100+ Women Who Care in Montgomery County is a group of inspiring women who care deeply about our community. The group gathers four times a year for a one-hour meeting. At each meeting three non-profits present their mission and compete to be selected as the winning charity of the evening. Following the selection process each member of the group writes a $100 check to the selected organization.
On the evening of May 17th The Peter Powerhouse Foundation was chosen to receive the group’s support. We want to thank this group of women for caring about kids with cancer! If you’d like to learn more about this philanthropic group they can be contacted with the below information. 100+Women Who Care in Montgomery County, PA c/o Baum, Smith & Clemens, LLP 2128 N. Broad Street Lansdale, PA 19446 Phone: 215-368-5755 E-mail: 100pluswwcmontco.pa@gmail.com
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Tonight was a lovely evening. We joined together with many at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Founders Society Member Reception. The venue was beautiful, the food was delicious and the company was delightful. When I picked Peter up at school he broke the disappointing news that he had too much studying to do and he would not be able to join Dennis and I for the evening. Our support of the Oncology department and oncology families at CHOP will be significant for years to come. We’ll return as a family next spring. Clark Hooper Baruch, Trustee, of the Founders Society was the Master of Ceremonies and she introduced Madeline Bell, President and CEO. Madeline shared her vision for future growth and direction of the hospital. A young POTS patient named Tessa shared her inspiring journey. It is a gift to have quality pediatric healthcare in your own backyard; it’s a greater gift to never need it.
Two large screens flanked the podium. A slide show of sweet children and donors was silently playing throughout the evening. My eye was caught by the faces of children that we support and by a familiar face from our community. You may recognize Don Hoff from the Harleysville Ace Hardware. We are blessed to be part of a community that cares about others. Many thanks; the support that you provide to us allows us to be a gift to so many. Back in the early days of Peter’s diagnosis and treatment he (with my help) became a total hat baby. Partly because his little baldhead needed protection from the cold months in New York City or the bright sunshine in the fields at home and partly because I wanted him to look healthy and cute unlike the sick little chemo-baby he really was. Either way he totally rocked his hats and Dennis, kindly, indulged me in the occasional hat-shopping spree. The extra boost of personality Peter got from a good-looking hat was pure joy for me; he knew the buying sprees would be short lived with a zero percent chance of survival. Many kids and young adults need to emotionally detach from their disease, treatments and the ensuing side effects like hair loss. Taking a stylish shelter from their disease for emotional survival as well as protect their bean from the elements is often necessary. A healthy hat budget can be as illusive as a healthy child during treatment. When I explained this need to the kind folks at The Blue Berry Hill, Salt Lake City, UT they immediately understood and were willing to help. We’re so pleased to announce our relationship with this fun company! Imagine my delight when this big box showed up on our porch! We’ve got the most beautiful hats for your sweet chemo-child. We’ll make deliveries to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, KOP and Nemours/A.I. duPont and local moms may contact me for an opportunity to stop-by to check our stock. Please visit their website at www.theblueberryhill.com check their size chart and we’ll see to it that your Powerhouse goes through treatment in style. Sometimes a little thing can make a big difference in the life of a child with cancer.
Our Meals From the Heart program is in full swing. This program allows the community to support our childhood cancer families, while they’re in the thick of treatment, following surgery or as they navigate their way through hospice, by providing them with a much-needed meal. We place our coolers outside of the family home, one for hot foods and one for cold. Restaurants and families are encouraged to pick a date to provide meals via an electronic signup page. Meals are delivered to the home and placed inside the coolers, no germs are exchanged and there's no interruption of precious time family time. We even supply paper products for meal nights so cleanup is a breeze too. We appreciate each family and restaurant that chooses a night and provides a moment of respite in the midst of the maelstrom. Meals from the Heart mailbox magnets make it easy to spot the homes.
Today, I am both humbled and grateful that our work has been noticed and validated by others. The 25th Century Foundation has bestowed upon us a grant in the amount of $5,000.00 to be used for general operating support.
Thank you! Although the subject is a sad one to broach, we now make available to our families end of life materials written by Barbara Karnes, RN. As an American hospice pioneer, Barbara Karnes’ over 30-year career as an end of life educator is predicated on her experience at the bedside. Her booklets have established industry standards and are relied on by end of life caregivers around the world. Simply reach out to us and we’ll ship or deliver them free of charge.
Former Philadelphia Eagle (#52), Kevin Reilly and Peter Powerhouse Founder, Peter Zucca are teaming up for our third annual golf event. Save the Date: September 25, 2017. Join us at Bluestone Country Club (formerly Meadowlands Country Club), Blue Bell, PA. Golf with Kevin and Peter, hear their triumphant stories over cancer and support the foundation that improves the lives of kids with cancer. Learn more about Kevin http://kreilly.com. Contact dawn@peterpowerhouse.org for sponsorship opportunities. Register on our events page (going live soon) for a day on the greens or join us for dinner and Kevin’s inspiring story. Kevin and Peter invite you to cheer them on and support their fundraising efforts!
It’s a wonderful thing to be part of a community that supports us so generously. It’s also a wonderful thing to be able to give back in that same community. When we received an email from the Souderton School District asking for our help at West Broad Street Elementary School we couldn’t move fast enough. Meet Antonio he’s been battling cancer for a while and he needed some help to be more comfortable in the school setting. We were happy to donate Yogibo, beanbag style, furniture to his classrooms. I had a chance to speak with his mom and she said that Antonio loves his new furniture and he’s very comfortable at school. Mom wants you to know that Antonio is a 10-year-old boy battling cancer since 2013. He has a brain tumor. After surgery he lost the ability to move his entire left side and he is now blind in his left eye but that hasn’t stopped him from been an awesome kid!
He still receives ongoing chemotherapy and other therapies like physical, occupational and vision. With all that he remains very funny and loves to flirt too! We are very thankful for people like you that help our family to feel a little better. We are so thankful for your gifts. Thank you so much and may God triple your blessings. Meet Montgomery County Community College Student Matt Covel. Matt is working on an assignment for his Video Production class. He's creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for a non-profit. Today he spent the afternoon at Peter Powerhouse Headquarters. We consider it an honor to work with students like Matt. Best of luck on your project, Matt, and come back anytime!
Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to introduce our new program Meals From The Heart. Being a childhood cancer family is no easy task. Sometimes you really need a little help from your friends and your community. Sometimes the pace is hard and the long days and nights spent at the hospital just really wear you down. There are long periods of time living on fast food and pizza. I remember well the meals that were delivered to our front door, some of them were delivered to my sister’s house so we could eat as an extended family. The home cooked meals we sat down to and ate together were such a blessing. There are times when you have a few long back-to-back days of testing and you’re just beat, there are times when a quick clinic visit becomes a two-week inpatient stay and sadly there are times when the treatment options have been exhausted and it’s time to come home and spend every possible moment together. Sometimes you just need Meals from the Heart! Meals From the Heart is our new program designed to ease the burden of shopping and meal prep on the childhood cancer family household. We’ve been hard at work with Harleysville Ace picking and purchasing coolers to place outside of the home so meals can be delivered without sharing germs or taking precious moments away from our families. Allebach communications has worked on our Meals From The Heart name and logo. Our blue Yeti coolers with the bright red heart logos are easy to spot. If you’d like to participate with this program all you’ll need to do is follow the meal signup link we post. A cancer family may need one or two or many meals during their journey. Simply pick a date the works for you, prepare and deliver the meal to the cooler.
As families ask for this type of support they will decide where the links will be posted. If you would like to request this type of support for your family please call us at 215-421-0764. Thank you for your continued support! |