Dragonfly Foundation
506 Oak Street
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Care Bag Program
The Dragonfly Foundation’s Care Bag Program enhances the wellbeing of families as they fight pediatric cancer, supporting them during one of the most challenging times in their lives. Following a diagnosis and upon admission to the hospital, families receive a blue Care Bag filled with 45 hospital-approved personal care items for every member of the family; urgent care necessities; office supplies to support and ease the often overwhelming and continuous task of managing paperwork; provision for meals and essential needs such as gas and groceries; and resources for ongoing support during this time of stress and uncertainty. These blue bags are a way to help bring strength, courage, and joy to families throughout their pediatric cancer battle.
Program Goals:
The Dragonfly Foundation will achieve the following in pursuit of this goal:
Short Term (this fiscal year):
- Care Bags will be filled with hospital-approved items (both by purchasing items and through donated, new items from local businesses, organizations, and donors) and assembled by Dragonfly staff and/or volunteers. (The Dragonfly Foundation staff works closely with more than 100 volunteers that support the Care Bag Program.)
- Care Bags will be delivered to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center by Dragonfly staff and/or volunteers.
- Families will receive Care Bags, distributed by Hospital staff, as the patients begin the grueling process of pediatric cancer treatment.
Intermediate (this fiscal year):
- Pediatric cancer patients and their families will receive support through both tangible items in the Care Bags and by Dragonfly’s wrap-around, holistic programs.
- Hospital staff, clinicians, and social workers will report having the information and resources for their patients to receive support during and after treatment.
- Together, Dragonfly and CCHMC will continue providing holistic care to patients and families battling pediatric cancer.
Long Term (beyond this fiscal year):
- Enhanced quality of life and improved wellbeing for pediatric cancer patients and all family members.??
- Decreased effects of diagnosis, treatment, isolation, and long-term recovery for patients and all family members.??
- Increased ability to cope during and after cancer treatments for pediatric cancer patients and all family members.
Program Results:
Funding from the Charles H. Dater Foundation helped The Dragonfly Foundation (Dragonfly) provide approximately 250 Care Bags to families of pediatric cancer patients upon their admission to the oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation floors of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC)—the instant families needed them—throughout the duration of this fiscal year.
Care Bags had an approximate value of $200 each and included vital personal care items, urgent care necessities, and resources for ongoing support to help patients and families get through their daily challenges and to find strength, courage, and joy during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Care Bags were distributed on an ongoing basis throughout the year, the instant families needed them.
Families served by The Dragonfly Foundation are receiving treatment through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and come to the Greater Cincinnati region for healthcare from across the country and world. Eighty percent of families served are from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, and the remaining twenty percent are from other regions, states, and four countries – although all services are provided in Cincinnati in conjunction with CCHMC.
The demographic and age mix were both achieved. While pediatric cancer is often used to describe cancers that occur between birth and 14 years of age, those with certain types of cancers can be diagnosed and treated at CCHMC as pediatric cancer up to age 40. In the most recent fiscal year, 71% of the patients Dragonfly served were between ages 2-18. Because cancer does not discriminate, Dragonfly helps any CCHMC patient and family in need of support during?their pediatric cancer journey, no matter their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level.?Approximately 13% of pediatric cancer patients treated at CCHMC?identify as Black/African American;?76% identify as white,?and?2% identify as Hispanic/Latino.?The remaining 9% identify as other races/ethnicities.
The 2022-2023 actual final number of Care Bags distributed (250) ended up being slightly lower than the FY23 goal of 300. Because this number is tied to children being diagnosed with pediatric cancer and receiving treatment at CCHMC, there is no perfect way to estimate the number who will come to CCHMC in any given year. Dragonfly staff prepare as best we can and prefer to err on the side of having too many supplies rather than not be able to get a bag in the hands of a family in need. The products and items within the bags have a long shelf life to ensure utilization, and already this fiscal year we have seen an increase in the number of Care Bags needed (compared to fall 2022).
Dragonfly’s programs and services have an immediate impact, lessening financial and emotional burdens, and enhancing wellbeing during the fight against pediatric cancer. There are no other organizations doing the work that Dragonfly does here in Cincinnati; we are singular in our approach to placing health and wellness of both children fighting pediatric cancer and their families at the center to lessen the effects of this?devastating disease. Dragonfly fills a void that is often overlooked in the fight for a child’s life, and the Charles H. Dater Foundation helps make this possible.?
“We will never be able to thank the Dragonfly Foundation enough for all they did to physically and emotionally support our family. They gave us just what we needed right when we needed it the most, even when we didn’t know what to ask for.” – Dragonfly parent
Website:
http://www.dragonfly.org Amount: $30,000
Date: December 2022
