When a child is diagnosed with a life-changing illness, the wholeness of the family is thrown into disarray. The diagnosis sweeps in and changes everything. Everything shifts with its arrival. Focus shifts from what to make for dinner and when you will find time to clean the house to how to care for your child. Unfortunately, those other day-to-day life tasks that were taking your focus still exist.
You might have other children who need to finish their homework and you certainly have bills to pay, not to mention when you are going to clean the house again. It’s overwhelming at best; your priority should be focusing on your child’s health and getting them the best medical care possible, but there are other things adding to your stress. Enter There With Care. There With Care provides families with children experiencing critical illness the support they need to focus on their loved ones by taking care of life’s day-to-day obligations.
THE MISSION
There With Care’s mission is to provide a wide range of thoughtful and fundamental services to families and children during the critical phase of a medical crisis. They serve families referred by medical agencies, by building a network of services and people who ease the burden of life’s day-to-day obligations with compassion and care.
There With Care was founded in 2005. CEO and Founder Paula DuPré Pesmen was inspired by four families whose children needed the services they still offer today. These families led the way in how to care for the thousands of others who have come after them. There With Care serves the Denver and Boulder communities as well as communities in Middle Tennessee and the Bay Area.
SERVICES OFFERED
- Transportation: By providing gas assistance, bus passes, Uber/Lyft rides, auto repairs, and auto donations, There With Care ensures that parents are able to get their child to crucial medical appointments and to visit their child when they remain in-patient at the hospital.
- Meal Delivery: Many patients have a compromised immune system due to treatments making it difficult for parents to shop and keep their child safe from germs. By delivering food they can easily prepare, families can come home to a warm and nutritious meal.
- Baby Essentials: There With Care provides gently used baby clothing, books, toys, car seats, strollers, cribs, and other essential items for families leaving the neonatal ICU.
- Home Maintenance: Many families spend long days, several times each week, at the hospital. By providing house-cleaning services, laundry services, donated furniture delivery, lawn care, pet care during hospital stays, industrial cleaning for immune-compromised children, and home modifications for disability access, parents can take comfort in knowing their home is clean and ready for their child.
- Professional Services: When a child is diagnosed with a critical illness, the family’s wholeness is threatened. There With Care partners with professional therapists who reduce their fees making it possible to provide emotional support for families in crisis. They also partner with attorneys, accountants, and translators.
- Sibling Support: By providing support to families through babysitting, mentoring, or tutoring, There With Care can give parents guilt-free time to focus on their ill child, knowing their other children also need additional support.
- Phone and IT: This program provides access to computers and telephones to increase the family’s ability to obtain medical services and resource libraries.
THE IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS
- 5 years old is the average age of the patients served
- 30% of families have single parents
- 720 families were served in 2020
- 991 families were served in 2021
- 220 families are served daily
- 85% of families served live at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty level
- 100% of families are referred by hospital social workers based on need and circumstances
“Being able to give somebody wiggle room so they can stay with their child a little bit more, it means the world.”—Jeremy’s mom & dad
GET INVOLVED
The mission of There With Care aligns with MJ Foundation’s commitment to embracing humanity and providing support for the overall well-being of families. We are moved by the compassion and care this organization shows families and children during a medical crisis. We encourage you to support an organization that is providing meaningful care by getting involved with There With Care:
- Donate: You can give directly and raise funds for the organization as well as donate non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, bars of soap, toothpaste tubes, new or gently used infant clothing, diapers, baby wipes, baby carriers, strollers, books, board games, activities supplies and more. Don’t live near one of the drop-off locations? No worries! Shop their Amazon Wish List and items will be shipped directly to There With Care!
- Matching Program: MJ matches up to $150 annually of donations. Consider donating to There With Care!
- Volunteer: Deliver care and essential supplies to families with a critically ill child
- Shop for a Cause: Make online shopping rewarding for families and children facing a critical illness. When you shop on Amazon, go to amazon.com and choose There With Care as the charitable organization of your choice. A portion of every eligible purchase will support families during the critical phase of a medical crisis.
At MJ, our Purpose guides us to inspire the success, fulfillment, and well-being of each person we serve. We hope you feel inspired to do the same. Visit the There With Care website or contact Engagement Director Kim Smith – kim@therewithcare.org to learn more.
