Friends of Karen Gains Support from Adelphi

by Susan Carl

For the little girl with a brain tumor, excitement beamed and the sadness and pain was momentarily replaced A tremendous hand-made dollhouse had arrived just for her. Hal Eisenberg fondly recalled his Christmas delivery, "I looked down and saw this huge smile on her face. And I realized that is what mattered."

The little girl was one of the children who are helped by Friends of Karen, an organization that is "dedicated to providing emotional and financial support to children with life-threatening illnesses." That mission statement is printed on their tri-fold glossy flyer with an insignia of an adult hand gliding bright balloons toward tiny-silhouetted fingers.

On March 3, the Adelphi community will have an opportunity to help support Friends of Karen. That is when a live music benefit concert with The Joe Rock Band (who have appeared on Cablevision), will be held from 6-10:30 pm in the University Center Ballroom. There will also be a local band, OUTLET and a live DJ. The concert is being presented by the Undergraduate Social Work Council. Balloons of various hues will decorate the UC Ballroom, harmonizing in physical form the Friends of Karen emblem.

Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for non-students and there are still about seventy available. The organization hopes to sell out its 500 seats and raise about $10,000. It will also hold a silent auction that evening of autographs from musicians such as Bon Jovi and Melissa Etheridge. Raffle prizes will include a DVD player and a two-hour party for twenty-five people at Jillians, a local restaurant.

Even though Friends of Karen considers itself small, the organization has, with the help of private donations, helped close to 3,000 families.

In 1978, Karen MacInnes, a 16-year old girl with Lafora's disease, a progressive, fatal neurological illness, had just wanted to go home from the hospital for Christmas. But the medical costs were too great. So, a friend of the family, Sheila Peterson, raised the money to send her home. It was Karen's family's hope that Sheila help others the way they were helped. Sheila, who died several years ago in a car accident always believed that with help, " 'parents' then have more time to love." Karen eventually died of Lafora's disease in 1978.

One of the organizations coordinators, Denise Wind, says, "We had a vision that became a vision among so many."

At Adelphi, The support has come from administrators throughout the campus, some fraternities and sororities, HILLEL (a religious club), Circle K (community service organization), NAACP, and from former Adelphi students as well as politicians including local Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. Adelphi Administrative Director of Social Work, Maxine Lynn said, "I've never seen students gather together like this-This event represents a linking of people embodied in the values of the social work profession."

Undergraduate Social Work student and Sigma Alpha Mu President, Warren Zysman said, "Anything we can do to raise money for children we'll do." With Friends of Karen, he added, "We really couldn't resist getting involved. Hal and Denise have done a hell of a job." Colleen Golden, a Tri Delta member, said the best thing was, "Just knowing we can make a bunch of families happy by raising funds."

For Friends of Karen, a green ribbon has come "to symbolize hope for the children and their families in raising awareness of their fight", according to Coordinator Denise Wind. It was adopted through a Long Island High School, Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset where the ribbons were first sold as a fundraiser for the organization.

What matters the most? It is the huge smile from a sick little girl with a brain tumor when a tremendous hand-made dollhouse arrives especially for her or the brief moment of joy when she forgets the headaches and sadness the lump has caused. These are children looking for the shooting star, the hope of living. Children who want to jump, shout, run and play. And they are the Friends of Karen keeps.