FAQ’s
Here to make things clear and simple.
Our mission is to comfort seriously ill children and their families by providing goods and services that give them physical and emotional support, and enhance the quality of their lives, when possible, in their time of distress.
The Kara Fund was informally established right after our daughter Kara passed away in January 2010. In lieu of flowers at her services, we asked for donations to help us provide a blanket warmer to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, where Kara had spent some time being cared for. With the tremendous outpouring of community support we received, we were able to purchase the blanket warmer as well as computers, gas cards, meal cards, books linens, stickers, colorful Band-Aids and other comfort goods for the children in that wing of the hospital and their families.
Our strategic partners help us identify the children and families we can help. We work with CHOICES, a pediatric palliative care group at Upstate Medical University and Crouse Hospital. We also work with Nascentia Health (formerly the Visiting Nurse Association of CNY and CompassionNet, a local palliative care group. These groups are in the best position to understand the children and families that we can help the most.
We have helped tens of thousands of children and families since our inception.
Yes. We receive 3-4 community referrals each month and provide comfort to these children when possible.
Based on our personal experience with our daughter Kara’s illness, we know the particular stresses and expenses these families face, so we understand the kinds of things they need to help them in this situation. We also discuss the items needed with several health care professionals to provide what children and families truly need.
Our focus remains in Central New York, and we mirror the counties serviced by Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.
We started working with UGCH and have expanded to work with Crouse Hospital and Nascentia. Additionally, we work through many different local groups to provide comfort to children and their families (CHOICES, CompassionNet, Elmcrest Children’s Center).
We work directly with home nurses, floor nurses, nurse supervisors and hospital social workers to understand how to best help the children and families we serve. We are providing tangible comfort goods to children and families in crisis and have been able to successfully avoid almost all of the red tape issues faced by many organizations.
Yes. Nearly all of the funds (93% +/-) The Kara Fund is a completely volunteer organization. we receive go directly to the families we serve; some of the money has to be used for expenses like accounting, legal services and marketing, but we try to keep these costs at less than 7% of the funds received. Our overhead is very low.
We have limited ourselves to helping pediatric patients, which can mean newborns to about 21 years old.
Yes. The Kara Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity as recognized by the IRS on September 11, 2012.
The idea for the Kara Fund was an outgrowth of our experience with our daughter Kara’s illness. We wanted to help other parents who are facing the same challenges that we did.
Yes, depending on the item. Please contact Mark MacDougall at [email protected] for more information.
We have received several grants from the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation over the past 14 years. These grants support all of our four major Programs: Comfort, Family, Home and Community Care. We have also received grants from several local charities, companies and individuals here in CNY.
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