Angela's House
Coordination of Complex Home Care Services and Residential Services for Medically Fragile Children

In the News » Newsletter

Spring 2006 Edition

Message from the Executive Director

The excitement coming from our first annual Dinner Gala carries us into the spring. This was a great opportunity to reach out into our community so that they may understand the needs of our special children and their families. Our efforts continue each day to offer assistance to new families that contact us, in return, allowing us to help over 300 children this past year.

We continue to explore plans to build another Angela's House, and are also involved with hospitals and other organizations to improve the lives of children and families with medically frail children. These efforts include services for vent dependent children, step-down/transitional care and home care.

We recently received great news. In a 6 year negotiating effort, we received approval for land to build a home that can offer respite care. This home will offer temporary relief from the day-to-day care our families endure. We did see great success through the collaboration of the Coalition for Medically Fragile Children.

We will also see an increase with home care nursing rates. These rates are not scheduled to go into effect until January of 2007, and will help to bring children home that are living in the hospital, as well as, to stabilize home care. We were fortunate to have great legislative support for this bill including Senators Charles J Fuschillo, Jr., Kemp Hannon, Ceasar Trunzo, Assembly members Amy Paulin, Steve Engelbright, Robert Sweeney, Harvey Weisenberg, Carl Marcellino and Governor George Pataki.

We had a unique fundraising effort come to our aid as well. Jane Hubbard spearheaded a project to create a children's CD along with Vladimir Polezhayev. Also, not stopping there, they contacted an art class run by Mrs Joan Ann Forneiro that created a coloring book which goes along with the CD. This group came together at the Paradise Diner to celebrate the success of the project.

 

Bank of American Presents a Grant to Angela's House

Robert Isaksen and Jim Maiorino from the Bank of America presented a check for $5,000 to Bob Policastro to be used to help purchase medical supplies and equipment for the children and families we work with.

 

Ancient Order of Hibernians

The Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 3 recently made a generous donation to Angela's House. From the left Brian Clancy, Jack Murtagh, Bob Policastro and Tom Lambert

Girl Scout Troop 1249 visits Angela's House

 

Bring the Angel of Hope Statue to Long Island

Over the years we have tragically witnessed many children that have passed away. We have spent several years looking for ideas in which to do something special for all parents that have lost a child. Our search uncovered the Angel of Hope which has been received with overwhelming support in many other places.

The Angel comes from a book called The Christmas Box, a best selling novel by Richard Paul Evans the main inspiration to this statue. In the story, a woman mourns the death of her little daughter by making regular trips to the child's grave, marked with an angel statue. The statue evokes a profound and miraculous connection between mother and child and helps convey valuable lessons about the true meaning of life to others. The simple story has brought hope to thousands of parents who have endured the death of a child. In 1996, in response to many spiritual reports in which grieving parents were seeking out the statue described in the book, Evans commissioned an angel statue to be erected in Salt Lake City. Since then, 60 statues have been erected in cities across the US. Now its time to bring this angel to Long Island. We will be embarking on a fundraising campaign to make this possible and hope to garner much support for it in the process.

 

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