Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen VanDernoot.
The B Fund’s story began in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Boston Children’s Hospital. There, Kathleen and Josh VanDernoot endured the agony of caring for a gravely ill child, all while living in the hospital for an extended period of time. From this experience, it was clear to them that families like theirs were in dire need of support.
After several conversations with close family friends, three additional families (Jennifer & Michael Skoler, Jessica & Chuck Myers, and Penny & Dan Fireman) joined the VanDernoots to:
• Create a program designed to empower parents and educators with the necessary tools to teach children the value of philanthropy.
• Grow the culture of giving and philanthropy not only in one’s home but also in the community that surrounds them.
• Provide support and resources to local families who are caring for a critically ill child. IE: Parking, travel, hotel, education, meals, and other needs.
The B Fund is a growing group of brave, kind, compassionate individuals who are raising awareness and performing acts of kindness, both small and large.
The B Fund’s mission is to educate and empower participants to use their time, talents and treasures to raise awareness and funds for families caring for critically ill children. Using its unique curriculum, The B Fund’s programs are designed to highlight the impact of single and collective acts of kindness. Activities are designed to grow a culture of caring, while providing meaningful experiences for children and their families. All proceeds are donated locally, to provide financial and emotional support for families caring for critically ill children.
Thanks to the determination of their founding families and their children who have been working hard to inspire others to join their efforts and support families caring for critically ill children, The B Fund has engaged 11,918 individuals to participate in one or more of their activities.
This engagement as allowed them to raise awareness, financial support and resources for 4,000 families caring for critically ill children. A few examples to highlight include the distribution of:
• 13,500 parking vouchers
• 4,500 meal vouchers
• 3,750 Welcome bags for parents, which provide both comfort and useful tools.
• 2,744 nights of family housing/hotel stays has been provided allowing families from far distances to stay close to their child.
• 1,258 “Be Bags” for patients, which provide a welcomed distraction during their stay at the Hospital.
• New “kangaroo” chairs have been placed throughout the NICU to allow parents the opportunity to participate in a form of developmental care vital to a pre-term babies health. Research studies show this skin-to skin contact enables a greater bonding experience with parents and as a result more calm and less stress, which positively impacts their brain and emotional development.
• 2,069 chair massages were given to parents in caring for a critically ill child. Parents who receive massages report through written evaluations significant stress reduction.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the more unique facets of our non-profit is that the benefits are twofold: while the primary philanthropic goal is to support those who care for critically ill children, the individuals who participate in our program also have so much to gain by volunteering. Research shows that children who participate in age-appropriate activities that teach kindness, empathy, and respect, and have families that reinforce those strengths at home, develop the muscles they need to become civically engaged. This is very important to our mission, but we initially found it challenging to convey this message while still highlighting the needs of the families we serve.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The B Fund’s work would not be possible without our kids. We are unique in our emphasis on empowering children to make a difference, regardless of their circumstances. Our approach makes it possible for children to use their own time, talents, and treasures to give back, and we provide them with opportunities to personalize their philanthropic efforts.
For example, Rebecca, age 15, is an avid golfer. She wanted to use her golf talents to make a difference, so she created her own fundraiser in which donors could pledge to give a certain amount of money to The B Fund for each birdie that she made in a season. Her efforts ultimately raised $1,688.00 for The B Fund, and in participating she increased her confidence and communications skills. Projects like these are such a critical opportunity for children to learn, develop their talents, and create positive change in the world around them.
Another child, Ben, decided to host a Be Bag drive with his 4th grade class on his 10th birthday. Be Bags are carefully crafted activity bags that contain hospital-approved games, toys, and other activities for children to enjoy as they await treatment. Ben invited his classmates to donate coloring books, Play-Doh, and other activities, and they set aside time to create the bags as a class. Ultimately, they created 50 bags that provided endless hours of fun for children in local hospitals. The students who participated were able to gain an understanding of their own ability to help others, even as elementary school students.
Our most popular program, our Halloween Candy Drive, invites children to donate pieces of their Halloween candy to benefit families in need. The candy serves two purposes: we match each piece of candy donated with a $0.25 donation to Boston Children’s Hospital and Team Impact (up to $25,000 in 2017), and children are invited to create treat bags that contain candy and a personalized card. These treat bags are then donated to hospital staff, families in local hospitals, and police and fire stations. In five years, this program has inspired over 7,000 trick-or-treaters throughout Massachusetts to donate over 250,000 pieces of candy! The success of this program shows us that children want to make a difference, and, when provided with a framework to do so, their impact can be incredibly powerful.
The B Fund is proud to make philanthropy accessible to participants of all ages. Our curriculum is unique in its emphasis on acts of giving that involve and inspire children, whether they’re decorating cards for children in the hospital, donating pieces of Halloween candy, or selling lemonade.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston’s world-class hospitals have enabled us to partner with a number of organizations that support critically ill children and their families. While our programs can be implemented worldwide, Boston is the optimal location to work specifically with hospitals and those supporting critically ill children.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebfund.org
- Phone: 617-680-7173
- Email: info@thebfund.org
- Instagram: thebfund
- Facebook: thebfund
- Twitter: thebfund1
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