royal Tuck In at Hurley. Contact Erin Jenkinson at 810-241-5671.
The For a Day Foundation's 5th Annual Fashion Show – May 5, 2013
by Nikki Follis-Fashion Show Chairperson
 Smiles and laughter could be heard throughout the store as the 6th Annual Fashion Show held at the Carson’s store at the Partridge Creek Mall got under way. Just as we have in the past, the show was opened up to boys and girls ages 3-21 as well as their siblings. We had 24 kids in attendance that day!! There were quite a few new models this year, however, one would never know this by looking around. The bond made between the participants really shows how amazing these models truly are.
The day began  with pampering on location by Excel Academies of Cosmetology for hair, Carson's makeup counters handled our makeup, and Megan and Tammy Maiani took care of the manicures and pedicures. The experts took the time to provide the salon services to all of the participants involved ensuring that they would look their absolute best for the event. There were some amazing looks provided by our pampering team this year!
Heather Savas of Heather Savas Photography provided photo shoots of the participants and each child will receive a photo memory of their day. This is always fun as Heather has a creative eye and involved not only the model, but siblings and parents in the photo shoot too!!
Jimmy John's and Nino Salvaggio provided our food and beverages for the day. English Garden's provided our flowers for each participant to provide to their family for being by their side through thick and thin.
Big Will got th e audience going with his upbeat introduction to the fashion show. Erin Jenkinson (Miss Sanilac County) closed our show with a touching song as our models took a moment to pass a flower onto their Mother’s/Grandmother’s.
Amy Kaminsky and her team of professional models gave our models a quick lesson on walking the runway like a pro. They did a good job too because every one of the models took their time and didn’t appear nervous at all!!
Just as years past, smiles, tears and cheers filled the room as soon as the participants started their way down the runway. Billey Howard took the time to speak to the audience about her story at the start of the show. What an amazing young woman she is! Her story really shows just how strong these young heroes are. It was a great addition to hear her speak of how far she has come to be where she is today. Each model has their own story, but their attitudes the day of the show really show just how strong they are. They are truly astounding individuals.
We had a special check presentation this year by the Clinton Township Water Department and provided a plaque to one of our large sponsors, Master Robotics. Thank you to both companies for your very generous support.
We had a great turnout with well over 150 people in attendance and standing room only again this year. Theresa at Carson’s did a fabulous job putting this event into motion. We are working on putting together a date for next year's event.
Thank you to all of the volunteers that came out to help the day of the event as well as those who assisted prior to the event! There was a lot of work that went into planning the event and the final outcome really showed how much the effort really made a difference! I really could not put this event together without all of your help and support!
4th Annual "Run with the Cops, not from Them!" fundraising race
Belle Isle, Detroit, April 20, 2013 By Sgt Carol Almeranti, Race Coordinator and FADF Advisory Board Member and Sgt Jeremy James, FADF Volunteer and Race Coordinator
At 6am, set-up was well underway on Belle Isle this beautiful morning. Dozens of volunteers blanketed the area tasked with setting up tents, generators, and water stations. Although brisk winds came from the west, we were blessed with sunshine, over 50 volunteers and well over 750 registered walkers/runners!
Our events included a 1-Mile fun walk/run, and two US American Track and Field certified courses, the 5k and 10k. The group was a welcome mix of serious runners and supports of the charity, all coming together for a common cause...raise money to help kids in need. Although in the shadows of the recent Boston Marathon attack, our volunteers and participants braved on and showed their true USA spirit. Our endebted thanks to you all.
With event planning going back nearly 6 months, there are so many people to thank. While we cannot nearly give a complete list, we do want to recognize Police Chief Chester Logan and the Detroit Police Department for bringing your "toys" for everyone to touch, including a helicopter, horses, and a SWAT tank! We also wish to thank such recurring supporters such as Master Robotics, Trader Joe's, Absopure, Slim from 95.5, Fox 2 Detroit. Lamar Advertising, the Hertz Family, the O'Rourke Family, Shut the F.I.T. Up and Work running group, Mr. Sam Crawford, and so many, many more. Thank you all so very much.
We're already in the planning stages of our 5th event, with a date in May soon to come!
 Bryan Peoples, 11, of Eastpointe gets his picture snapped Monday with Detroit Police Officer Mike Angeliri in the playroom of the pediatric unit at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. For a Day volunteers also visit hospitals in Royal Oak, Ann Arbor and Flint. PHOTOS BY REGINA H. BOONE/DETROIT FREE PRESS
"It's just seeing their smiles," said Tina Martin, 33, of Mt. Clemens, a volunteer with the For a Day Foundation.
