Jessie Rees Foundation and Olympic Gold Medalist Distribute Toys to Kids with Cancer at Children's Hospital of Central California
Madera, CA (PRWEB) July 19, 2013 -- Caring for courageous kids fighting cancer while most kids are outside in the sun and fun of summer, the Jessie Rees Foundation brought Olympic gold and four time medalist to the Children's Hospital of Central California on July 8 to distribute toys in JoyJars and have fun.
"Research proves, and our work with our great strategic partners like Anthem Blue Cross and oncology nurses and doctors, shows us that encouragement is key to kids staying resilient in the face of cancer and other serious illness," said Erik Rees, Jessie Rees' Daddy and CEO of the Foundation. "Jessie's first instinct was to care for the kids that did not get to go home during treatment and her work continues in amazing ways, like at Children's Hospital of Central California."
The NEGU for Kids California tour will visit every children's hospital in California this July while also stopping at Boys and Girls Clubs locally. While encouraging kids, both healthy and those fighting cancer is straight forward, continuing the mission of Never Ever Giving Up (NEGU) that Jessie established takes a lot of support.
"This tour will take place over 23 days and involve over 4,000 participants," Erik Rees continued. "And at every step of the way, Anthem Blue Cross of California and its employees and foundation have been there, helping to put events together, stuff hundreds of mini-JoyJars, it has been incredible."
At Children's Hospital of Central California, ABC 30 - Fresno chronicled the visits with dozens of children in oncology and residential care at the hospital. Click here to watch their inspiring report http://ow.ly/n883U.
Each JoyJar carries 15-20 new, age appropriate, toys within its brightly covered sealed jar for courageous kids with cancer. Jessie started distributing JoyJars herself in 2011 during her fight against inoperable brain cancer. She passed away in January 2012 and the foundation she started now serves 202 children’s hospitals and every Ronald McDonald House in America. CNN named Jessie a 'Little Wonder' for her work in December 2012.
“Jessie cared for kids that faced the same struggles she faced by bringing joy to their lives and encouraging them to Never Ever Give Up,” said Erik. “She personally distributed 3,000 JoyJars and we are blessed to have supporters like Kaitlin Sandeno, and strategic partners like Anthem Blue Cross that have helped us distribute over 54,000 JoyJars.”
About Children's Hospital of Central California - childrenscentralcal.org
We are a not-for-profit, state-of-the-art children’s hospital on a 50-acre campus with more than 525 physicians. Our 348-bed facility is one of the 10 largest hospitals of its type in the nation and the first children's hospital west of the Rockies to receive Magnet Nursing designation, the highest nursing benchmark in the world. We are one of the few pediatric intensive care units in the nation to have received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. We perform more than 11,000 pediatric surgeries a year and our Cancer Center is a member of the nationally-recognized Children’s Oncology Group, and sees more than 100 new cases a year. Our Willson Heart Center has pioneered pediatric heart care for over 50 years.
CONTACT: Mary Jones (559) 353-5446
mbjones(at)childrenscentralcal(dot)org
Jessie Rees Foundation - http://ow.ly/n8aRS
Founded in 2011 by Jessie Rees and her family during her fight with inoperable brain cancer, the Foundation helps kids Never Ever Give Up in their quest for healing from cancer. Distributing Jessie’s JoyJars © through 202 children’s hospitals, and every Ronald McDonald House in the US, the Foundation has provided 54,000 JoyJars to kids and families through the support of major corporate partners UPS, Life Technologies, Anthem Blue Cross of California and others. The Foundation has provided 100% of the JoyJars at no cost to the hospital or recipients and is completely funded through private donations.
CONTACT: Jeff Gibson (949) 851-8511
jgibson(at)race(dot)com
Jeff Gibson, Jessie Rees Foundation, (949) 851-8511, [email protected]
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