When unexpected needs or promising opportunities arise at Phoenix Children’s, we need to act quickly. It’s essential that we have the resources to respond to the challenges of today while also preparing for the future. That’s why Phoenix Children’s Hope Fund is so important.
A donation to the Hope Fund is the most impactful, flexible and empowering gift you can make. Why? Because gifts to the Hope Fund are unrestricted, meaning that Phoenix Children’s may use those funds where they’re most urgently needed, whether that’s to purchase new equipment and technology, drive game-changing research and clinical trials, launch innovative programs, or provide family-centered services.
Your Hope Fund gift might fuel a physician-scientist’s research into a lifesaving new cancer treatment. It might support a vital program like Child Life, therapeutic arts or animal-assisted therapy—services that help children heal but aren’t covered by insurance. Or it might provide emergency relief to a patient family experiencing financial hardship.
By giving Phoenix Children’s the flexibility to direct your gift where it’s needed most, you’re maximizing your impact for the children and families we serve. Here are just a few of the ways a donation to the Hope Fund can make a difference.
Hope for a cure
Phoenix Children's is becoming a pediatric research nexus, fostering discoveries that translate into the next generation of lifesaving treatments for children. When our talented researchers are onto a potential cure, we need to act quickly.
“Sometimes, we need resources to fund research that wasn’t planned—when we’re onto something potentially lifesaving and can’t wait,” says Steve Schnall, senior vice president and chief development officer at Phoenix Children’s.
That’s where the Hope Fund comes in. It helps physician-scientists get their project up and running—potentially taking one step closer to finding a cure—while the hospital works to secure additional funding. Without the Hope Fund, this process could take years.
Hope for lifesaving care
Donations to the Hope Fund help support more than 170 programs that are essential to family-centered care. The support from our giving community provides for the health and well-being of a child that extends beyond what science can heal.
Here are some of the programs that make a difference in the lives of our patients daily:
1 Darn Cool School helps patients keep up with their schoolwork during hospital stays. The program employs its own master’s-level teaching staff who work in partnership with local school districts. In 2022, 1 Darn Cool School conducted more than 10,700 sessions with 2,080 unique patients.
“School is normal for kids. One of the parts of healing is to have that normalcy.”
– Virginia Trimble, 1 Darn Cool School teacher
The Animal-Assisted Therapy program promotes healing through interactions with therapy animals. These interactions help reduce patients’ stress and pain and provide comfort to them and their families. More than 30 therapy dogs (and two therapy cats) visit patients at the hospital.
“The therapy dog visits were probably the most beneficial therapy our son had while he was in the hospital. He cried when asked to get out of bed and walk after his surgery. But when he saw the dog in the hall, he insisted on taking the leash and walking all the way to the playroom.”
– Phoenix Children’s parent
The Child Life Zone is a state-of-the-art play area that provides an escape from daily life in the hospital for patients and their families. The 3,800-square-foot space includes a multiuse theater; a gaming wall; pool, air hockey and foosball tables; pinball and arcade machines; and a craft center.
“Parents always tell us it’s the little things that make the biggest impact with their child during a hospital stay, from staff providing toys and books at the bedside to kids being able to interact virtually on our hospital TV game shows. These little things truly become the big things that bring joy to our patients.”
– Andrea Aken’ova, Director of Patient and Family Centered Care
The Emily Center Family Health Library is the most comprehensive pediatric health library in the Southwest. It is open to the public, with information about child health, illness and injury available in English and Spanish.
2023 by the numbers:
- 20,000+ visits to the Emily Center
- 8,000+ books distributed to patients
The Homeless Youth Outreach program provides comprehensive health care to children and young adults experiencing homelessness. Mobile medical units travel to shelters, group homes, drop-in centers and schools throughout the Valley, bringing comprehensive medical and behavioral health services directly to those in need. The program also operates clinics at UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix Dream Center and Children First Leadership Academy.
2023 by the numbers:
- 3 Crews’n Healthmobiles
- 4 fixed-site clinics
- 5,000+ medical visits
Injury prevention programs reach parents and children with important safety messages and skills, providing information about topics like water safety, bicycle safety, fire safety and child abuse prevention. Equipment such as car seats and portable cribs is distributed to families in need.
2023 by the numbers:
- 359 pack ‘n’ plays distributed
- 369 life jackets distributed
- 1,000+ car seats distributed
- 3,300+ bike helmets distributed
The Therapeutic Arts program provides patients with safe spaces for coping and healing through therapy in the arts. Music and art therapists provide one-to-one therapy sessions for patients at the hospital.
“Art is a neutralizing form of communication. The patients do not feel threatened when creating art, and this helps them let their guard down and verbalize how they’re feeling. I believe profoundly in the healing aspect of art.”
– Stephanie Brinkop, Phoenix Children’s art therapist
- “The Hope Fund helps families stay in their homes—but more importantly, it helps them take care of their children with very, very serious medical problems.”Steve SchnallSenior Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Phoenix Children’s
Hope in times of hardship
The Hope Fund is instrumental in supporting Phoenix Children’s families experiencing financial hardship. The economic challenges increase for families caring for a child with serious illness or injury. Time off work, nights away from home, frequent travel and medical bills all add to the pressure of helping a child heal.
Phoenix Children's remains a beacon of hope and healing during these challenging times. We believe no family should have to choose between a child's health and meeting basic needs.
With your support, Phoenix Children’s can act quickly and provide emergency relief to families facing hardship.
New and pressing needs arise throughout the year—for equipment, technology and more, often when time is of the essence. That’s why we created the Hope Fund, a critical funding resource for the areas of greatest need at Phoenix Children’s.
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