OUR VISION
Every day in the U.S., 36 parents hear the devastating words “your child has cancer.” In an instant, their world is turned upside down. Days of driving carpool, being a soccer mom, and making school lunches quickly turn into long days and
nights in hospitals, as toxic treatments try to fight off the deadly and rapidly multiplying cancer cells in their child’s body.
As they helplessly watch from the sidelines the pokes, probes, nausea, and cries that come with it, thoughts and dreams of what their child will be when they grow up quickly transform into the horrifying question of “will they even grow
up?”
Devastation, heartbreak, and fear beyond words.
Often just mere miles from the teaching hospitals where these devastating diagnoses take place are college campuses full of passionate and driven students at a pivotal time in their lives too. While these kids are fighting for their lives,
these students are defining theirs.
We aim to bring the life, spirit, and passion from college campuses right to the bedside of kids in the hospital. Footprints provides these students with the unique opportunity to come into these children’s lives and be witness to the bravery,
strength and courage of our youngest heroes. We hope this will serve as inspiration for them to go on to become compassionate, caring and impactful professionals and leaders, and leave their “footprints” of positive change on the world.
WHO WE ARE
We are Florida Gators. We are alumni and current students at the University of Florida. We are young, we are driven, we are passionate, and we want to better the lives of hospitalized children and their families.
Starting as a volunteer support program at our university's hospital in 2010, we have provided fun, love, and hope to hundreds of children battling life-threatening illnesses. These kids have bettered our lives in so many ways. They have
taught us to never take a moment for granted. They have showed us how to be a true fighter. And they have given us so much love and strength. So now we want to take that love and strength and give it to kids all over the country, fighting this same battle.
Through this project we hope to transform our one hospital volunteer program into a movement. We hope to give college students all around the country the life-changing opportunity of meeting these little heroes, and we hope to provide these
kids and their families with individualized support, fun, and love when they need it most.
THE FUTURE WE ARE CREATING
Footprints transforms the traditional hospital volunteering model, individualizing volunteer support to meet the unique needs of each patient and family. Through our unique Buddy System, pediatric patients are matched one-on-one with a university
student volunteer who will serve as their “buddy” throughout long-term treatments and hospital stays. These students offer fun, friendship, and support and often create special lasting relationships with children and families that give them hope during difficult
times.
The program will facilitate establishment of university student organizations and create partnerships with university-affiliated hospitals/medical centers in which student groups will serve. Each student organization will execute the following
programs with objectives as follows:
Buddy System:
Provide individualized one-on-one support to children that are undergoing frequent and/or long-term hospitalization due to cancer or other serious illness. Such patients are matched with a college student volunteer that will serve as their
“buddy,” visiting, providing play activities, and offering support and resources on a continuous basis. This allows for development of lasting relationships that teach student volunteers (primarily pre-health students) compassion and empathy and provide them
with valuable insight into the challenges patients and families face with illness.
Special Events: Footprints offers various individual and group Special Events to provide fun to patients and families and help keep their spirits high despite difficult circumstances. We aim to make each child feel truly
special and loved on important days, such as birthdays and holidays, and help them celebrate all the happy moments along their journey. Footprints plans and facilitates birthday parties, end of treatment celebrations (“Superhero Parties”), Holiday parties/crafts,
Playroom activities/events, and family outings.
Additional Support Services: A variety of other initiatives supplement our buddy system and provide additional resources and support to our patients and families, in both the short-term while in the hospital and over time
via follow up measures. Such initiatives include parent support groups (facilitated by licensed professionals), assistance in running errands, scheduled patient/sibling supervision in hospital (with proper consents), hospital room door posters (“Buddy Boards”),
relocation assistance, customized event photo books, comfort goody bags (including a variety of informational resources, toiletry essentials, comfort food and other items), legacy building activities, memorial services, memory boxes, butterfly releases, memory
scrapbooks, and distribution of food and gas gift cards as needed (as approved by licensed social worker).
Outreach Events:
Engagement in awareness and other efforts for our patient population is key in promoting leadership and advocacy among our student volunteers and standing up for and taking action for the patients/families we serve. Through organization
of campus-wide Bone Marrow Registration Drives, to partnering with other community and nonprofit organizations with similar causes, students learn valuable personal and professional skills, while further demonstrating their support and commitment to our patients/families.
Community Involvement: In an effort to go beyond the scope of the hospital setting, we encourage all Footprints volunteers to become involved in other community programs that serve our patients and families. Such involvements include volunteering
at camps for patients and families, serving meals at the local Ronald McDonald House, and other community programming that directly serves our patients/families.
