Quality of Life Donations

It is part of our mission to provide non-traditional support for families and communities dealing with pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors. Often the amount of money needed to make a huge impact is small. Families in financial need and medical crisis have received local transportation, meals, phone cards, air transportation, laptop computers, and cash donations.

Here are some examples of our work to support children battling brain and spinal cord tumors and their families:

• Metro and phone cards - The Foundation purchased metro cards enabling parents to visit their sick children in the hospitals. We also distributed phone cards enabling families to keep in touch with loved ones, doctors and support staff.
   
• Money for food - One family was eating hospital meals because they had run out of money. The Foundation provided money for meals to enable them to replenish their souls and take a respite from the hospital environment.
   
• Rainbow Air - The Foundation provided airfare for one patient to return home to the Midwest in order to recuperate from a major spinal tumor operation. Several other families in similar financial situations have also been helped.

Book Fair or Holiday Toy Drive

Jenna’s Rainbow Foundation has been supplying The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center (New York City) with an on-going book library that is located on the oncology floor. Here’s where you can come in...

• Having a birthday party? Ask each of your guests to bring 1 brand new children’s book unwrapped to put in a “birthday book box to be donated to JRF.”
   
• Need a community service/mitzvah project? Have your community/Temple/Church sponsor a book drive. One “brand new” book per person can provide a whole new library for these kids.

Brand new children’s books of all kinds are accepted from infant to teenagers. The kids love the books and we like to refresh the library as often as we can.

If you are interested in holding a book or toy drive, please contact Alison Teicher at alison.teicher@jennasrainbow.org for more information.

Child Friendly Meal Program

If you've ever been hospitalized, you know how awful hospital food can be. Can you imagine being a child in the hospital, having a brain tumor and experiencing the common symptom of nausea from inter-cranial swelling and/or chemo? Suffice to say, most hospital food is not as child-friendly as one would hope. Many families in the midst of medical crisis face such financial difficulties that they cannot bring in outside food for their children or themselves.

We'd love to be able to deliver other meals to kids and their families. It would be great to see bagels, fresh fruit, cookies, and home-cooked meals on a more regular basis. If you or anyone you know can help make this happen (either by sponsoring a meal, cooking one, getting a restaurant to donate one), please let us know. It's amazing how little it takes to light up a child's day.

Non-Medical Special Requests

This program provides for a variety of needs not covered by traditional funding, such as CD players for hospital rooms and therapeutic art supplies for the pediatric playroom.

To drown out some of the BEEPS and BLEEPS of hospital life, JRF purchased 20 radio/CD players for bedside use. Kids and families can tune in and enjoy at their leisure.