Photograph by Robert Scheer
Kris Coyne and her daughter Emily, who has recovered from leukemia, will be among the moms and kids going to Great America on Mother's Day.
By Michelle Gabriel
For 600 children currently undergoing treatment for cancer, this Mother's Day offers a short respite from a daily battle with the dreaded disease. Thanks to the efforts of Saratogans Gay Crawford, Kathy Kroll and other local American Cancer Society volunteers--many from the West Valley--these children, along with their parents and siblings, will enjoy a day at Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara.
Introduced in 1989, the event, called Courageous Kids Day, is an annual celebration for the children and their families. It provides an opportunity to put aside the daily stresses and struggles associated with cancer treatment and to enjoy rides, a picnic lunch, games and special appearances by Bay Area celebrities and sports heroes.
"Basically, it's a kids' day off from cancer," says Kroll, chairwoman of this year's event. "We invite 600 children who are undergoing treatment, along with their parents and siblings, to spend Mother's Day at Great America. Hopefully, the planned activities will divert their minds from what they're going through."
Kroll works with a committee of 20 volunteers who begin planning the yearly Courageous Kids Day early the previous December. Another 120 volunteers come out on the day of the event to help greet each guest, set up decorations, oversee the games and staff the various arts and crafts stations created for the children.
The event, now into its seventh year, came about through a suggestion first offered by an American Cancer Society staff member. Crawford, founding chairwoman of the event and a 22-year member of the American Cancer Society, says she pitched the idea to a friend at Great America, where it was met with enthusiastic support. The theme park provided the tickets and outside sponsors provided the funds to help get the project off and running.
Having been active in the breast-cancer movement for many years, Crawford says she knew firsthand the services provided to patients by the American Cancer Society.
"From my own experience with cancer and from the experience of a cousin of mine whose son has cancer, I know how devastating cancer is to a family," Crawford says. "We wanted to offer families a day where they could relax and enjoy some fun together."
Crawford says the theme of Courageous Kids Day revolves around the entire family. This is especially important because often the young cancer patient is the focus of attention within a family, and other siblings feel left out.
"Courageous Kids Day is a wonderful opportunity to have a total family day," she says.
According to Kroll, information regarding the annual event is distributed throughout the various American Cancer Society branches including Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County. Requests for tickets to attend the event are processed through the individual American Cancer Society units.
"Families are invited," says Kroll. "They can't just show up on the day of the event and expect to get in. There is a process we have to follow very carefully."
Once the 600 children have been selected, Kroll says three are chosen to serve as Courageous Kids Media Ambassadors. The "ambassadors" are available for interviews or other media coverage throughout the year, and their stories are included in the program distributed that day. This year's ambassadors are Emily Coyne, 3, of San Jose; William Lawson, 4-1/2, also of San Jose; and 14-year-old Vanessa Gonzalez of Mountain View.
In addition to the volunteers who staff the various stations and activities, Kroll points out the many business and community sponsors who offer their support as well, including Seagate, Western Digital, Lockheed Bucks of the Month Club, KICU-TV Channel 36, Paramount's Great America, and the Professional Photographers of Santa Clara Valley, Inc., who donate their time that day to take a portrait of each child and his or her family. The portraits, which Kroll says sometimes turn out to be the last portrait of the family all together, are mailed to the families at no charge.
Anyone interested in donating time or money may contact the American Cancer Society at 287-5973.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 8, 1996.
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