Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund

With emphasis on ensuring that the children and families we serve are treated with dignity and respect our goals are to maximize the quality of life for seriously ill, injured, or severely disabled children; minimize the financial and emotional burdens of the families caring for these children; and improve the health outcomes of these children.

Through our Financial Assistance Program we lessen the financial burdens of families caring for children with serious illnesses, injuries or severe disabilities and improve the healthcare outcomes for these children. We also maximize the healthcare options of the children through the expert advice provided by our program director. More specifically our assistance with electric bills ensures the continued uninterrupted use of life sustaining equipment which keeps the children out of emergency rooms and allows them to live longer. Helping families pay rent and utility bills allows these vulnerable children to remain in safe and secure housing and avoid becoming homeless. As insignificant as paying transportation costs may seem, it allows the children to maintain their healthcare regiment of prescribed doctor appointments; increasing their positive health outcomes and allowing them to live longer. Assisting with the costs of adaptive therapies not covered by insurance maximizes the children's quality of life and increases positive health outcomes. Lastly, by providing adaptive equipment, such as special wheel chairs, ramps, etc., to disabled children we increase their mobility and education (ability to leave the home, go to school, go to the park, etc.).

Through our Family Fun Days children with special healthcare needs gain a sense of well-being, are able to interact with other special needs children, see that they are not alone, and feel “normal" for the day. These children do not have what “normal" children have. They do not have friends; they are not invited to birthday parties. Being on a Family Fun Day is their chance to go to a party or go out someplace they would not be able to normally go. Parents of children with special healthcare needs gain a sense of pleasure, comfort, and community at our Family Fun Days. Parents are able to meet other parents, share resources, and develop a support system. There is so much involved with caring for these children that having others share their successful and failed attempts at helping their child is invaluable information. There is a unique burden experienced by siblings of children with special healthcare needs so it is critical for these children to also gain a sense of happiness and inclusiveness. At our Family Fun Days, they have a chance to meet and play with other siblings and discover that they are not alone.

Our Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program gives families caring for children with special healthcare needs a very special celebration, alleviating stress and creating tremendous joy.

To meet our goals we will continue to implement our three major programs: Financial Assistance Program, Family Fun Days, and Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program.

Financial Assistance Program:
We provide direct financial assistance for essential needs, such as: rent, utilities, adaptive equipment, transportation costs, etc., to families caring for seriously ill, injured or disabled children. All the requests for assistance we receive are submitted online via our password protected website by healthcare professionals (social workers, case managers, nurses) from a large network of medical facilities and social service agencies, such as: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Easter Seals, and St. Christopher's Hospital. Working directly with the professionals that already know the children and their families allows us to verify the need and respond promptly to the request. We can meet emergency requests within 24 to 72 hours. This process is quick and easy and respectful of our colleagues and the families we serve. Parents are spared the embarrassment of asking for help from yet another agency and filling out additional forms. Also payments are made directly to vendors/creditors to avoid the misappropriation of funds.
Additionally, our program director is a skilled social worker who has worked for many years helping children with special healthcare needs and also has a disabled child herself. She has experienced and navigated the world of caring for a special needs child first hand. Her knowledge is invaluable in providing referrals and resources to both the families directly and also to their case workers.

Family Fun Days:
These events give parents, patients, and siblings a break from the trauma of treatment and hospitalizations and a chance to enjoy a day of fun (often unaffordable otherwise) with others in the same circumstances; building a community of families that exchange information, resources, and support. Our healthcare partners sign their families up for the Family Fun Days through our online, password protected website. Through our partnership with the Spirit of Philadelphia, our families are provided with a spring luncheon cruise aboard the Spirit, free of charge. Also, through a collaboration with area rotaries we provide a fall Family Fun Day. We have sponsored Family Fun Days at Longwood Gardens, the Philadelphia Zoo and the Delaware Natural History Museum.

Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program:
Through our partnership with a network of corporate, faith-based, and individual donors this program provides toys, books, clothing, sports equipment, and food/store gift cards to families during the holidays. Our online system is utilized again to match families with sponsors. Parents caring for children with special healthcare needs may not have the time or money to plan a happy holiday. Our program gives these families a very special celebration, alleviating stress and creating tremendous joy.

The Dolan Fund draws on 41 years of experience in supporting the needs of families caring for a child who has a serious illness, injury, or disability. We are unique in that we help children with all serious disorders or disabilities - we don't restrict our help to just one type of illness. We collaborate with healthcare professionals at more than 200 medical facilities and social service agencies who refer families to us.

Danielle Scott Griffith, a social worker for over 20 years, is responsible for all program functions (Financial Assistance Progam, Family Fun Days, in-kind giving programs, and Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program). She also arranges the Dolan Fund's Annual Social Work & Nursing Symposium, which provides an accredited educational opportunity for social workers. Danielle has held positions with The Consortium, Inc., and the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Her experience in working with vulnerable and under served populations as well as a caring for a daughter with serious disabilities, are a great asset to her work here at the Dolan Fund.

In Fiscal Year 2017 we filled 589 financial assistance requests, valuing a total of $132,192. Our financial assistance lightened the financial burdens of our families and increased the positive health outcomes of their children. Through the advice given to families by our program director the families maximized the healthcare options for their children with special healthcare needs and increased the children's positive health outcomes. More specific outcomes of our program included:
• We provided assistance with electric bills ensuring the continued uninterrupted use of life sustaining equipment which kept 221 children out of emergency rooms and allowed them to live longer.
• We assisted families with utility bills and rent payments allowing187 children with special healthcare needs to remain in safe, secure housing and avoid becoming homeless.
• We provided families with transportation costs that allowed 12 children to maintain their healthcare regiment of prescribed doctor and therapy appointments.
• We provided assistance with the costs of adaptive equipment and alternative therapies not covered by insurance that allowed 55 children to improve their mobility (ability to leave the home, go to school, go to the park, etc.), education outcomes, communication with caregivers and activities of daily living.

In Fiscal Year 2017 56 families (301 people) gained a sense of well-being at our Family Fun Day aboard the Spirit of Philadelphia. The patients interacted with other special needs children, saw that they were not alone, and felt “normal" for the day. Parents met other parents, shared resources, formed friendships, and developed a support system outside of the hospital setting. There is a unique burden experienced by the siblings so it is important for them to meet and play with other siblings and discover that they are not alone.

In Fiscal Year 2017 214 families (642 children) had their wish lists realized through our Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program with an in-kind value of $92,280 creating a very special celebration, alleviating stress and providing joy and many happy memories.