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Heroes support families during annual race
By Stephanie Flemmons, Staff Writer
In a time of need, this organization makes a friend indeed.
Heroes for Children, a nonprofit organization, provides financial and social assistance to families with children battling cancer, just reached their $1 million mark donating to Texas families since its inception in 2004.
Jenny Scott, executive director/co-founder, said the organization has never turned a family’s request down, due to the numerous contributions and fundraisers.
The one-mile Family Fun run will begin at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K Run/Walk will begin at 8:15 a.m.
Scott said this is not the organization’s biggest fundraiser, but it is their largest attended event.
“We love for people to donate, but it is also about community awareness,” Scott said.
This year the organization is expecting 1,500 attendees.
The money is dispersed upon request from pediatric social workers all over Texas.
Larissa Linton, director of development and co-founder, said the social workers recommend families in need.
“We have real good working relationships with social workers across Texas,” Linton said. “Through an assessment of each family, they determine what family is in need.”
Scott and Linton founded Heroes for Children after both lost a child to cancer.
Linton’s daughter, Taylor, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in December 2000.
Hospital and doctor bills forced the family into many financial strains and caused them to rely on support from friends during Taylor’s treatments.
Linton said her friends decided to put on a golf tournament “Tee off for Taylor,” to help raise money for the family so they could pay for a babysitter for their other two children. In a matter of weeks more than $15,000 was raised.
The doctors would not allow my other two children in the hospital room because of Taylor’s weak immune system,” Linton said. “Plano really rallied together to help our family. The money also helped with bills and meals at the hospital.”
Taylor’s health began to improve and she came home to the family in March. Because of her weak immune system, Linton said her daughter had many restrictions.
“At first I couldn’t take her to the grocery store or allow her to play with friends,” Linton said. “Then the doctors OK’d her to go to preschool and she began getting back to a normal life.”
In September 2001, the family received shocking news. Taylor had relapsed.
“We had to go through the whole process again,” Linton said. “We had to put her back in the hospital, more chemotherapy treatments and another blood transplant.”
Linton said Taylor’s organs began failing and she died Nov. 26, 2001.
“After her death we reflected on the many blessing we had received when she was sick, both financially and emotionally,” Linton said. “We me a lot of families who were struggling. It’s a huge blow to them financially.”
Two years later, Scott’s daughter, Allie, faced the same fight against the same form of cancer.
Allie, just 4 months old, underwent three rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
Just shy of 9 months, Allie lost the fight.
“Allie was never successful with her treatments,” Scott said. “She was a 4-month-old, battling an aggressive form of cancer with only a 20 percent chance of survival. She was a really sick little girl.”
Through Allie’s treatments, Scott said her neighborhood and school conducted many fundraisers.
“If it wasn’t for their support system, we wouldn’t have made it through,” Scott said. “They collected enough to pay our mortgage payment for the summer, dog care and lawn service. Thing you don’t want to think about.”
Linton discussed the need for an organization to help families of children diagnosed with cancer to social workers at Medical City Children’s Hospital of Dallas, where Taylor was hospitalized.
In her memory, Taylor’s Angels, a nonprofit organization, was created by Linton in 2002 to help struggling families.
Linton and Scott crossed paths shortly after Allie’s death in 2004.
“She had a huge following and a lot of supporters,” Linton said. “We wanted to spread our wings and we decided to merge together.”
Linton and Scott renamed Taylor’s Angels to Heroes for Children in memory of Allie and Taylor.
“We are able to issue a check to the family within seven days or less,” Linton said. “We are able to step in and help them immediately.”
September is National Cancer Child Care Awareness month and Sept. 13 is National Child Care Awareness month, which is the same day Allie lost her battle to cancer.
Plano Mayor Pat Evans will be this years honoary chiar of the event and will declare Sept. 12 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Day in the city of Plano.
Steve Stoler, WFAA reporter, will emcee the event.
Eddie Coker, the award winning children’s entertainer will perform along with bounce houses and other activities for the family.
Individuals can register for the 5K Run/Walk or the one-mile Family Fun run even by visiting Heroes for Children Web site at www.heroesforchildren.org/5k
Early registration by Sept. 5 is $20 for adults, $10 for kids under 12; Regular registration Sept. 6-8 is $22 for adults, $12 for kids under 12; Race day registration is $25 for adults and $15 for kids under 12.
Contact Stephanie Flemmons at sflemmons@acnpapers.com
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