Dear Friends
The saying, Show Me Your Friends and I'll Tell You Who You Are is a saying that has been around forever. It has a special meaning that resonates with people in our community and their relationship with Jenna's Rainbow Foundation. Members of Jenna's Rainbow Foundation Board of Directors and the JRF community share a dedication to assist children with brain and spinal cord tumors and a feeling of joy when we can build a "rainbow". You may be unfamiliar with some of our dedicated circle of friends. Let us introduce you to some of them and the work they have done for Jenna's Rainbow Foundation since it was founded.
JENNA'S RAINBOW FOUNDATION SALUTES OUR 12-YEAR VETERANS
Jami Dorf, Jill Greenberg, Pete Dulligan, the Tenafly Elks Club, Mark and Nikki Rosen and Sabra Waxman have been quietly working behind the scenes of the Jenna's Rainbow Foundation Annual Spring Fair since the first fair. This year their imprint was seen again. The 12th Annual Jenna's Rainbow Foundation Spring Fair was held in May at the Tenafly Middle School, Tenafly, NJ and was chaired by Heidi Reichert. Despite the cooler-then-preferred temperatures the event was a huge success. Attendees participated in the many activities offered including the annual pie-eating contest that has become a traditional favorite led by former Spring Fair Co-Chairs Jami Dorf and Jill Greenberg. Pete Dulligan of Griffins Bar & Eatery provided the hundreds of hamburgers and rolls that were skillfully barbequed by the Tenafly Elks Club. Mark and Nikki Rosen supplied their famous Sabrett hotdogs a favorite among fair goers. Sabra Waxman created the artwork necessary for the signs that decorate our towns, the flyers that our children bring home and all the other materials that help us promote the Spring Fair. Jenna's Rainbow Foundation is grateful to Jami, Jill, Pete, Mark, Nikki, Sabra and the Tenafly Elks Club and all the other sponsors, friends, and volunteers who help make The Annual Spring Fair possible.
Stacy Goldfarb also has been a supporter of Jenna's Rainbow Foundation since the foundation was founded. Besides obtaining our licenses for the Spring Fair Raffle, Stacy has participated in countless marathons in honor of Jenna's memory. Her dedication and commitment to Jenna's Rainbow Foundation keeps her running each year. Proceeds raised by Stacy's sponsors are directed to JRF. Thank you, Stacy, for always putting Jenna's Rainbow Foundation in front of the pack.
RAINBOW UPDATES
The Foundation continues to work closely with the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center (CHAM). In 2008, JRF, together with The Adam Gaynes Foundation, established a teen recreation lounge on the pediatric oncology floor of CHAM. This room has become the cornerstone of a list of programs that were implemented at CHAM but funded either in part or entirely by Jenna's Rainbow Foundation: Intensive CAIR, Art Cart on Wheels and Library on Wheels.
JRF together with The Adam Gaynes Foundation launched a year-long-art residency program at CHAM -- Intensive CAIR (ICAIR). ICAIR, brings quality arts programs to children and young adults enabling them to engage in creative expression while confined to the hospital. For their first project the patients at CHAM created an animated video. They collaborated on the writing, animation, music, and were the voice-overs for the characters as well. These creative arts activities help to reduce stress, anxiety, decrease attention to pain and normalize the hospital experience for the young patients and their families. The video will be available on the Jenna's Rainbow Foundation website in the fall.
The Art Cart on wheels, filled with a variety of arts and crafts supplies and projects, was donated with a grant from The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades Teen Philanthropy. The children and teens on the oncology floor share in these activities. The cart is wheeled to those confined to rooms so that every patient can benefit from this program. Although Jenna's Rainbow Foundation will continue to stock the art cart, raising funds to stock the art cart makes a wonderful community service project.
In lieu of birthday gifts, many children in the community have requested books that are added to the Library on Wheels program at CHAM. The "Book Cart" is filled with a variety of books for children of all ages. A special thanks to the Jenna's Rainbow Teen Action Group, known as "TAG" for assisting JRF maintain the quality of the books on the cart and prepping the books for delivery. If donating new books or raising funds for the Art Cart on wheels is of interest to you, please visit our website www.jennasrainbow.org and send a message to either Ginny Shulman or Alison Teicher by clicking contact us.
Jenna's Corner continues to grow. Funded by JRF and powered by the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation, this online community is for parents, survivors, siblings, professionals and others to gain practical information, peer support and guidance from each other and some of the nations top leading medical experts. The community currently has over 300 users. To read more about Jenna's Corner, click here.
This August JRF will fund a new pediatric brain tumor overnight camp where families will participate in a combination of support services and traditional camp activities. Happiness is Camping is located in Hardwick, NJ and provides access for a diverse population of families from the northeast to participate and benefit from the experience. We can't wait to show you photos of our experience on the JRF website.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Natalie Barbanel
Board Member
For more information about Jenna's Rainbow Foundation,
go to jennasrainbow.org
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