My Special Focus for 2020 : Children’s Hospice Services

This year, I am going to make an even larger effort to raise awareness and support for Children’s Hospice Services.  I am going to focus on one country a month.  I have chosen to focus on Children’s Hospice Services in the following countries:

• The United States
• Canada
• The United Kingdom
• New Zealand
• Australia

Why these countries?  Well, because of a few reasons.

I am focusing on Children’s Hospices in the United Kingdom because of my long-standing relationship with East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices that began when Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge became their Royal Patron and I learned of their Child’s Play Appeal to allow for the redesign of their Milton facility’s playground area.  I am focusing on Children’s Hospice Services in the United States for a related reason.  When I started writing about East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices I was REPEATEDLY asked why I didn’t focus on a Children’s Hospice in the United States.  For several years my answer was that there simply were none that I could find and that if I ever found one, I would throw my weight behind them.

That changed one day when i found George Mark Children’s House on Twitter.  A quick few clicks and I had an email contact, then, within hours, we were talking on the phone about my site A Petite Princess and how I could use that platform at the time to help them.  Years later, I am still in contact with the Fundraising Department at George Mark Children’s House and am still doing what I can to assist them.

The Children’s Hospice (yes, you read that correctly, there is only ONE in the country ) in New Zealand got my attention for the first time when Rainbow Place received a visit from Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge during her tour of New Zealand with the Duke of Cambridge in 2014.  Of course when I realized they were the only such service in the COUNTRY, I’m gonna get behind them.

In Australia, there are three Children’s Hospice Services.  One of them, Bear Cottage, got a visit from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during the couple’s 3-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.

When it comes to Canada, a Children’s Hospice Service has not yet received a visit from the Duchess of Cambridge, and I didn’t know about any of them personally…but It is part of the greater Commonwealth of which Her Majesty, the Queen is Head, I have so many great Canadian friends and … well, there is one Canadian that has always and will always bring a smile to my face and as a fan of his…I feel like he would approve.  I mean, he is a Flames fan, I think.

In future posts, it is my goal to help you get a closer look at the work done by these wonderful facilities and their immensely dedicated staff.  I’ll also be sharing stories of individual families and stories from staff that have been shared with me over the years.  I will also share what it was like to visit one of these facilities and experience it for myself.  I am also going to do two other things, I am going to show you how and where you can donate funds that these services really need (two of Children’s Hospices in the United States are 100% philanthropically funded).  But aside from showing you how to send direct financial support, I’m also going to show you wishlists from Children’s Hospices so that you can send specific things the Children’s Hospices need…that way you know you are helping in a concrete, identifiable way, if that’s what works best for you.