CHILDRENS LEUKEMIA FDN OF MI dba The Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan

CLF’s mission is to improve the lives of people affected by cancer, now, with our Patient Services Program. Master's level social workers deliver resources in four distinct areas to bring immediate and ongoing support to ensure family sustainability over time:
1. Disease Education
2. Emotional Support
3. Social Support
4. Financial Assistance

1. Education: Empowering patients and families with online and on-site resource materials-including a 150 page new patient binder aptly named, "Stepping Stones", answering questions and helping patients talk through terms and information. Referring to the exhaustive list of hundreds of organizations in which we have grown our connections since 1952.

2. Emotional Support: Providing ongoing, customized relationship with our Patient Service Professionals, in person or by phone, to help patients, caregivers, and family members cope with ongoing life changes and stress caused by the disease.
Caseworkers provde the friend role, can help patients connect to mentors that have been through similar journeys, and let them know about support groups that are offered for free in many areas throughout the state.

3. Social Support: CLF provides opportunities for patients young and old and their families to get out and have fun in social settings with others who have been where they are. It's opportunity to get away and be with each other, at no expense to themselves. It can be an uplifting and strengthening experience to be in a clean, supportive community of like-minded individuals and we have numerous stories of life-long relationships developing as a result of free, CLF gatherings. At the request of our patients and their loved ones, we have initiated new teen-focused outings (all are still welcome) and caregiver-oriented ticket give-a-ways; so, all involved in recovery from cancer receive our support.

4. Financial Assistance: Providing support in two areas - the Reimbursement Fund supports travel, prescriptions and OTC medications, and our Special Needs Grant provides for unexpected expenses that arise and threaten treatment, including housing, automotive repair, utility payments, etc.

Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan (CLF) is built upon a legacy which began in 1952 by a group of parents who had endured the loss of a child to Leukemia; and, vowed that no family ever walk the path they had, alone. It became incorporated and began supporting adults and children in 1957. At present, the non-profit, all-volunteer Board of Directors consists of 16 highly successful, committed and engaged Business owners, lawyers, executives and doctors who connect deeply to the success of CLF's mission and strategically support the direction of the Foundation. Heidi Grix, CLF's President and CEO since 2014 is a profoundly compassionate and equally experienced leader in both fundraising and family services Executive Director who spearheads the CLF team in conjunction with Melissa Antoncic who leads the master-level Patient Service Caseworkers and Outreach team across the state. She, with a team of five, match over 100k in patient aid to patient families in need while dedicating time to make over 6700 annual phone calls, attending over 50 CLF funded patient-community events. Melissa also hosts a cancer support group monthly. The remaining educated, experienced staff of 4 administer, coordinate and champion the marketing, the Events, the donations and the offices located in Farmington Hills and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Because CLF is 100% reliant on philanthropic funding from its donors and the grants which it receives we are indebted to our donors who believe in and serve our mission to aid patients and their loved ones emotionally and practically from the diagnosis, through treatment and beyond..
We are among a small group of charities receiving a maximum rating of 4 stars from Charity Navigator for strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency

Currently, CLF supports more than 3,200 families across Michigan, and is experiencing a surge in requests for services.

We currently serve 80% adults and 20% pediatric patients. Our Holiday Toys program, gifting toys to any child within a patient family has increased nearly 37% over last year.

Approximately 35% of our more than 3000 current patients and families live within 80% of the median income for the state of Michigan, before diagnosis. Our interventions help keep these families from falling through the cracks as treatment wears on.

Gifts to CLF over the FY between 2018-19 enabled us to provide more than $113,000 in financial assistance to over 450 patients and families whose finances were stretched precariously thin across the state of Michigan. This is nearly double what we distributed in 2017 and was the highest level of financial support CLF has ever been able to provide.