Support Services
When a child has been diagnosed with cancer, their parents and family’s lives change forever. Our team is here to bring immediate, compassionate, personalized support to each child and their loved ones.
Arlene “Reenie” Kleinsorge
Our Family Ambassador
When a child has cancer, every member of the family needs support – given freely, given with sensitivity, love, and support from the #pcfnjdreamteam.
Our Family Ambassador “Reenie” will meet with every family, and as a two-time cancer survivor herself, has the heart, and experience of healing.
Families are often shocked and overwhelmed following a diagnosis, and our mission is to ensure that each child, parent, and family member know that they are not alone.
Arlene “Reenie” Kleinsorge
Our Family Ambassador
An initial honest and comforting conversation will help our team to identify precisely what our organization can do to help, respecting each family’s traditions, each family’s beliefs, and each family’s working and living situation.
We will be there with a compassionate network of doctors and nurses, parents who have gone through this before, patients who have been diagnosed themselves and cured and wish to give back.
By listening and reviewing the treatment options and plans with you, and your providers if you wish, we will give you the confidence to speak with your child and his or her siblings, to your parents and grandparents, to their school mates and teachers and we will make sure you as parents are also given the time, care, rest, and resources that will give you the energy and help you need.
We will network with other organizations, with social workers and agencies, depending on the specific situation. No diagnosis is the same because no child and no family is the same.
When a child is diagnosed, through our Ambassador program, we meet with the family to identify exactly what is needed that is not provided by the hospital or cancer center; we are here to make sure the family has practical support including but not limited to:
- Financial assistance for travel and day-to-day expenses
- Restaurant gift cards from our sponsors
- Additional childcare for siblings
- Hospital cafeteria cards
- Assistance with nearby housing
- Travel supplies
- Clothing, books, toys and other items for the child and siblings through Positively Creative
- Emotional support through relationships with licensed therapists
- Wellness programs, including exercise, walking, and more through Positively Creative
- Faith based programs as needed, partnering with local houses of worship
- Meditation, mindfulness and yoga programs through Positively Creative
- Special events including birthdays, holidays, and milestone cancer journey days in the hospital or in infusion centers or at home
- Funding for bills, mortgages, utilities and other living expenses when parents are unable to work full time
- Caregiver support programs tailored to each caregiver – coverage for time off, gift cards, massages, meal delivery and more
- Date nights for parents at special restaurants and concert venues thanks to our sponsors
- Scholarships as children are healed, custom designed to help further their education
- Holiday event financial support with our “Family to Family” program
- Celebration of End of Treatment events and gifts
- Survivorship services
- Bereavement services
Cynthia Artin
Executive Director
We welcome you to participate! Please contact our Executive Director, Cynthia Artin, if you’d like to suggest new programs, volunteer, sponsor, donate or otherwise be part of building a very special and lasting organization, and very compassionate and caring team.
#dreamteampcfnj
Cynthia Artin
Executive Director