Help children with life threatening diseases

Now Excepting Donations for the "Help a Child Initiative"
The ‘Help a Child Initiative’ is a program started in October of 2009 by Frank Ciarleglio, the Instructor at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts in Hamden, to help children with life threatening diseases. The program initially started as a fundraiser to collect arts and crafts materials for children as young as infant to 21 years of age. The items collected get donated to The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer and the Child Life Specialist-Pediatric Specialty Clinic at the Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. This is still one of our major goals with the program. But because of the great response that we have had the program is growing into much more. The program is now also collect revenues so that the Tommy Fund will have a budget built in to purchase what they need for the Child Life Specialist to work with the children who are undergoing cancer treatments. The revenues will also assist the Tommy Fund in continuing their research to find a cure for cancer and assist families that have children who are in a treatment program.
This program for the Academy goes on all year long with students who continue to support the cause. But during the months of September and October they ask the public to get involved and help. The Academy of Kempo’s Help a Child Initiative is currently collecting arts and craft supplies like, Tempera Paints, sand art kits, bead kits, window painting kits, wood projects and jewelry kits. They are also collecting items that can be decorated, such as white tee shirts, white pillowcases, I-pod cases and cloth bags. Basically we will take anything that can help the children to stay busy and have some fun while at the Hospital or the Clinic undergoing their Cancer Treatments. Remember there is no item that is too small, crayons, pencils, markers, or paper, whatever you can do will go a long way to help put a smile on a child’s face. We have even collect stuffed animals, toys and books. There is just one thing though all the items must be new or they cannot be used in the hospital or clinic.
All products can be dropped off at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts, located at 1890 Dixwell Avenue, Hamden Connecticut 06514. For more information on how to get involved, you can contact the Academy at (203) 288-9990, or visit them on the web at www.academyofkempo.com.
Monetary contributions are welcome in check form made out to the Tommy Fund or by visiting the Tommy Fund’s web site at www.tommyfund.org. To have your donation go strictly to the “Help a Child Initiative” please note that on your check.