First delivery of Alyssa Starter Art Kits (SAKs) was made by Lisa Liceaga, AAFH Board member, to Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Lisa met with Carmen Leung, a Certified Child Life Specialist and delivered 10 of Alyssa’s SAKs.
We thank Carmen for giving us the opportunity to share Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope and the programs offered by AAFH at Sunrise Children’s Hospital!
The Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) held a celebration for all its volunteers from 2016 at El Molcajete in Geneva, IL on Sunday, December 11, 2016. The volunteers who attended enjoyed an appetizing mix of guacamole, salsa, chips and a variety of Mexican dishes. Gifts were also raffled for the volunteers at the event.
During this Christmas season, we are grateful to our volunteers who made AAFH a success in 2016! During this year, we reached out and touched the lives of many children and young adults with art kits and musical instruments and by doing so, we gave them hope and a bit of joy in their lives. None of this would have been possible without the support and love from our volunteers in wanting to make a difference in the life a child facing a life-threatening disease.
Our volunteers helped in carrying out our Art Nights, Music Nights, Fundraising events, preparing and delivering Alyssa Starter Art Kits (SAKs), Gift Recipient deliveries, and promoting the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope!
Your continued dedication and support helped us to achieve the following in 2016:
-Recruited 215 volunteers (Doubled from our first year in 2015)
-Delivered 250 Alyssa SAKs (Tripled the amount of Alyssa SAKs from our first year)
-Granted gift requests to 60 patients (6x more than last year)
-Received 40 donated musical instruments from various donors
-Held 16 Art & Music Nights at 6 different Ronald McDonald Houses(4x more than first year)
-Visited 13 medical institutions including Lurie Children's Hospital, NW Medicine Proton Center, Central DuPage Children's Hospital, Rush Children's Hospital, Advocate Children's Hospital, Comer Children's Hospital, All Children's Johns Hopkins in St. Petersburg, FL., Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando, FL., Sunrise Children's Hospital, Las Vegas, NV., CanKids in New Delhi, Instituto Nacional de Pediatria in Mexico City, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Viejo & Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Nuevo.
-Organized 4 Fundraisers (Same as last year)
On behalf of our Executive Officers and the Advisory Board of Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope, we thank all of you and appreciate your contributions in 2016. We look forward to bringing joy to more young adult patients in 2017 through our music and art programs and hope you will join us. See you again soon!
The Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) held its first Art Night at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) near Loyola University Medical Center in Hines, IL on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.
There were about 20 young patients of varying ages with their family members who participated in the handprint Sculpey clay activity. These young patients are being treated at the Loyola University Medical Center.
The Sculpey clay kits were donated by Ms. Denice Steinmann, Chairman and owner of Polyform company located in Elk Grove Village, IL. We are very appreciative of Denice’s generous donation because AAFH has been able to hold Sculpey clay art night events at multiple RMHs in the past year.
We also want to thank Alyssa’s Godmother, Nancy Nunez and her family members-Maria Luisa Rivera, Miguel Rivera, Elida Nunez & Linda Valle for volunteering in this final Art Night of 2016!
Many of the patients made their own handprint with the easy-to-use and soft clay which only took 30 minutes to bake and harden. When they got to see their finished product, the young patients were happy to keep their own creations.
The volunteers also had a wonderful time and were glad to have been able to bring a bit of joy to these patients on this Art Night!
Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope hosts the final Music Night at RMH in Winfield on November 29 2016. The Madrigals from Yorkville High School return after a year to perform for the families staying at the RMH in Winfield. There were two Madrigal groups who participated in this event – Madrigal Strings and the Madrigal Vocal Ensemble from Yorkville High School. The Madrigals strings in attendance were Huntar-Violin, Hattie- Viola, Lily Emma – Violin, Jake-Bass and Paris-Cello. The Madrigal Strings was lead by Huntar Jones and the vocal ensemble by Yorkville HS Director-David Smith. There were thirteen members of the Madrigal Vocal group in attendance and they sang a variety of music to get the audience into the spirit of Christmas.
Everyone enjoyed the beautiful music, and we thank the Madrigals groups from Yorkville HS and the Director David Smith for volunteering for the final Music Night of the year!
December 1, 2016, the Blue Cross Blue Shield IL(BCBSIL) Enterprise Project Management Office (PMO) organized a volunteer team to create Alyssa’s Starter Art Kits (SAKs) in support of the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope’s (AAFH) mission of providing art materials to children and young adults fighting cancer or other life threatening diseases. The volunteers participated in putting together 100 of Alyssa SAKs. This volunteer effort was led by Denise Perez-Cabrera, Executive Secretary of AAFH.
