Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Davidson.
Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My husband and I established the Chance for Hope Foundation in 2014 to honor the legacy of our son, Chance Davidson, who passed away at the age of thirteen after a 15-month battle against brain cancer. Chance lived in Pearland and attended St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston where he was an honor student. He loved music and was an accomplished bagpipe and guitar player. Chance was also a voracious reader and played competitive soccer from a very young age.
In June 2012, Chance was diagnosed with brain cancer. He was twelve years old. For the next fifteen months, Chance fought a brave battle against this vicious disease, undergoing two brain surgeries, a stem cell transplant, and countless chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Through it all, Chance’s warm-hearted spirit and love for life never wavered. Not even once. During those challenging fifteen months, Chance brought joy and inspiration to family, friends and caregivers. After twice beating back the cancer cells, Chance relapsed in September 2013. On October 14, 2013, at just thirteen years of age, the battle ended and Chance found peace beyond this world.
Chance’s enduring spirit now lives on through the Chance for Hope Foundation. Through the Foundation’s many good works, Chance continues to touch the lives of others. The Chance for Hope Foundation is his legacy.
Given our experience as parents of a child with cancer, we know full well the many challenges faced by families who are fighting their own personal battle against this terrible disease. Through the Chance for Hope Foundation, we wanted to provide support and assistance to these courageous children and their precious families during this challenging time when they are at their most vulnerable. In addition to these support services, we wanted to do our part to help fund critically needed pediatric cancer research, particularly with respect to brain cancer, which is now the deadliest form of cancer in children. Finally, we wanted to engage the general public for the purpose of promoting education and awareness regarding childhood cancer and the countless lives impacted by this disease.
In the four short years since our founding, the support services provided by our Foundation to children with cancer and their families have grown exponentially. As explained more fully below, our residential housing program for pediatric cancer families has grown from one apartment to five separate fully furnished residences providing over 1,800 nights of free temporary housing each year. Through our meal delivery program, we have provided over 2,200 free meals to families on the cancer floor at Texas Children’s Hospital. We have also awarded $200,000 in research grant funding. In its relatively short tenure, our small grassroots charity has raised over a million dollars and is having a truly positive impact on the lives of pediatric cancer families.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was extremely challenging and at times emotionally exhausting to launch this organization in the wake of our son’s passing. But grief can be confronted in many ways, and for us, it was in taking action to make a difference. To be honest, without the opportunity to channel this grief through the works of our Foundation, I was afraid that the grief would ultimately overcome me. I still am. So Chance’s legacy not only continues to touch the lives of those we serve, it also provides an opportunity for us to find hope and joy in the world, and we rely on Chance to show us the way.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Chance for Hope Foundation’s three-part mission is to provide support services for children with cancer and their families, funding for pediatric cancer research and treatment, and educational resources to the general public regarding pediatric cancer.
SUPPORT SERVICES:
Chance for Hope Residences – Thousands of families travel to the Texas Medical Center each year for pediatric cancer treatments. Unfortunately, there is a critical lack of affordable temporary housing for these families, who face daunting financial challenges as a result of devastating cancer diagnoses and unanticipated costs related to seeking life-saving treatment for their precious children. Often one or both parents have to quit their jobs or take leaves of absence in order to travel with their children to Houston to undergo cancer treatment.
The cost of living in a hotel for weeks, or even months, can deplete a family’s savings and even contribute to personal bankruptcies at a time when these families are at their most vulnerable. The centerpiece of our Foundation’s support services mission is the Chance for Hope Residence Program. Our Foundation currently offers five separate apartments that together provide over 1,800 nights of free lodging each year. These apartments are provided at no cost to pediatric cancer families and are located adjacent to Texas Children’s Hospital and MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital.
What sets our Residence Program apart is that there are no “daily fees” or other hidden charges, and our residences are private apartments rather than community living arrangements, which is an important benefit for children with cancer who are often immunosuppressed. In the relatively short tenure of our Foundation, we have provided free temporary housing to over 70 pediatric cancer families.
Meal Delivery Program – When children are undergoing in-patient cancer treatment, it is often difficult for their parents to leave the hospital floor to get food. As a parent of a child who spent weeks at a time in the hospital undergoing in-patient chemotherapy, we know full well the sacrifices that parents make to be at their children’s bedside around the clock. Through our Meal Delivery Program, Chance for Hope Foundation volunteers delivers healthy and delicious meals to families with children undergoing in-patient cancer treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Our meal deliveries are scheduled on Sundays when the hospital’s food court and many medical center area restaurants are closed. It is truly amazing to see the impact that this small act of kindness can have on these precious families. We are continually inspired by the warmth, smiles and hugs we receive every time we visit.
