Who Halo of Hope Helps
Children (and their immediate family) ages 0-18 years who are currently affected by pediatric cancer and blood disorder illnesses. The child must have been diagnosed on of before his/her 18th birthday to qualify for assistance. *All services are to ensure and maintain the quality of life for the child as they battle their illness.
How Halo Selects Children and Families
For Camp
For all camp related activities, our staff works with a group of social/case workers at the various hospitals we work with. The doctors, nurses and social workers work together to determine which children are eligible for camps. The hospital team follows a rigorous selection process to select our campers for each camp.
For Local Outreach
For local families who seek help and assistance from Halo of Hope, we ask that these families fill out our preliminary application to help determine the family’s need. Once the application is filled out, our Board of Directors reviews the case and sets up an interview if the case if within our scope. After, an initial meeting with the family is arranged. This meeting allows our team to learn more about the case and what the extent of their specific needs. Our Board then further reviews the information and decides what actions they are willing to take.
What Type of Assistance Can Halo Help With?
- Lodging during Treatments
- Transportation to and from Treatments
- Gas/Gas Cards
- Quality of Life Items
- Special Bill Pay during treatment
- Water/Heating/Electric
- Mortgage
- Groceries/Grocery Cards
- Special Bill Pay during treatment
- Actual Treatment Expenses
- Fundraising guidance or Assistance
- Love Bundles- Resources and Pick- Me Up Items
- Circle of Friends Camp Sponsorship
- Resources for Families
Does Halo of Hope Help with Household Expenses?
Halo does not provide assistance for household expenses. The core of our program focuses on maintaining the quality of life for the child. If an expense will improve or maintain the quality of life for your child during treatment, then it will be covered, otherwise expenses that are deemed to not be directly linked to the child’s well-being are not covered.
How Quickly Can I Get Help from Halo?
Initially, it can take 2-3 weeks from the time of submitting a complete application to get a response on assistance. This depends on when the next Board of Directors meeting will be held, as our Board hears each child’s case.
Can My Family Apply for Assistance More than Once from Halo of Hope?
Families are allowed to apply for assistance more than once. Each case is individually heard and the level of aid determined by our Board. If your child’s needs still qualify under our scope of work, our team will determine if and how we can help. While we may be able to help more than once, this is not guaranteed.
Approaching Cancer Together
At the core of the Halo of Hope Foundation, is the desire to help children and their families when they are first faced with cancer. There are a number of emotions that each individual may experience ranging from fear, shock, anger and even confusion. The muddied emotions coupled with the intensely scary situation can make the thought of coping or even knowing where to begin seem impossible. Whether you realize it our not, the minute you receive the devastating news that your child has cancer, your life will be altered forever.
Every individual will have a different response to the grave diagnosis of cancer, as well as a different way to deal with their situation. Halo of Hope feels it is important to acknowledge and respect your needs during this time. We offer a starting point, or an outlet, for families to gain information as to where to go and who to talk to. Providing emotional support is an important of helping our families feel comfortable with our processes and services we can provide.
We do as much as we can, within the framework our families give us to help. It is important for the family to feel comfortable in sharing as much of little as they want to about their child’s situation, as well as determining the extent in which we may be able to help. This helps families see they have emotional support and also allows them to feel a sense of control over the processes.
While we may not be the place with all the answers, our team will work creatively and quickly to help meet needs within our scope. We will give you the tools to help maintain the quality of life of your children during treatment, help find the resources needed and make sure to provide the occasionally pick-me up and feel good activities and items to help your child through his or her battle.
We are Champions for your Children and believe that if we tackle cancer together we can all play a part in making the experience a little less scary and daunting.