Denise and Yoli previously worked together at BCBSIL in the PMO and established a strong relationship working on projects together. Denise and Yoli continue to work together in key roles for AAFH.
A special “Thank You” goes out to Denise because AAFH was approved by the Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) as a Blue Corps Community Partner in October 2016! This allows AAFH to earn Matching Dollars for each volunteer hour logged into Blue Corps! We appreciate Denise for her dedication to the AAFH.
The BCBSIL volunteer team completed 60 journal kits and 40 drawing kits for a total of 100 Alyssa SAKs. This is the most a team has completed for AAFH. These Alyssa SAKs will be delivered to as many hospitals and medical facilities as possible for the teens and young adult patients.
Another “Thank You” and much gratitude to our volunteers from BCBSIL EPMO: Maristella Sacarelos, Midia Michael, Denise Perez-Cabrera, Marina Herrera, Jennifer Odishoo, Ruth Gumina, Frank Gattone, Eric Engdahl, Rebecca Benson, Laura Harty, Mark Albright, Liya Summers, Jenny Choe, Char Ishop, Nan Partridge, Richard Camacho, and Paula Laurent.
November 17th, 2016, Yoli-President of Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope returned a second time in just over a year to the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Mexico. A special program was coordinated by several doctors including Dra. Veronica and Psic. Martha who Yoli met a year ago during her first visit to Guadalajara.
A welcome event was given by the leaders of the old and new hospitals: Dr. Benjamín Becerra Rodríguez, Director of Antiguo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara “Fray Antonio Alcalde” and Dr. Francisco Martin Preciado Figueroa, Director of Nuevo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara “Dr. Juan I. Menchaca”.
Yoli spoke to the audience about the AAFH mission and the music and art programs available for teens and young adult patients going through medical treatments. During this current trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, AAFH delivered 25 musical Instruments and 40 of Alyssa Starter Art Kits (SAKs) for a total of 65 gifts!
We thank Socorro, Raul, Lily and Efrain for their volunteering efforts in helping us purchase and deliver these gifts to the patients.
Finally, Dr. Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez, Director General of the OPD Hospital Civil de Guadalajara presented Yoli with a plaque of Recognition to Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope for the outstanding work of bringing joy into the lives of the patients with Hematology/Oncology and Rheumatoid Arthritis illnesses at both of the hospitals civil de Guadalajara.
The program ended with the association “Una Sonrisa al Dolor” headed by the music teacher, Mariana Haro de Orellana, playing music for the audience.
Below are some pictures of this trip and the young adult patient gift recipients.
On Tuesday, October 25th, 2016, the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope received a generous donation in the amount of $10,050 from the Geneva 100 Women Who Care. 100 Women Who Care is a rather new organization founded in March of 2015 by Teresa Keenan, Terry Ayres, and Martha Brown. The Mission of the organization is to help the community by finding at least 100 women who are willing to donate $100 to a local charity, four times per year. The group meets once per quarter and within an hour’s time $10,000 is awarded to a local charity. As they like to tout, where else can you raise $10,000 tax deductable dollars without buying a raffle ticket, dressing for the occasion, or spending hours on a committee?
At each meeting, three members are chosen randomly to present their choice of a local non-profit organization they wish to nominate for consideration. The three members are given 5 minutes to promote their charity to the group. The three members then field questions from the group. After the presentations, the group votes by ballot and the ballots are tallied. The organization with the most votes wins the proceeds from the evening.
On October 25th board member, Mary Jane Johnson, presented for the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope. When the votes were tallied, she was thrilled to hear the AAFH organization announced as the winner of the evening!
Mary Jane & Yoli met Teresa Keenan and Donna Bode on Thursday, November 10th to receive the members’ checks. We expressed our deep appreciation to the Geneva 100 Women Who Care for choosing the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope. These funds will allow us to spread more of Alyssa’s love of music and art with more teens and young adults going through their medical treatment and bring them a bit of joy and hope during this holiday season!
You can share in our endeavor this holiday season by going on to smiles.amazon.com and selecting Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope as the charity of your choice. A portion of each purchase you make on Amazon will go towards AAFH for us to bring more joy and hope to other teens and young adult patients.
At the last music night held at RMH in Winfield, we met Breanna a 13-year-old patient who was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma last December 2015. Breanna was so excited to hear about our programs and submitted her request after the music night was over!
Yoli, AAFH President, informed Breanna that she could receive one of Alyssa’s SAKs by asking any of the RMH Managers or staff for one. Breanna did ask and she received an Alyssa SAK which made her day!