"We bring sunshine to these kids' dreary days. We get to make a child happy at a time in their life when it's not so funny, and their parents are very grateful," Martin said.
She and other For a Day volunteers make  Angeliri helps Bryan get a temporary tattoo. Police and others are hosting fun runs later this month on Belle Isle to support the foundation.
For the visit to St. John, three Detroit police officers used personal time to "help us spoil these kids," Martin said.
First responders will play another role this month when they host fund-raising fun runs (1 mile, 5K and 10K) on Belle Isle to support the foundation's hospital visits. The races -- dubbed Run with a Cop, Not from Them -- start at 9:30 a.m. April 20. Detroit Police Chief Chester Logan is expected to fire the starting gun, and the finish line will be a display area for SWAT teams, the bomb squad, mounted police and a dive team. For more information, go to www.signmeup.com/89241.
Community Support,
By Esther Skiba, Chapter Director
The Metro-Detroit chapter of The For a Day Foundation appreciates the support that the community gives to our program.
In the last few months we have had the honor of accepting donations from several groups.
 From Harvey Swanson Elementary School in Brandon Township, we were given Valentine cards, and get well cards made by the students for the children we visit in the hospital
From Rose Champion, beautiful, handmade blankets for the children. Rose lives in Florida and ships us a huge box of blankets about every 6 weeks. I am sure the children feel the love Rose puts into the blankets when they wrap up with these special gifts.
 From Dawn Styma of Lake Orion, 100+ Beanie Babies. The perfect sized, little friends for the kids to hold onto during treatments and tests.
 From Cheryl & Ella Schultz, of Royal Oak, toys, gift cards and cash.
Ella had a disco party, just for fun and sent our wish list to her invited guests and asked that they bring a donation for our program. Even young people can make a difference!
Thank you to all of these special friends, your kindness is very much appreciated.
"Royal Tuck-In" Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, March 26, 2016
By Beth Monicatti Blank-Sparrow Hospital, Tuck-In Coordinator and FADF Advisory Board Member
Smiles and happy laughter filled the rooms at Sparrow last night. We visited 16 children, ages 3 weeks to 14 years, in the Pediatric (Regular and ICU) Units at the hospital.
Books, blankets, stuffed animals and glowing toys helped make the night easier for our little patients during the Sparrow Hospital “Tuck In.”
Thank you to all the wonderful people that gave their valuable time to spread some cheer: Thomas Kish and Marco Jones from the Michigan State Police, Tonya Williams from the East Lansing Police, Denise Donahue and Mark Suszan.
Looking forward to our next visit on Thursday, May 23, 2013!
Spring Fling at Mott's Childrens Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, March 9th, 2012
By Megan Maiani, Mott's Chairperson
We decided to do a Spring Fling party at Mott's this time. Little did we know that it was going to turn into quite the party. Every time we have been to Mott's we have only had a handful of kids that have visited us in the playroom. This time, Molly, the Child Life Specialist took us upstairs into a conference room that had about 15 tables with tablecloths on them and told us that children were invited from 3 floors. About 5 minutes into setting up there was a line out the door!!!!
We had a necklace and bracelet making station, a manicure station, a fuser bead station which even the parents interacted in and made some of their children stay longer so they could make a fuser bead project, a leprechaun pom pom guy station, and finally a decorate your own easter egg station. We brought goodie bags stuffed with eggs, candy, and toys (thank you to our volunteers who donated these items). The famous For a Day boas and tiaras, fireman hats, and police badges were such a big hit the kids wiped out our whole supply!
Overall we had 79 kids (both patients and their siblings) come through our party. This was by far the best visit I have ever attended at a hospital. We cannot wait to go back in July for a Summer Beach Party! Thank you to our volunteers, new and old who made this visit such an amazing experience!!
