The youth group from Lenape Valley Church recently visited Build-A-Bear workshop and made ten bears for our Powerhouse kids. Kalina's big sister Selene is a Powerhouse kid and she was all smiles helping with the delivery to our office. This bear was delivered with the items that were on Avan's Peter Powerhouse Christmas wish list.
Throughout 2019 Lacher Insurance launched a campaign to support three local non-profits. We were honored to be included with Worth While Wear and The Keystone Opportunity Center in their contest to have the community vote for their favorite and to share in a generous donation to our collective missions. Lacher was present at many events including Lansdale's First Friday celebrations and people in attendance were invited to learn about our missions and vote for their favorite. On November 18th we were invited to a luncheon at Lacher’s Souderton office. We got to meet their team as well as the representatives of the other non-profit’s. We were presented with a check for nearly $3000! November 9th, they provided sponsorship of a table for ten at the fashion show and luncheon at the Family Heritage Restaurant. Each year Shekala’s and the Family heritage Gift Shop host a fashion show with proceeds donated to a non-profit. Lacher’s support of this event allowed us to include four moms, two grandmoms, an aunt, one of our pediatric hospice nurses and one of our very special volunteers and her mom. Everyone one had a lovely time fellowshipping together outside of hospitals and clinics! Our earliest Lacher support dates back to October of 2018 when employees participated in a Wellness Challenge for a Cause. After 4 weeks of tracking their steps, the team walking for The Peter Powerhouse Foundation had the highest average step-count and was declared the winner! They were able to present Peter with a $500 donation for his foundation!
Thank you for you support! It's the second week of October and the back-to-school photos have long since been posted to everyone's Facebook accounts. But, in the households of of childhood cancer families that's not alway true. Sometimes these children are not well enough to start school with their classmates. That was the case for this little fighter. But, today this beautiful sight appeared in my feed. Sweet Norah has officially made it to her first day of second grade! In the Peter Powerhouse office this calls for a celebration! So as is often the case my day took a few detours and I ended up at the party store and the Dairy Queen. Ice cream cake makes a great after-school snack. It's such a pleasure to treat these children to a small surprise. We would have loved to see her face when she laid eyes on her surprise. We hope you have a great year in the second grade, Norah! We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers! Thank you for the picture, mom!
Tianna has recently started volunteering for us. She was looking for a way to serve God and help other children. Whenever a new bag of handmade hats appear on our porch we call on Tianna. She places them in individual bags so they stay clean and fresh for the kids. Look at all the hats she's bagged for us and she's hard at work preparing more. These are ready to be delivered to Children's Hospital of Phila and Nemours/ AI duPont Hospital for Children. We think Tianna does a great job!
We’re so excited to have launched a new and very special support group for our grandparents. It’s hard for some to understand the important role the grandparent plays in the childhood cancer household. With parents trying to juggle work and treatment schedules grandparents become, for many siblings, the face at the door when the school bus pulls away. They become the homework helper and the taxi service for after school events. The grandparent role becomes vital in many homes. When you consider the stress of a sick grandchild coupled with worries for the well being of their own child this newfound support role can be both isolating and stressful. That’s where GRANDpower comes in. We’re bringing childhood cancer grandparents together! We meet the last Thursday of each month at Towamencin Mennonite Church, 1980 Sumneytown Pike, Kulpsville, PA 19443. Join us at noon for lunch and conversation. Jennifer Dressler from dresslercounseling.com will be available to facilitate conversation and offer support if needed. You’ll leave GRANDpower feeling refreshed and blessed.
For additional information or to register for this FREE event contact Dawn Zucca at [email protected] Meet Tony he’s been battling a brain tumor for many years, now on hospice meals for this sweet family of four from Souderton are a true blessing. Follow the link and pick a date that works for you! www.TakeThemAMeal.com/PENR1532 Molly’s family is trying to adjust to a new normal after saying see-you-later to Molly in January. After a hard fight with DIPG this family of seven from (Woxall) Harleysville is grateful for your continued support. Follow the link to their meal schedule. http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=HIRC0437 Kiera and her family live in Souderton. She’s fighting leukemia and the hectic treatment schedule makes for a hectic dinner hour. Follow the link to support this family of four. https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/qvq571 Sweet little two-year-old Veronica is also in treatment for leukemia. This family of five from Norristown needs some mealtime support too. Follow the link for the their meal plan. www.takethemameal.com/OCKE4045 Six-year-old Norah is heading into transplant on March 20th. This Telford family of six welcomes your support during transplant. Please follow their link and consider mealtime support for them. www.TakeThemAMeal.com/MBBS6052
The students at West Broad Street Elementary School, Souderton recently held a hat day. Their goal was to raise enough money to be able to purchase the lunch on Valentine’s Day. They also made beautiful homemade cards. I’m happy to report that they hit their goal! We added some extra fun to the lunch delivery with balloons and decorations. There were gift bags for the kids and their siblings too. We left 13 bags at the nurse’s station in King of Prussia and Peter delivered an additional 37 to childhood cancer families in our community. Moyer’s Specialty Foods provided a generous discount on the chocolate pretzels and Harleysville Exxon provided the Hershey bars. The heart cookies were a gift of the Tucker family from Manchester, TN and some fabulous local ladies handled assembly. Your donations made the Dairy Queen cards possible. It takes a village. Thank you for all the love!
Today is National Philanthropy Day; we were as surprised as you are. What would have normally been a school day started with breakfast at the Towne Restaurant to celebrate that Peter had been nominated for and was chosen to receive a Youth Philanthropy award. We left the Towne and headed home to get ready. We drove to Wilmington, De and found our event at the Chase Center. Peter Zucca, childhood cancer survivor, wins regional philanthropy award The Association of Fundraising Professionals, Brandywine Chapter issues awards each year to recognize the contributions that philanthropists make in the community. The Youth in Philanthropy Award is awarded to individual youths and/or youth groups, 22 years of age and under, who have made a significant impact on a cause or program through fundraising and volunteer activities. The Nemours Fund for Children’s Health nominated Peter for this award because of his support of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children through his foundation, the Peter Powerhouse Foundation. Peter founded the organization in 2014 with a mission to improve the lives of other children who are fighting pediatric cancer. First, he raised $20,000 so he could purchase and donate 100 wagons to duPont Hospital for Children. Kids use these wagons when they are traveling around the hospital for treatment. Then, he raised an additional $75,000, which the hospital used to secure Cinemavision goggles. These wearable devices allow children to watch movies while they are receiving an MRI, which can reduce their anxiety and often allow them to avoid sedation. As it that was not enough, Peter provides gift cards to the cafeteria and to the gift shop and has donated Xboxes, books and toys during the holidays and throughout the year. He also organizes regional blood drives and provides scholarships to children going to camps that specifically support pediatric cancer patients. Peter raises funds online and through a multitude of golf tournaments and special events. Peter will be honored at the Philanthropy Day Celebration in Wilmington, Delaware on November 15, 2017. |