Over 140 guests, including patients, survivors, family members, hospital staff and supporters gathered at The Periodic Table in Columbia, MD on Saturday, December 7th to enjoy an afternoon of friendship, survivorship and activities, hosted by The Children’s Cancer Foundation, Inc. CCF is proud to have hosted this event for more than 20 years.
The afternoon provided a much-needed break for some of our guests undergoing treatment or recently were discharged from the hospital. These children, their siblings, parents and extended family members, enjoyed lunch, a visit from Santa, crafts, games, and gifts donated by our generous community. CCF Board member Charmel McMillan generously provided Target gift cards. This annual event reminds CCF staff and supporters how resilient and brave these young fighters are and and how important it is for these kids to “just be kids” for an afternoon.
CCF Board member Steve Coomes and his wife, Carolyn Coomes, volunteered with check-in and the ever-popular Make-your-own-pizza Station respectively, as they have for years. A special thank you to Alisha and Olivia Bartels for donating many of the toys included in the gift bags as well as bringing the cake, kindly donated by Giant Food. We are grateful to Santa, who has brought joy to the children at our event for so many years!
The care staff from the University of Maryland pediatric oncology department joined us, offering some touching reunions. CCF extends its appreciation to the University of Maryland’s Executive Administrative Asst. Vernell Sobers for all she does to ensure these local families are included in this day.
CCF extends our appreciation to Lance Cook, owner of The Periodic Table, and the attentive staff of The Periodic Table, the families, our partner hospitals and the Verrilli Family. Finally, we extend our profound appreciation to The Kahlert Foundation that funded this much-deserved afternoon.
Happy faces were in abundance throughout the afternoon.
