HEARTFUL HEROES Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity When Love Is Not Enough

Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity: When Love Is Not Enough

BY MICHELE VINER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JENNIFER ASHLEIGH CHILDREN’S CHARITY

Since 1989, the JACC has helped 15,000 sick children and their families through the toughest times.

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Mya was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in her hip at the age of 11, and has endured surgeries and chemotherapy. JACC helped Mya and her family with nutritious groceries and helped cover transportation expenses to and from hospital.

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ennifer Ashleigh Clements was just six months old when she passed away from an inherited degenerative muscular disease in 1989. During those six months, her family faced not only the emotional reality of caring for a seriously ill child, but also the physical and financial reality. Just two years later, the family would lose a second daughter, Danica, to the same disease.

By the time Danica passed away, Norman Clements, the girls’ grandfather, had already put his heartache into action and, in 1990, created the Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity (JACC). Having watched his family live not only once but twice with such hardship, he set out to help other families who were struggling to care for a sick child; families who had limited incomes, but extraordinary costs.

Today, 31 years after opening its doors in Uxbridge, Ontario, the JACC is going strong and is a lifeline for eligible families at a point when they have nowhere else to turn.

“We work with families in Ontario, often referred through children’s hospitals, to cover costs that are not covered by hospital funds, OHIP, or private insurance,” says Colleen Taylor, volunteer and Chair of the Advisory Board, “keeping with the belief that a family should not have to live in poverty because their child is sick.”

How can we help you? Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity

Support is offered in three areas: crisis, wellness, and care. In times of crisis, families may need help with the necessities - healthy food, transportation costs, and keeping the rent paid and the lights on. Wellness support centres around the physical needs of the child and will help to pay costs of occupational therapy or physiotherapy, or maybe a tube to assist with feeding. Care is predominantly respite care for exhausted parents and caregivers. “Respite care can be as simple as allowing someone the time to go and get groceries,” says Taylor, “although recently we offered respite for a woman who had to leave her sick child so she could go to her own chemotherapy appointment. Circumstances can be heartbreaking.” And, of course, in the time of Covid, things have been even more difficult. In addition to many families whose businesses have been most affected and who are now struggling to cover household costs, navigating the challenges of an immuno-compromised child are even more demanding; for example, a family who once jumped on the subway to get to appointments cannot currently do that. While some government funding has been available through the pandemic, the JACC depends on private donations and their own fundraising initiatives to raise the funds required to help families. “We have a small staff and a dedicated group of volunteers who helps us to do this work,” says Taylor. “Our main fundraising event of the year is usually a gala that was replaced with a livestream event on a smaller scale last year, and will be again in 2021. We value our donors and our families, and each year we host a family fun day at Norm’s farm in Uxbridge. Norm is still involved and we love how his vision all those years ago continues to help families, as well as bring families and supporters together.” “We want families to know that they are not alone,” says Taylor, “and we believe that helping a parent to care and stay close to their sick child is the best medicine.”

Natalia was born with Query Skeletal Dysplasia, seizures, cleft palate, and hypotonia. JACC helped Natalia and her family with nutritious groceries and transportation to and from medical appointments. Help is available to families who have a household income of less than $65,000 per year. To learn more about the criteria for application or to learn about the charity visit www.jenash.org

SINCE 1989, JENNIFER ASHLEIGH CHILDREN’S CHARITY HAS HELPED 15,000 CHILDREN. THEY HAVE:

• Given 1,200 very sick children life-saving medications • Helped almost 4,000 sick children’s parents afford transportation to hospital • Provided healthy food for 1,500 children who are healing • Kept the heat and lights on for more than 1,200 families • Crisis prevented eviction for almost 2,000 medically fragile children • Provided respite care for 4,500 exhausted parents • Helped over 3,000 children to receive therapy to improve their quality of life