Kris's Gifts via Cindy and David

On Saturday, we had the privilege of accepting a gift from two families who reached out in their own grief to bring comfort to others. This kind of gift is deeply honored, and we want to tell you about the donors.

Cindy contacted me a while ago about her talented and creative friend, Kris. Kris had a beautiful eye for design, and had a collection of fabric which reflected it. Sadly, Kris had a very advanced cancer; however, in her own time of need, she was thinking of others. She and Cindy sought a new home for her fabric, and in their search, they found Katie's Comforters Guild.

We hoped to meet one day to make the transfer of fabric, but Kris's health declined too rapidly to allow for that. She passed away a few weeks after our initial contact, and later, Cindy contacted me. On Saturday, Cindy and her husband, David, came to Poulsbo deliver the fabric to us.

We agreed to meet at Katie's memorial bench.

They brought two baskets and two boxes of gorgeous, vibrantly-colored fabric. Kris clearly had exquisite taste in fabric - and in friends.

If you would like to make a quilt (or quilts) for Katie's Comforters Guild to donate to patients at Seattle Children's Hospital, and are in need of new fabric, please leave a message for me here, or on our facebook page. It will be a privilege to work with Kris' stash and turn it into comfort for sick children!

Thank you, Cindy and David, and thank you, Alexa! 

Though we never met her, we honor Kris's memory, her generosity of spirit and her creative talents.

Cancer Advocacy Network Event on April 18th

Katie's Comforters Guild is a member of the C.A.N. (Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network) Group, which has come together to form a guild. The CAN Guild is presenting the following event:
Children’s patient families, staff, volunteers and community members are invited to join the CAN (Cancer Advocacy Network) Guild for our first lecture of the year. Dr. Eric J. Chow, Medical Director of the Cancer Survivor Clinic at Seattle Children’s, will present. A Seattle Children’s cancer patient currently enrolled in the survivorship program will also present. Q&A session to follow.
  
Date:  April 18, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Location:  Anna Clise Board Room, Seattle Children's Hospital

Main Campus

Light refreshments will be served - and it's free! 

Please RSVP to Nicole Mead at nicole.mead@seattlechildrens.org or 206-987-8209 by April 13th.

Two New Quilts & Quilters

I had the pleasure of meeting Donna and her friend, Sandy, last week. Donna contacted me after learning about our guild through an article in the newspaper which Sandy gave to her.

The funny part about this story is that Donna had used the newspaper which contained the article to house-train her new puppy. As she was cleaning up after the newpaper had been "used," the word "quilt"caught her eye! She made me laugh as she told me the story. But behind that story is another one. Donna's daughter passed away this year, from the same kind of cancer that Katie had: adrenocortical carcinoma. When she heard that Katie had the same cancer that her daughter had, she contacted me. I met Donna and Sandy at a local quilt shop. Both of them are very skilled quilters, and they showed me their gorgeous handiwork and donated these two beautiful quilts to our guild for the hospital.

This is Donna's Polka Dots quilt, held by Sandy (on the left) and Donna (on the right).

 This is Sandy's Autumn Border quilt.

Sandy teaches beginning quilting in three classes. She has offered to teach our guild members! I would love to take her up on this offer, once we figure out the right time and place.

Thank you, Donna & Sandy!

Rolling Bay Automotive Donates to Seattle Kids C.A.N.

Gregg's car needed repair work this week, so we dropped it off at Rolling Bay Automotive, a local company where we like to take our cars for repair. They even have a courtesy shuttle to take you home or back to their shop to retrieve your car!

One of the leaders at RB Auto has had the experience of walking the cancer journey with a close family member, and when I brought in the donation can for Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network, he not only put it on the business's front counter (in a prominent position), he kept it there after September's drive ended.

Yesterday, when we picked up Gregg's car, RB Auto contributed

$75.32 to the

Seattle Kids' C.A.N. (the nickname for Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network).

Thank you, Rolling Bay Automotive!

A World Without Cancer - Guild Association Annual Meeting

Angela, Bev & me at the luncheon - Heidi took the photo

Yesterday, three of our guild members from Kitsap County attended the Annual Meeting of the Seattle Children's Hospital Guild Association with me. We elected new board members, said "thank you" to the outgoing president and confirmed the incoming one, listened to the head of the hospital tell about the past year's highlights and challenges, and watched an inspiring slideshow of what all of the different guilds do to support the hospital. We heard facts and figures about the guilds who make the largest financial contributions, a guild that was featured on the Nate Berkus Show, innovative ways to raise support, and more. All of us were thrilled to see the impact that a varied group of volunteers can have upon the well-being of a great hospital.