A week ago, Yoli fulfilled Breanna’s gift request by delivering to her the professional art materials she had asked for. The gift included a 36-piece set of Copic markers (refillable markers) and two sets of Prisma colored pencils. Breanna was happy to receive her gift just in time before heading back home to Scottsburg, IN where she lives with her family.
Breanna is looking forward to using her art supplies and sharing some of her art work with us in the future. We can’t wait to see it!
The Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) held another Music Night at the Ronald McDonald House in Winfield on Thursday, October 27, 2016. The young patients we met are being treated at the Northwestern Proton Center in Warrenville, IL and receiving radiation therapy.
The Summer Monkeys performed for the families and the young patients staying at the RMH. The Summer Monkeys was started by the Jones family in early 2015 and consists of 6 siblings. They each play different musical instruments.
George is 17 years old and plays piano and violin just like Alyssa did!
Isabel is 15 years old and the lead singer who also plays bass guitar;
Adam is 14 years old and plays the acoustic guitar;
Emily is 11 years old and plays the drums and is a back-up vocalist;
Eliana is 10 years old and plays tambourine, maracas and is also a back-up vocalist;
Jack is 9 years old and plays guitar
The Summer Monkeys performance was great fun and enjoyment for everyone present that night. You can go to their website summermonkeys.com to check them out!
After their musical performance, Yoli shared the AAFH mission with the attendees and informed them of the Gift Request Program offered by the AAFH. We also informed the group about the Alyssa Starter Art Kits (SAKs) we donate to young patients.
We met Breanna and her Mom, Jennifer. Breanna was so excited to hear about our programs and told us she was very interested in receiving professional art supplies. On Thursday night, AAFH received Breanna’s completed Gift Request! In the meantime, Yoli made sure that the next day, Breanna received one of Alyssa’s SAKs!
We send THANKS out to everyone who supported and attended our 2nd Annual Art Exhibit – La Fiesta de Arte.
We appreciate our sponsor, donors, volunteers and auction winners from our final fundraising event of the year!
Sponsors - El Molcajete for providing the delicious appetizers & beverages, our featured Fine Artist- Larry Johnson from LK Johnson Studios and the Mariachi Institute of Chicago & Blanca Murillo & Tony for the performance and our photographer – Jayne King
Donors of our auction items - Andra Sprang, Chelsey Willis, Michael S., Christian F. Scalise, Focas Hair Salon, Graham’s Chocolate, Instrument Exchange, Jayne King, Jay King, John & Mary Lu O’Halloran, Kernels Gourmet Popcorn, Moveable Feast, Nancy Avila, Old Towne Pub & Eatery, School of Art, State Street Jewelers, The Little Traveler, The Spice House, The Sugar Path, Villa Verone & Yvonne Jones
Volunteers - Christina Coconate, Christina De La Pena, Erika Gomez, Jayne King, Lupe Brueck, Louise Grissinger, Mary Jane Johnson, Larry Johnson, Vince Alvin, Tyler Willer, Jason Luchetti & Mike Tourte
Winners - Special thanks to our auction winners for their generous contributions to Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope. Because of YOU, we can give Hope to other teens and young adult cancer patients through Music & Art.
Check out our photos from our 2nd Annual La Fiesta de Arte event! We look forward to seeing you at our next La Fiesta de Arte Art Exhibit in 2017!
On Friday, October 7, 2016, Yoli -President of Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) delivered professional art kits aka Alyssa Starter Art Kits (SAKs), to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) near Loyola Medical Center located in the Hines Veterans Affairs government property.
Yoli met the Senior Operations Manager of the House -David Pittner and a staff member who took delivery of the first Alyssa SAKs from AAFH. Alyssa SAKs are to be given to the teens and young adults staying at the RMH who are undergoing treatment for cancer and other life threatening illnesses at the Loyola Medical Center. Yoli spoke about the programs offered by the AAFH such as the Gift Recipient program, the musical instruments donated to the RMH, and the art and music nights hosted by the AAFH for all the patients and their families staying at the RMH for their enjoyment.
David told Yoli there was a young adult staying at the house that would like one of Alyssa’s SAKs and he was looking forward to giving it to the patient.
On Thursday, September 29, 2016, we delivered various musical instruments for the first time to Comer Children’s Hospital. Yoli Alvin, AAFH President and Mary Jane Johnson, Advisory Board member, had the pleasure of being the deliverers of these instruments.
We met Elizabeth, the Director of ChildLife at Comer Children’s Hospital, Jonathan, Music Therapist and Amy Carter, ChildLife Specialist. They received the first set of musical instruments from Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH). The musical instruments donated included an acoustic guitar, Mahalo Ukulele, Yamaha electronic keyboard, and washboard percussion instrument. These musical instruments will be available to anyone staying at the hospital. All the hospitals throughout the Chicagoland area that received musical instruments from AAFH have implemented a check-in/check-out process for the patients to borrow the instruments at their leisure.