"Royal Tuck In" Hurley Medical Center, Flint Michigan, March 8th, 2013
By Erin Jenkinson, For A Day Foundation Hurley Medical Center Chairperson
 At tonight's Royal Tuck In, I was joined by Samantha Orchard, Miss Sanilac County's Outstanding Teen, and my "MAO Little Sister" It was really special to have Sam join me tonight! We
 got the patient rooster and soon learned the girls definitely out numbered the boys this evening. We passed out goodies and visited with 18 princesses and 8 little heroes. They all touched our hearts in a special way tonight. Sweet Alexa was so happy we had come to visit with her and bring her a "real" crown and boa. She said she always wanted to be a Princess! While making our rounds we had a special request from a mom to come visit her little girl. Even though she was crying and upset I took her in my arms and soon she was lying on my chest as quiet
 as a mouse. Aaahhhhhh, I love these tender moments. We decided to end the evening with a group picture with the staff. They were so excited to take a picture with us! I was told this one would definitely be placed on the unit wall of fame! Please feel free to join in us April 26th from 6pm to 8pm for our next Royal Tuck In event at Hurley. Contact me at 810-241-5671.
Special Visit, March 4, 2013
By Debbie Hormel, Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital Chairperson, FADF Advisory Board Member
Today Catie Glossmann and I had the privilege of doing a wonderful home visit with our young friend Amber.  We were greeted at the door by Amber and her adorable cat, Tigger. We immediately recognized each other from Camp Quality, and the FADF Fashion Show!!
 We set up shop in the dining room and had a great time doing a manicure (blue-such a great nail color!), make-up and opening gifts. Thank you Beth Sills for the jewelry making kit and darling LOVE bag; and to Sharon Manning for the stuffed duck, which Amber decorated with her tiara and boa.
After the mini-makeover was complete we did a photo shoot of the beautiful Princess Amber!!
Time flew and before we knew it, it was time to leave. We made Amber promise to call us again when she’d like another manicure and make-up session. Its one-on-one visits like this that makes our day, and we are looking forward to being able to spend time with Amber and her mom, Michelle, again!
"Royal Tuck In" Hurley Medical Center, Flint Michigan, February 22nd, 2013
By Erin Jenkinson, For A Day Foundation Hurley Medical Center Chairperson
 We certainly had a full house tonight at Hurley. We played games, colored, listen to fun stories and passed out lots of goodies to 11 boys and 2 girls. Victoria Zaharia, Miss Michigan Leadership Teen Queen joined  Darynn and I this evening. We made our Royal Tuck In rounds through the Intensive Care Unit pretty quickly tonight. When we opened the doors to the Pediatric Unit we were greeted by a very happy rambunctious 7 year boy. He was so excited that the "Queens" were there to see him at the hospital! Even after our visit with him, he insisted on helping us with the rest of our stops. So needless to say we acquired a great little helper! He followed us around the halls helping us choose the crafts and fun reading for every child we visited. I must say the nurses were especially happy that we kept this little guy entertained for a little bit. While we were making are rounds we kept seeing this sweet little girl walking in the halls in a beautiful red party dress. We all thought she was a visitor until I noticed her IV on her arm. Come to find out she knew we were going to be there today and wanted to be dressed in her Princess Dress! She melted our hearts immediately! This was the best Princess Crowning ever! Tonight ended with a bitter sweet visit. My dear sweet Emma was back in for treatments. Although, she will not be joining us for some time on our visits, her spot will forever be waiting for her return. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues on in this fight. She does have a very special request....."If anyone happens to know Justin Bieber she would appreciate it if you would immediately send him her way!"
Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak Gimme A Break, Monday, February 18, 2013
By coordinator Ruth Williams
The hospital was quiet tonight as most of the children could not come out of their rooms, which gave the parents a chance for a break. We only pampered 3 of the kids tonight but made a great night for the parents as they received a massage, paraffin dips and a little time to relax.
I'm sure next month it will be busy with the kids again but for tonight it was great!
Master Robotics Donation, February 16, 2013
By Debbie Hormel, FADF Advisory Board Member and RO Beaumont Hospital Chairperson
 Master Robotics picked FADF as one of their charities when first forming the robotics company several years ago. Since that time they have been one of our consistent donators with our Run with the Cops fundraiser, and also supporting us by attending our Fashion Show and bringing along their families.
It was my privilege to be invited over to the Yaxley home to receive this year’s check for our 2013 Run with the Cops Fundraiser from Master Robotics. Thank you Jim and Lisa, and Ken and Lori for your generous donation and dedication to FADF!