Enchanted Night – On October 13, 2018, our Foundation is launching Chance for Hope Enchanted Night, a magical evening of music, dancing and all around joy for teens battling cancer at Texas Children’s Hospital. This one of a kind annual event will provide these amazing kids with an opportunity to dress up in glamorous outfits and stylish fashions (subsidized by the Foundation), along with professional hair and make-up, as part of their attendance at this special dance. The evening will feature delicious food, tasty desserts, music, dancing, a photo booth and other fun activities for these courageous teens.
Back to School Gift Card Drive – Because pediatric cancer treatments are so intense, and often completely obliterate the body’s immune system, many children are confined to their hospital rooms and cannot attend school. As a result, they have to take classes remotely and without the company of their friends and classmates, often doing schoolwork from their hospital beds. In many cases, these children are far away from home and thus do not have readily available support from their hometown communities.
Our Foundation’s Annual Back to School Gift Card drive provides much-needed assistance for children who are striving for a sense of normalcy in the face of enormous challenges. To date, we have delivered more than $15,000 in gift cards to over 500 children at Texas Children’s Hospital for the purchase of back to school supplies. Our Foundation volunteers deliver these gift cards along with goodie bags to children undergoing cancer treatment.
Hurricane Harvey – Following Hurricane Harvey and its devastating impact on the Houston community and surrounding areas, our Foundation was blessed with the opportunity to lend a helping hand to pediatric cancer families affected by the hurricane.
In particular, we were able to house a family with a child undergoing cancer treatment in one of our Chance for Hope Residences after they were tragically displaced from their home by Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters. Our Foundation was also able to donate $5,000 in gift cards to assist pediatric cancer families at Texas Children’s Hospital who had been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, allowing them to purchase groceries, clothes, and much-needed supplies.
RESEARCH FUNDING:
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children and adolescents in America. In the United States, approximately 1 in 330 children will develop cancer before their 20th birthday. Each and every day, an average of 43 children and teenagers will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States, and 5 will die from the disease. Despite the tragedy of children lost to cancer, childhood cancers of all types receive only 4% of U.S. federal funding for cancer research.
This disparity is significant because childhood cancers are not the same as adult cancers, and therefore treatment protocols and therapies are not interchangeable. The Chance for Hope Foundation commenced its research endeavors in 2015, with the goal of reducing this major funding gap. As part of this effort, the Foundation funds and monitors research initiatives designed to improve treatment protocols and ultimately to find a cure for childhood cancers, with a focus on cancer of the brain and central nervous system, which is now the deadliest form of pediatric cancer.
To date, our Foundation has funded $200,000 in grants to support pediatric cancer research. The value we provide to our donors in the area of grant funding is access and accountability. Our Foundation has contacts with the medical staff and administration at both Texas Children’s Hospital and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Our Foundation representatives, who include credentialed medical consultants, work with these contacts to ensure that any donated cancer research funding is monitored and directly used for research.
CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS AND EDUCATION:
Chance for Hope Go Gold Fun Run – In 2016, the Foundation launched its annual childhood cancer awareness event, the Chance for Hope Go Gold Fun Run. This event occurs each year in September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and gold is the national color for childhood cancer. Through the Chance for Hope Go Gold Fun Run, we strive to raise awareness and educate the general public on important facts and figures regarding childhood cancer and the lives it impacts. As part of the event, we also remember the many children who have been taken from us too soon, and we extend our support to all those who continue to battle this illness with incredible strength and courage.
The Chance for Hope Go Gold Fun Run is an officially- timed 5K and 10K race open to participants of all ages. From competitive runners chasing personal bests to leisurely walkers interested in strolling for a cause, the Go Gold Fun Run offers something for everyone. In addition to the race itself, the Fun Run includes an event village featuring music, raffle prizes, and other fun activities for the entire family, as well as a sponsor marketplace where you can visit representatives from the many local businesses that have partnered with the Foundation to support childhood cancer awareness. It is a day of fun, family and fitness, all in support of a great cause.
Pediatric Cancer Research Luncheons – As part of our education effort, our Foundation also hosts periodic luncheons during which pediatric cancer research professionals present information and data regarding the state of childhood cancer and pediatric cancer research, as well as details regarding the status and goals of particular research initiatives.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There is perhaps no greater a philanthropic community than the city of Houston and its surrounding areas. We have been truly overwhelmed by the support our Foundation has received from the incredibly generous residents of our local community. Indeed, it is only through the massive giving spirit of our supporters that we have been able to achieve the incredible growth we have experienced during our relatively short tenure.
For those who are interested in establishing a non-profit or charitable organization, we can’t imagine a better city in which to do so. Of course, in a metropolitan area our size, the need is great. As a result, there are countless opportunities for charitable organizations of all sizes to make a difference in the lives of others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chanceforhopefoundation.org
- Phone: 713-582-3978
- Email: info@chanceforhopefoundation.org
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/chanceforhopefoundation
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