Thanks go out to Comer Children’s Hospital of Chicago for giving us the opportunity to share Alyssa’s love of music with their patients and for promoting the art and music programs offered by Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope!
The Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) held another Art Night at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Winfield on September 22, 2016.
Jennifer (Jen) Siracusano, Owner and General Manager of the School of Art, and Amy, one of her staff members, sponsored the ink and watercolor art activity. We thank the School of Art for their talent, time and art supplies donated for this art activity.
We had families from Westport, IN, Plain City, OH and Elgin, IL who participated in the ink and watercolor art activity with Amy and Jen. It was great seeing the children’s smiles and the moms and dads get involved in drawing and using watercolors to create a Halloween pumpkin. We all shared a fun and relaxed evening.
We continue to share Alyssa’s love of art with the families staying at RMH and we hope to continue bringing them more joy and hope in the future!
On Tuesday, September 20, 2016 Daniel Guerrero, Alyssa’s cousin & AAFH volunteer, delivered several musical instruments to the RMH in Oak Lawn, IL. Anne Czarnecki, Senior House Director and Colleen Walsh, Operations Manager received on behalf of the RMH the first set of musical instruments from the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH).
The musical instruments donated included an electric guitar, guitar bag, amplifier, Mahalo Ukulele, Casio electronic keyboard, and a music stand. These musical instruments will be available to anyone staying at the House. All the RMHs throughout the Chicagoland area that received musical instruments from AAFH have implemented a check-in/check-out process for the residents of the House to borrow the instruments. Below is the description of what is in included in a RMH book placed in each room in the Chicago RMH. The Oak Lawn RMH will be writing their own version.
We have a wide variety of instruments for children at our Ronald McDonald House to rent. Our collection includes guitars, keyboards, a violin, clarinets, a flute, a recorder, and a xylophone. Stop by the fifth floor and ask us to help you out! The instruments are free for all to use, but we do ask that you leave your ID in exchange for the instrument of your choosing.
Thanks to the generosity of the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope, we are able to provide these instruments. This foundation is a new nonprofit charity dedicated to the memory of Alyssa Alvin, a teenager from Geneva, Illinois who lost her battle with leukemia in 2014. Alyssa started piano lessons at age four and violin lessons during middle school. She continued playing the piano and violin through her difficult years of cancer treatment. This wonderful foundation has allowed children with the opportunity to experience the joy of music in the face of adversity. Be creative, have fun and enjoy!
Samuel (Sam) is a 14-year-old boy from Chiapas, Mexico who loves to listen to music according to his mom, Claudia. Sam lives with his mom and 9 year old sister, Dana. We met Sam during our visit to Instituto Nacional de Pediatria (INP) in Mexico City in July 2016. He was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2016. He has been in and out of the hospital for his chemotherapy treatments. Sam has some musical experience since he has played drums in the past. He likes to listen to various musical genres such as jazz and reggae. Sam likes to listen to instrumental music at the end of his day since he finds the music calms him and prepares him to dream about his future.
Sam was the first patient at INP who completed his gift request after learning about AAFH’s Gift Recipient Program. Alyssa’s Godmother, Nancy Avila, watched as Sam entered the information on the gift request form via the AAFH website on July 29th. Nancy then told Yoli that she was going to purchase and donate the Beats headphones for Sam. Lily, our dear friend and AAFH volunteer in Mexico City, shopped for the Dr. Dre Beats in August and informed us she was ready to deliver them to Sam. In early September, we contacted one of the Oncologist at INP, Dra. Karla, to determine the best date to deliver his Beats. On Monday, September 19th, Lily delivered the Beats and surprised Sam as he was not expecting them that day.
Claudia, Sam’s mom, emailed us and told us Sam was really happy with his Beats and is very appreciative of what AAFH has done for her son and for what it does for young patients with cancer.
Sunday, September 18, 2016 – The Tri-Cities Daily Herald’s Dave Heun published an article today on Alyssa and our Foundation’s upcoming La Fiesta de Arte fundraiser. The article ”Music and healing” can be found in today’s print edition in the Neighbor section and online here. Dave talks about Alyssa’s love of music and how it helped her though her journey and the inspiration for our Foundation. Dave provides a few details of our upcoming La Fiesta de Arte – Art Exhibit fundraising event. Please take a few minutes to check out the Daily Herald site where you can read the entire article about Alyssa and Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope.
