Stratford School Milpitas
Shelter in place couldn’t stop the students at Stratford Milpitas School from supporting Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford! The student council unanimously agreed to pick Packard Children’s as their beneficiary for their annual walk-a-thon. Vanessa Pina, director of upper school Stratford Milpitas, says, “What better cause to donate to than Packard Children’s, here in our very own community”.
The school was planning to host a walk-a-thon in late March. They were just two weeks away from hosting their event, but unfortunately due to shelter in place had to quickly shift to a virtual event. Despite being apart, the kids raised an incredible $7,094 for the Children’s Fund!
Bye Bye Cancer’s Virtual Talent Show
Aeshaan, age 10, and friends celebrated the 5th annual Bye Bye Cancer Talent Show virtually! The past 4 years, they performed in several locations such as Santana Row, Stanford Shopping Center, and now a virtual space. They began with one show but as interest grew, last year expanded to two shows and now three during the summertime!
Aeshaan says, “No matter what is going on, just keep going. Even though there was coronavirus we still did it and still raised a lot of money for Cancer Research for Packard Children’s!” The kids, ranging in ages 6 to 13 years, practiced, practiced, practiced. The talent show showcased an array of talent from the viola, classical guitar, and singing, with the last show featuring 16 young performers! In the past 5 years, Aeshaan and friends have raised over $11,000 for Pediatric Cancer Research at our hospital.
We can’t wait for the next one!
Stanford University IT Operation Center (ITOC)
The Stanford Univeristy ITOC team isn't new to Champions for Children. Since Fall of 2018, at the beginning of each school year, ITOC has given backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies for our patients and families! When COVID-19 began, the ITOC team decided to do a virtual fundraiser because as organizer Christopher Norwood said, “the pandemic has significantly increased the need of pediatric and maternal health support”.
The team hosted a virtual toy drive to support the Fun Fund which provides gifts for patients and families in our care. They saw the opportunity as a wonderful way to connect, create awareness and build relationships with colleagues across the Stanford community.
“As we expanded our outreach for the virtual toy drive, we learned of colleagues whose children who were positively impacted by Packard Children’s care. Thank you again for the opportunity.”
Kevin O’Leary
414 laps, 273 miles, and more than $10,000 raised for Packard Children’s cancer patients. Kevin O’Leary biked 75 out of the 273-miles starting at 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Golden Gate Park’s polo fields, only stopping for food and drink. To help accomplish his goal, Kevin reached out to friends and family to bike, donate, or cheer them on social media. He was so humbled by the astounding support after surpassing his goal in only a few days after starting the fundraiser. Kevin has always been an avid biker but wanted to honor his father in a significant way.
Five years ago, Kevin’s father, Michael O’Leary was diagnosed with cancer. Michael won the battle with cancer twice and now continues the fight. As he prepared for his latest treatment at Stanford’s adult hospital, he saw kids who were fighting cancer just like him. He said, “I have had 75 good years and these children deserve their 75 good years.” Moved by this, he encouraged his son to bike for these kids.