Valentine Party, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI February 14, 2013
By Debbie Hormel, Beaumont Chairperson and FADF Advisory Board Member
 Love was in the air as we entered the Garden Room to help host the Valentine Day Party at Beaumont Hospital. Literally there were hundred’s of heart balloons filled with helium floating above our heads! We joined the Beaumont staff in hosting a wonderful event for all the kids on the pediatric unit that day. We had stations of goodies all around the room and each child and their  siblings were given a treat bag to fill with all the Valentine candies, cards, gifts and other treats. We had fun music playing, a table for our little guests to make Valentine cards, and a station to decorate door hangers for their room or IV pole. In addition to the ten children who were able to come and go for 2 hours of non-stop fun and photos, we filled over 35 bags for the patients who were too sick to come!!!
Definitely was a full house at Beaumont and we wanted to make sure no one was left out.
Thanks to my dedicated staff of FADF volunteers, Catie, Dena, Roslynn and Sharon, the party and gift bags were amazing, and we were able to share the love of FADF to all the children in the pediatric unit.
Coat check fundraiser at the Detroit Camper and RV Show, Novi, Suburban Collection Showplace, Saturday, February 9, 2013
by coordinator David Badaszewski
At this year’s coat check event we had 100% of the volunteers arrive and work their 2-3 hour shifts providing smiling faces while engaging customers, checking their coats and collecting donations for the Foundation. A huge thank you to Sergeant Carol, Cindy, Julie, Ron Jr., Mary, LeeAnn, Diane, Mike, Stephanie, Carrie, Kimberly, Paul, Esther, John, and Lee Ann for offering their time and hard work to manage the hundreds of coats we checked throughout the 12 hour day. Everyone had fun, after their shifts they were free to check out the show as a "Thank You" for volunteering.
The lines and the crowds of people were endless all day, and they were generous too. We broke last year’s take for donations by $145 ... we set a new benchmark of $1155 in donations for this event.
Next year could be even better. We were setup at entrance A near the ticket booth located at the far west end of the building ... if we could set up another coat check on the east end? Cha-ching!!!
A special thanks to Beth and Esther for their help in coordinating this event and the Michigan Association of Recreational Vehicles and Campgrounds, www.marvac.org for donating the space. A big thank you to the Novi Showplace staff too for their responsiveness is getting us more coat racks and hangers. Without them we would have lost of lot of donations due to limited coat space.
"Royal Tuck-In" Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, January 22, 2013 By Beth Monicatti Blank-Sparrow Hospital, Tuck-In Coordinator and FADF Advisory Board Member
So many happy kids after we left books, blankets, stuffed animals, flashlights, capes with masks, and glowing toys to help “Tuck-In” the kids.
Thank you to all the wonderful people that came last night to Sparrow Hospital: Ashley Floyd, Andy Blank, Tiffany Evans and our fearless guide Cynthia Meteyer from Sparrow Hospital.
"Royal Tuck In" Hurley Medical Center, Flint Michigan, January 4th, 2013
By Erin Jenkinson, For A Day Foundation Hurley Medical Center Chairperson
What a great way to begin 2013! The evening started with a few visits in the Pediatric ICU. Then we headed out to the Pediatric Unit where we were greeted by a truly special
 young lady, Rebekah. She was a bit shy, but LOVED her tiara and gifts. Rebekah decided to have her picture made with the queens, but as soon as the picture was to be taken she would hide her face! It wasn't until later in the halls we caught up with Rebekah and she decided it was time for her picture. Needless to say Rebekah charmed Darynn and me tonight!
As the evening continued we started seeing double. We popped in to see two sweet little girls whom we thought were both patients, but to our surprise one of the girls was wearing her pajama's and "just" hanging out with her BFF while she was in the hospital, now that's true friendship! These girls were beyond the moon when that the "Queens" came to visit them and put tiaras on their sweet little heads! They immediately began telling us how they too were going to be in pageants together and someday be just like us! How can it get any better than that!!
Well, I have to say the next little bundles of double sweetness that we visited were just the tops! These twin baby girls stole our hearts the second we walked into the room. So tiny, sweet, and beautifully wrapped up in two little packages of joy! The moment we placed the tiaras on their tinnie tiny little heads everyone in the room oohed, awed, and smiled from ear to ear! The mommy of these little princesses was so thankful for the gifts; especially, the tiaras and photo to keep for the girls memory book.
This New Year "Royal Tuck In" certainly brought lots of cherished memories for Darynn and I, but most importantly, a nice break was given to the 13 beautiful children we met this evening, 8 little girls and 5 sweet boys! Join me for the next "Royal Tuck In" February 22nd from 6-8 PM.
|
