Generosity from a GARAGE SALE

By Mikayla, age 8

My baby sister was born with a cleft palate. A cleft palate is a hole in the back of your mouth. If you have a cleft palate, you have to drink out of special bottles. Also, you speak differently. When she was one-year-old, we found out about NFFR and IRPS, and a special doctor named Dr. Cutting did a surgery to fix her palate. Now she is two and she can say almost anything you can say like dog, catmommy, or daddy. She can eat easily and drink juice from a straw.

Not long ago, my friends’ families and my family decided to have a garage sale. I wanted to give the money to charity and I picked NFFR. The sale was great and I even ran a lemonade and brownie stand with my friends, Sarah and Clare. We raised a ton of money and gave it to the NFFR.

I picked this charity because when kids who have cleft palates or lips get older, bullies sometimes make fun of them and even nice kids will look at them in a weird way because they are different. They shouldn’t make fun of them because they are exactly the same on the inside as everyone else. I think our garage sale will help lots of kids and I feel good that I’ve helped people.

A Good Deed

Hi. My name is Liza. I’m thirteen years old, and as a part of my Bat Mitzvah on May 21, 2005, I did a “mitzvah” project, which is a good deed done by someone. I chose to collect gently used children’s books and VHS movies and donate them to the children who have been operated on and supported by NFFR.

NFFR helps doctors help children with facial deformities live normal lives. I think what they do is very important. NFFR makes sure that any child who needs care gets it. Every child deserves the right to live their lives to the fullest and everyone in this hospital helps to make this come true. I wanted to make sure that these children had fun during this process, even though it might be the hardest thing they may ever have to go through. The smallest things, even books and movies, can make their stay better than they would have expected. I hope to make this a tradition and come back next year with another batch of tapes and books for the children.

Birthday Party with a Theme of Giving

Every year Sam (6) and Teddy (5) Siesseer celebrate their birthdays together since they enjoy many of the same friends. This year’s party list really grew when we added their school friends, and the thought of receiving a gift from each child for both sons was too much.

We asked Sam and Teddy if they liked the idea of helping other, less fortunate children. Sam and Teddy liked the idea so much that they ran to get their piggy banks so they could give their money to their friends to donate to charity.

Sam and Teddy have a friend named Joseph who was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome and is being treated at the Institute. Our hearts were touched when, through Joseph’s parents, we learned about the NFFR. The funny thing is that Sam and Teddy don’t realize that it is children like Joey whom they will be helping, since they see nothing unusual about their friend’s appearance!

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Fundraising Events

You can help the NFFR to make a difference and spread the word by planning and hosting a small fundraiser in your community.  The NFFR has been the beneficiary of many home grown fundraisers such as triathlons, walks, dinner parties, garage sales, car washes, book and toy collections.  These events do much more than raise money they create a community of support for craniofacial difference.  The NFFR will provide you with materials for your next function. Please contact us if you want more information.  Please contact us for more information