A summary of 2010 - the Guild Association:

• has 7,000 members
• is comprised of 500 guilds
• added 22 new guilds
• raised $10.6 MILLION dollars with their projects
• raised $148,000 from membership revenue (this money also goes to support the hospital)
• raised $425,000 net revenue from thrift stores, including the Bargain Boutique on Bainbridge Island, where Katie's portrait is now on the Wall of Courage
• donated 185,957 volunteer hours
• provided $1.7 million in guild-affiliated revenue for Foundation programs (from guild members and their friends)

Anna Clise, the visionary founder of the hospital, foresaw that such an institution would always need financial support, and so the Guild Association came into being. Guild membership is a vital part of the ongoing health and well-being of Seattle Children's Hospital. It is a privilege to be part of "the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the nation!"

If you would like to know more about the history of Seattle Children's Hospital, click HERE.

We heard from Aileen Kelly, the wonderful Executive Director of the Guild Association, and from Dr. Michael Jensen. Dr. Jensen showed THIS video which moved a lot of people - to tears, to hope, to joy, to excitement, and - I pray - to action.

And finally, we heard from Skyler Hamilton, a former cancer patient who is now in remission. Our family met Skyler and his parents when Katie was in treatment at the hospital. At one point, we were in the inpatient room next-door to them, and we were living at Ronald McDonald House at the same time. Skyler was very, very sick then; his misery at the time is burned in my memory (as is his mother's grace and generosity in praying for Katie). So it was a great thrill to see him making jokes, cleverly fielding questions from Pat Cashman, telling his story, happy, walking without crutches and discussing what has been done for him at Seattle Children's Hospital. He was a motivational speaker such as I have never seen before. Well done, Skyler! I'm so thankful that you are in remission.

If you are a friend of our guild, Thank You. If you are a guild member, Thank You. If you are not a member, please consider joining this wonderful organization!

Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (C.A.N.)

The Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (C.A.N.) website is LIVE, and it's awesome! Please follow this link and browse through the site. There are interesting pages on the site that will inform and inspire you. "Our Partners" is a group of businesses that have hosted donation cans to help us raise awareness and funds in our own communities. Look for Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island and Silverdale businesses that you know, and please thank them by doing business with them! Every bit of support for the Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network goes to pediatric cancer research! You will find Katie's Comforters Guild featured in the "About Us" tab.

Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (C.A.N.)

September was

Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month

- I think I've mentioned this!

Members of the newly-formed guild, Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (Seattle Kids C.A.N) placed donation cans in varous businesses around the area. Katie's Comforters Guild is a member of this new guild/group, so I placed cans in these local businesses, with their kind permission:

In Poulsbo:
Burrata Bistro & Paella Bar
Head Hunter Salon
Lola's Mexican Kitchen
Liberty Bay Books

On Bainbridge Island:
Crystal Cleaners
Paper Products
Rolling Bay Auto

In Silverdale:
Silver City Brew Pub

Now that it's October, I am visiting these businesses to collect the donation cans. Some of them (Burrata Bistro, Paella Bar, Lola's Mexican Kitchen and Liberty Bay Books) want to KEEP the CANS all year -

we appreciate that support so much!

The funds collected go to support pediatric cancer research.

Today, I stopped by Liberty Bay Books, an independent bookstore in the heart of our little town:

Here is the owner, Suzanne Droppert, holding her donation can.

Thank you to all who have donated!
Every penny counts toward
finding a cure for cancer.

Don't you love local bookstores?

Art Glass Raffle for Cancer Research

A little while ago, I mentioned the Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (Seattle Kids C.A.N.), a group of which I'm a member. We are gearing up for Pediatric Cancer Month, which is September, and one of the great ideas that has come from our members is a raffle of art glass made by some of the cancer research team at Seattle Children's Hospital. Information about the raffle and photos of the gorgeous glass pieces can be found on http://www.seattlecancerblows.blogspot.com/ .
I love the name, since the pieces were made at a glass blowing studio! Please check out the website, and consider buying a raffle ticket.

Something Wonderful: HOPE

There is important (and wonderful) news over at Gberger.

Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (CAN)

There is a new blog on the block! The Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (CAN) is a group that is meeting monthly to prepare for September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and it now has a blog: http://www.seattlechildrenscan.blogspot.com/. Please visit (and follow) to learn what is going on with the guilds that support cancer research. Everyone is welcome!

Katie's Comforters Guild is listed as one of the guilds that supports cancer research. The guild's connection to cancer research is 1) because Katie died of cancer, 2) our family and friends created the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research in 2007 and 3) we began our work by sewing quilts for children in the cancer ward at Seattle Children's Hospital - and we've now expanded to blanket the entire hospital. As you know, Katie's endowment is for solid tumor research, to help find a cure for the kind of tumor she had (adrenocortical carcinoma). Since adrenocortical carcinoma is very rare, Katie's endowment supports ALL solid tumor research with the income that is generated by the principal in the endowment. At last count, the principal was just over $100,000.
We are thankful for the creation of the Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (CAN), and excited to see what lies ahead!