Honoring Local Children With Cancer
In partnership with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford
On September 19, 1999, Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services held the first annual KIDRAGEOUS CARNIVAL and invited the entire community to honor children with cancer in a positive, family-center celebration of love and hope. Sixteen years ago, on that September afternoon, Jacob’s Heart collected nearly 1,000 signatures, and led the grassroots efforts to establish September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the State of California by executive order. These efforts have since expanded to national significance and Jacob’s Heart has celebrated with KIDRAGEOUS celebrations honoring local children with cancer and spreading thousands of gold ribbons throughout the Central Coast every September.
This September the celebrations are expanding. Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford have joined Jacob’s Heart to present four local events, each Sunday in September, in celebration of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Kidrageous Festival — Sunday, September 7th at Skypark, Scotts Valley – 12 pm to 5 pm. Live music by Extra Large will be accompanied by acrobats, magicians, dancers and Disney characters.- Kidrageous Baby Matthew’s Golden Gallop — Sunday, September 14 – Custom House Plaza – Monterey State Historic Park 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. We will wear gold during a 5K walk, run or gallop from the Custom House Plaza – Monterey State Historic – Park to the Aquarium and back. Registration starts at 8 am.
- Kidrageous Carnival — Sunday, September 21st City Plaza, Watsonville – 12 pm to 5 pm our 16th annual KIDRAGEOUS Carnival in the Plaza in Watsonville with face painting, live music, dancing and family fun.
- Kidrageous 5k Race — Sunday, September 28 Seascape Park – Aptos. The KIDRAGEOUS festivities will conclude at the finish line of the Golden Family 5K at Seascape Park on September 28 at 8:00 am with a family celebration to follow to 11:30 am
At Jacob’s Heart’s KIDRAGEOUS events, all of the booths, activities, food and KIDRAGEOUS characters represent the “favorite things” of local children with cancer. Examples include painted flowerpots in memory of Maddy, a fire engine in honor of Anthony, angel wings in memory of Reyna, Disney princesses in honor of Emily, a half-pipe skateboard ramp in honor of Anthony, peppermint patties in memory of Samantha and, tie-dyed t-shirts in honor of April.
Communities from Scotts Valley to King City will show that we care about kids with cancer as gold ribbons, golden porch lights, gold clothing and hearts of gold will be in abundance throughout the Central Coast with residents changing their porch lights to gold on the evening of September 7th.
Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services started with one little boy who was given a 5% chance to survive one of the most deadly forms of childhood cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia. Jacob, now 21 years old, remembers his number one concern: how his family would cope with his illness and potential death. Since then, Jacob has grown up and so has Jacob’s Heart.
Jacob’s Heart has received local, regional and national recognition for providing compassionate, family-centered care to 525 local families who have heard the devastating words, “Your child has cancer.”
More than 2,000 dedicated volunteers and staff of five provide essential services that address the isolation, fear, and seemingly insurmountable day-to-day challenges that families experience as they navigate their way through one of life’s most difficult challenges. Services include: Individual and family counseling, peer mentorship and social support, financial and practical assistance including direct payment of bills such as rent, phone and utilities and biweekly home delivery distribution of nutritious groceries delivered to families whose children are undergoing intensive cancer treatment and community education about pediatric cancer.
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Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services: 2007 Freedom Blvd. Freedom, CA 95019. Website: jacobsheart.org Tel #: 831-724-9100