The Children's Foundation of Suffolk, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that raises money for children with serious medical conditions whose families are in need of financial assistance. Our mission is simply to assist these children and their families with medical and non-medical expenses that they could not otherwise afford.

What started a decade ago as a small informal group of friends reaching into their own pockets to ease the financial burdens of a family struggling with the enormous expense of medical treatment for their gravely ill child, has grown into the present day Children's Foundation of Suffolk. In March of 2003 the organization formally incorporated and was granted not-for-profit status in the State of New York.

Staffed by a 100% volunteer administrative board of directors and with a dedicated membership which has swelled over the years to nearly a hundred people, the Foundation has raised desperately needed funds for over thirty children and their families. Fundraising efforts in these first ten years have been centered on an annual Pig Roast Luau. Held each September, the fun filled event features five hours of live entertainment and dancing, as well as a variety of raffles, auctions, games, and of course, absolutely fabulous food. The evening's festivities are capped off by the heartwarming presentation of the proceeds to the recipient families. The first Pig Roast back in 1997 was attended by about sixty people. In 2006 the Foundation played host to over six hundred!

Thankfully, a great deal of the food and entertainment is provided by local vendors at little or no cost to the Foundation, and each year, generous donations of a variety of goods from local area merchants are transformed by hardworking volunteers into spectacular gift baskets offered up in a Chinese Auction, or are raffled off throughout the evening. Keeping actual costs for the event to a minimum ensures the greatest benefit can be realized and delivered to the recipient families. At least for that brief time, their struggle is shared and their burden eased. It is a most joyful celebration of the generosity and compassion of people, and the great difference they can make in the life of a child.

Recipient families are chosen by the board based upon a number of factors; first and foremost, a life threatening illness or condition requiring medical treatment or care, and the associated overwhelming medical expenses that invariably accompany such an illness. Through a series of information gathering applications and interviews, the selection committee works to identify the family with the greatest and most urgent need, often a heart-wrenching and extremely difficult determination to make in the face the tragedy of a seriously ill child.

Once the selection process is completed, the Foundation works closely with the family and the child's medical team to determine the specific needs which can best be served by our assistance. Necessary treatments, medications and supplies are often paid for directly by the Foundation in this manner. The Foundation becomes part of the recipient family's lifeline in this time of intense struggle, sharing in their triumphs as well as their tragedies in the process. Given the nature of the illnesses and conditions many of these children face, there are not always happy endings to the individual stories, but thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we can help make happy middles where there would have otherwise been none.

Now more than ever before, health care costs are spiraling upward at alarming rates and even those fortunate enough to afford health insurance soon find their finances devastated by the cost of long term or chronic illness, sadder still when this illness threatens the life of a child. The anguish and grief of these families in crisis is in itself overwhelming. Endowments from the Children's Foundation offer these families an additional resource at a time when they need it most. Giving to the Children's Foundation offers each of us the opportunity to actively participate in meeting those needs.

Increased membership and an ever growing population in need of assistance have prompted current plans to expand this fundraising into one or two additional events over the course of the year. Our ultimate goal is to continue to increase the number of families for whom we can make a difference each year. We have begun work on a quarterly newsletter as well as a website, which will allow us to share the stories of these children and their families and let contributors see just what their generosity has done. Our hope is that these will serve as vehicles for heightened awareness and greater involvement on the part of the public, as well as a means to connect with other families in similar situations who have need of the Foundation's assistance.

In the grand scale of things, we are a very small organization, and when held against the immensity of the need and the intensity of the heartbreak each of these families face, one might be tempted to opt out, saying the problem is too great and the answer too elusive for such a small scale grassroots approach as ours. But, in fact the truth is quite the contrary. The need is next door or down the block or in a neighboring town. So is the compassion and caring that can meet that need. With your support and generosity we can make miracles happen in the lives of these children and their families.