NORTH SALEM, NY, November 10, 2021 — Help Friends of Karen deliver gifts and smiles for the holidays! Nearly 900 Holiday Wish Lists need to be filled this year. Join us in helping fulfill a child’s wish list or fill the lists for several children. You will be the reason our children smile this holiday season. Each child sends us a…
It has undoubtedly been a year like no other for all of us, but for the critically ill children and their families served by Friends of Karen, life remains complicated. As the rest of the world prepares to return to something a bit more normal, our families are still experiencing severe financial hardships added to the overwhelming stress of their child’s illness.
We understand this is a stressful time, and as a parent, you may not know what to say to your children about this health crisis. Check out these helpful tips from Friends of Karen sibling support specialist Siobhan.
Children (and their families) battling serious illnesses like cancer are often described as “warriors’ ‘ and “fighters” conjuring up images of slaying dragons and knockouts in a boxing ring. Though these are certainly powerful and appropriate metaphors for the big, bold and resilient people we meet at Friends of Karen, equally inspiring are those who radiate a quiet beauty- selfless…
North Salem, New York – Friends of Karen has been selected as a beneficiary of the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program for the month of January.
The Stop & Shop Community Bag Program, which launched in May 2019, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work.
In 45 years of service to the New York metro area community, Friends of Karen has demonstrated time and again a special way of caring. The legacy of kindness and compassion that our founder Sheila Petersen exemplified when she brought a quality of life to a gravely ill teen, Karen MacInnes, and her family so many years ago has been replicated thousands of times.
When Christa was being treated for Leukemia, she and her beloved sister Skyla participated in Friends of Karen’s Sibling Support Program. Her mother Georgette, thinking it was a stomach bug, brought Christa to see the doctor. He told mom that Christa’s blood count was low. In 2021 five-year-old Christa began to complain of frequent stomach aches. Her mother Georgette, thinking…
Celeste is 3 and 1/2-years-old and in the maintenance phase of treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia that was diagnosed in October 2022. Her father Rafael shares how he and his wife Gwen coped through Friends of Karen’s support. “Everything was going well for us. We were expecting a new baby and we decided to send Celeste temporarily to my parents’…
“The Invisible String” written by Patrice Karst is one of the most well loved books in our bag of tricks. This best selling picture book tells the story of unbreakable connections between loved ones.
Click link to read a poem compiled with the words of Friends of Karen children, inspired by “The Invisible String” and the season of love. Happy Valentine’s Day!
WESTCHESTER HEADQUARTERS
118 Titicus Road
North Salem, NY 10560
(914) 277-4547
LONG ISLAND OFFICE
150 Broadhollow Road, Suite 112
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 473-1768
NEW YORK CITY OFFICE
217 W 18th Street, Unit 2015
New York, NY 10011
(212) 308-1378
 |
![BBB seal](/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/candid-2025.jpg") |
 |