La Fiesta de Arte fundraiser will be held Sunday, October 16th from 3-6pm at El Molcajete in Geneva, IL with a silent auction beginning at 3pm with unique artwork and baskets from our local merchants - The Little Traveler, Graham’s, Kernel’s, The Geneva Spice House, Old Town Pub & Eateryand more! Mariachi Institute of Chicago is coming to perform for our guests, and appetizers/beverages will be provided by our sponsor El Molcajete. You don’t want to miss it. Get your tickets TODAY!
Alyssa & her dad, George
Alyssa and other IMEA GHS students
Alyssa playing her piano at home on her 16th birthday
Alyssa – Piano accompanist for GHS student for IMEA
Brandon is 8 years old and a 3rd grader who lives with his Dad, Jeff, his 2 brothers and 4 sisters in Shorewood, IL. He is a very happy boy who likes to ride roller coasters and had the opportunity to go to the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio this summer. He was diagnosed with langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in January 2016. Brandon is currently going through chemo treatments at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago every few weeks as an outpatient.
Brandon heard of the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope through the social worker, Anna, at Lurie Children’s Hospital. She shared the Gift Recipient Program with Brandon in June and Brandon was trying to decide on what he would want as a gift. He had several ideas and in the end, he decided on a set of red Beats headphones!
Tuesday, August 30th, Marina Herrera-Alfaro, AAFH Volunteer joined Yoli, AAFH President, at Lurie Children’s Hospital to deliver Brandon’s new red Beats. Brandon told us he likes to listen to the Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, IL. He was very thankful to the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope Team for the gift.
Shane is an 18-year-old young adult who lives in La Porte, IN with his family. In May 2016 Shane enlisted into the army and his Dad, Richard, is proud of him for doing so.
The following month in June 2016, Shane was diagnosed with brain cancer and on June 21st he had surgery to remove the tumor from his brain. Shane is currently going through treatment at Central DuPage Hospital to eliminate any of the tumor still left. Shane is courageous and strong in battling this disease.
Shane likes to hang out with his friends, play video games such as Call of Duty, and has a passion for baseball. His favorite team is the Chicago White Sox and enjoys going to the ball games.
Shane heard about the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope through other young adults staying at RMH in Winfield. They shared the Gift Recipient Program with Shane and the rest is history. Shane completed and submitted his gift request on August 22, 2016.
On Sunday, August 28th, Vince, an AAFH board member and Alyssa’s brother, returned to RMH in Winfield and delivered Shane’s new maroon Beats. Shane was talkative with Vince and very thankful to the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope Team for the gift.
Jacob is an 18-year-old who loves reading, walking, school and listening to music. He was diagnosed with pineal blastula and thyroid cancer in May 2016. Jacob is being treated at the Proton Center in Warrenville, IL and receiving radiation therapy for the next several weeks. He is staying at the RMH in Winfield and stopped by to check out the sculpting art night hosted by AAFH after his Mom, Tammy, told him about our Gift Recipient Program.
A week later Vince, who is an AAFH Board member and Alyssa’s brother, delivered to Jacob his new blue Beats on Thursday, August 25. Jacob was really excited and ready to wear the Beats and listen to his favorite music.
While delivering Jacob's gift, Vince also met Billy who recently received a new banjo from AAFH Gift Recipient Program and Shane another 18-year old young adult who submitted his gift request this week. Both young boys shared in Jacob's joy in receiving his new banjo.
Thanks to all our donors for helping us bring music to more teens and young adult patients going through medical treatment!
We met Billy at a sculpting art night hosted by AAFH at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Winfield, IL on Thursday, August 18, 2016. William (Billy) is a 13-year old who loves music and wants to learn how to play a banjo. Many of his family members play musical instruments and Billy has watched his grandpa, uncles and cousins play guitars and banjos. Billy lives in Lyons, IN with his family. He was diagnosed with several brain tumors in July 2016. Billy is being treated at the Proton Center in Warrenville, IL and receiving radiation therapy for the next several weeks.
That evening at the art night event, Billy asked if he could receive a banjo as a gift and how long it would take. Billy was told we would call one of our musical store partners, the Instrument Exchange, and find out if the owner, Tom, might have one in stock.
Billy’s grandma completed the gift request form on the AAFH website and Yoli, AAFH-President, arranged to pick up the banjo the next day as Tom confirmed he had several at his music store. The next day both Mary Jane, AAFH Board member and Yoli delivered Billy his new banjo on Friday, August 19th. Billy was really excited and happy with his new shiny banjo!
AAFH is honored to be able to fulfill Billy’s gift request and share a bit of joy and hope to him and his family!
