Ryan's Case For Smiles (Formerly ConKerr Cancer)

Ryan's Case For Smiles' (CFS) mission is to enable children with cancer and other life changing illnesses to cope with their illness today, while building resiliency to thrive in the future. In short, to feel better to heal better.

In the next 12 months our goals are to:
1) Develop informational resources in language that is easily understood and tailored to the particular challenges of pediatric patients and their families. Launch website to provide assessment, information and referral resources to families wherever they are, whenever they need it.
2) Deliver 200,000 pillowcases along with this information to 50,000 families in the calendar year.
3) Develop materials to train child life specialists to recognize and address post traumatic stress. Child life specialists are uniquely positioned to help combat PTSD, yet few are trained to recognize it. We will develop training materials to be delivered at conferences, in webinars and online. In the first year of this program we want to reach 50% of child life specialists and the rest in year two.
4) Develop and pilot materials to support siblings of patients through Sibshops - three hour long events that allow the siblings of children with a life changing illness or injury to socialize, share experiences, and learn coping techniques.

In the next 1-5 years we will:
1. Partner with the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress to evaluate the impact of PTS materials in helping families cope and build resilience following life changing illnesses and injuries.
2. Utilize feedback and evaluation results to improve the impact, quality and ease of use of these materials for families.
3. Continue to leverage growth in pillowcase deliveries to reach more families and help them cope and build resiliency.
4. Train every child life specialist in children's hospitals to recognize the risks of Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress, to empower them to help families and to refer them to CFS's resources.
5. Expand sibling support - both on-line and in person - to serve CFS' largest 20 chapters.
6. Build organizational capacity and financial resources to ensure long term sustainability of CFS' mission and work.

Ryan's Case for Smiles provides over 200,000 bright cheerful pillowcases to children in treatment each year that give an emotional boost and remind them that they are not defined by their illness. These pillowcases transform a sterile hospital room and instantly improve the child's experience. Many children collect them and look forward to receiving a new pillowcase with each treatment. We also host hospital sewing days to break up the monotony of treatment and allow the patients to have a little control over an environment where they have few choices. Finally, each of the bright, child-friendly pillowcases we deliver is accompanied by an insert card that alerts parents to the risks of PTSD and directs them to resources for self-assessment, referrals and coping tools. These activities improve children's physical and mental health, resulting in better outcomes and minimizing the risk long term emotional trauma.

In the the long term, we hope to build a thriving community of support for children and their families as they undergo treatment. These results are achieved through education and support for these children and families. We create and distribute 200,000 cards annually along with our pillowcases that alert parents to the risks of PTSD and directs them to resources for self-assessment, referrals and coping tools. To ensure the highest quality care, we have partnered with leading researchers at the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress to develop valuable web-based information and tools designed for each member of the family's unique experience.

We are also creating a community of support where families can have questions answered and feel less alone. This is in the form of online communities and Sibshops, three hour long events that allow the siblings of children with a life changing illness or injury to socialize, share experiences, and learn coping techniques.

Our work over the last 14 years has built a network of hospital clinicians, volunteers and families which allows us to efficiently distribute information to those who need it most. Through 120 chapters nationwide, we deliver over 200,000 pillowcases each year, giving us 200,000 opportunities to supply the support these children and families so desperately need.

CFS' has also delivered consistent growth and demonstrated the ability to attract support from individual donors, foundations and corporate sponsors. Our deep volunteer base and low overhead structure enables 90% of funds raised to be invested directly into mission-related activities.

Finally, we have developed strong partnerships with the hospitals we serve and the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress.

Ryan's Case for Smiles has delivered over 1.3 million pillowcases to hospitalized children to date. We deliver 200,000 pillowcases and information cards to 50,000 families each year and are also building a community of volunteerism throughout our 120 chapters nationwide.

However, our greatest achievement is the thanks we receive from the children and families we serve. As one mother states, "My child was diagnosed with leukemia and the first time we received our pillowcase was the first time he smiled during his recovery from surgery. It's amazing how much one pillowcase can brighten a while life and a whole room. It tells us that others have shared in these difficult times. A little touch of love and color helps give you a little more strength to fight."

While seemingly simple, the impact on hospital staff and volunteers is equally tangible.
Child Life Specialist: "On behalf of the children at Levine Children's Hospital, I want to thank you for the pillowcases. I love your slogan "a case for smiles" because it is so true. The change in the children's rooms is just amazing! A smile sometimes is the best medicine possible so if anything can help beat this illness you all are on the right road."

Chapter Coordinator: “After my Gastric Bypass I found myself with extra free time on my hands. It is because of your loving support AND Case for Smiles that I have been able to channel some of my interests from snacking to helping others. Making pillowcases has drastically changed my focus and goals for the better. Now I have leaping bounds of energy and will be competing, with my volunteers, in my first 5K for the Loma Linda Children's Hospital. This will celebrate my year of change of over 100 pounds lost AND to promote Case for Smiles"