Eric's Wish

SHARE THE MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS WITH A STARLIGHT CHILD.

Dear Friends,

As the holidays draw near, what traditions will your family treasure? Delivering homemade cookies to neighbors? Reconnecting with old friends? Gathering family around your dining room table? For most of us, the holiday traditions we cherish are reminders of what truly matters.

But what if your family had to suspend those holiday traditions in order to battle a serious illness? What if each holiday was just another day that your child was confined to a hospital bed? Imagine the anxiety you might feel as a parent. Imagine the isolation and disappointment you might feel as a hospitalized child, facing another holiday of doctor appointments or yet another round of chemotherapy.

At Starlight Children's Foundation, we know that the realities of an illness continue for sick kids during the holidays, just like every other day of the year. So like every other day, Starlight serves seriously ill children through programs that are designed specifically to deliver joy and respite. During the holidays, those programs provide family outings to the Nutcracker ballet, hospital parties with toys and hot chocolate and December wish trips to Disneyland.

This year, Starlight invites you to join us in creating a new tradition. We'd like your family to be a part of Starlight's Holiday Giving Circle - a special group of donors who will be highlighted in our newsletter every year. With your gift, we will brighten the season for deserving children and families, and reinforce the spirit of giving we know is important to you.

Please turn this letter over and read the story of a family that embodies the warm spirit of holiday traditions and of Starlight. I am sure you will be as touched as I was by the courage that Cindy and Rich Bissell demonstrate in raising their twin boys, both with serious illnesses. The Bissells are not only recipients of gifts from friends like you, they have also given an amazing gift--opening their home and hearts to a third seriously ill child they adopted this year.

As you read about our programs and the Bissell family, I hope that you will be inspired to help us create the magical holiday moments that seriously ill children deserve. This holiday season, I ask you to consider a gift from you and your family on behalf of Starlight children. By brightening the holidays for Starlight children and their families, I believe that your family will create yet another tradition to treasure.

Warm wishes,

Katherine Culpepper
Executive Director

PS: Please be sure to turn this letter over and read the inspirational story of Starlight Wish family, the Bissells. Join Starlight's Holiday Giving Circle today so together we can build a tradition of brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families!

THIS HOLIDAY, BRING A SMILE TO A SERIOUSLY ILL CHILD.

The Bissell family is making a difference in the lives of the kids they believe are "very special" in extraordinary ways. In addition to the typical parental concerns of school and creating a happy home, Rich and Cindy Bissell are raising three 9-year-old boys, all of them with serious illnesses. Twins Eric and Aaron were born prematurely with multiple medical complications, including cerebral palsy and severe respiratory problems. Still with more love to give, Rich and Cindy adopted a third child with special needs, welcoming Anthony into their family. "We had to take our old dreams and make new dreams," Rich says. Being involved with Starlight's New England chapter has helped them realize new dreams for the family. "A big part of life is not what we give, but what we give back, Starlight gives that opportunity to the families and to people who want to help. Starlight is like having a fairy godmother lifting spirits. It is rewarding for everyone."

YOUR DONATION SUPPORTS A WIDE RANGE OF PROGRAMS THAT BRIGHTEN THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN.

The Bissell family is just one of thousands of families touched by Starlight programs and services this year. Starlight's six Innovative Core programs deliver joy and respite to children with critical, chronic and life-threatening illnesses. With their families, these very special kids experience the magical Childhood moment that are often lost when an illness is diagnosed.

Starlight Children's Foundation is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for seriously ill children and their families. Working with more than 1,000 hospitals worldwide the Foundation provides an impressive menu of both in-patient and Outpatient programs and services. A leader in delivering distractive entertainment therapies, Over 100,000 children benefit from Starlight's programs each month.

	STARLIGHT FUN CENTERS Starlight Fun Centers are mobile entertainment units with a sleek new design, featuring a flat-panel screen, DVD player and a Nintendo GameCube system that roll right up to a child's bedside.
	KIDS ACTIVITY NETWORK Starlight's Kids Activity Network (KAN) provides special outings for outpatients and their families.
	PC PAL PC Pal, a mobile personal computer encased in a colorful kiosk that rolls right up to a child's bedside, provides pediatric patients with entertaining and educational software and filtered Internet access.
	STARLIGHT SITES Starlight Sites are inviting environment that provide pediatric patients with a place to relax, play and interact with other children during their hospital stay.
	HOSPITAL HAPPENINGS Hospital Happenings break the monotony of hospitalization with special parties and entertainers.
	WISHES Starlight's Wishes program makes dreams come true for kids who need it most by providing a one-time experience such as a family vacation, a tangible gift, or a visit with a cherished celebrity.