Our mission:
To provide support to these families through group-supported events and activities such as fundraisers and social gatherings, as well as providing support during hospital stays
In 2003, we started as a small support group under a different name. It was realized then that for these families time was precious,
and when they were not in the hospital, their priority was trying to maintain normal lives. Our founder, a pediatric nurse who was also the mother of a child with leukemia, discovered that these
families often need money for extra expenses incurred as a result of treatment, and more importantly they needed ways to have fun and smile with their children. Therefore we decided to take a
different approach to the term support group and started on a new path.
We did not become a nonprofit organization until 2008, changing our name to Panhandle Angels Foundation. We became a 501(c)3 in 2010.
Our main fundraiser each year is a large yard sale with all sale items being donated by friends and supporters.
All of the money that we raise goes directly to our families. Being a small organization run by volunteers who are in some way
affected by these families themselves, there have been no administrative costs. We are trying to grow and get the word out so there will be some money spent on brochures in the future. We provide
assistance to our families during extended hospital stays or trips to other cities for treatment, times when parents are unable to work so that they can be with their child. Our gift cards are never
meant to support the family, but simply to help with everyday expenses like gas, medicines, groceries, and other small daily needs.
Our most glorious achievement is our annual Christmas party. Our families are invited for lunch, and Santa Claus bestows presents upon
each cancer child as well as all of their brothers and sisters (the parents tell us their wish). The families are entertained by Disney characters, while they spend an afternoon just enjoying
each other and forgetting about their illnesses for a brief time. It is such a blessing to be able to see these children interacting with each other like any normal group of children, with excitement
and laughter, and to see their parents relaxing and smiling.
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