� Nonprofit
Spotlight�
Hope For Children Provides A Spark of Hope To Families Facing Dark Times
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By Kimberly Redmond
or the past three said Meg, adding that their mission decades, a Ramseystands on the belief that “we can cure based non-profit illnesses or make a significant difference organization has in the quality of lives.” been doing whatever it can to give a “It’s about finding a spark of hope,” tiny spark of hope to families facing she said. “Families need to live in a spirit dark times. of hope.” That small sliver of optimism is born For Paul and Vicki Giblin, their feeling Pictured: Colleen Giblin from an unlikely place, a research laboraof hopelessness during the final stages tory at Columbia University Irving Medical of Colleen’s battle with cancer motivated Center. There, researchers work tirelessly to find them to work to spare other families similar anguish. better treatments and cures for a wide range of With that goal in mind, and with support from neurological and cancer-related conditions effectfamily, friends, businesses and corporations, including children. ing the 1986 Super Bowl Championship New York Much of the activity at the Colleen Giblin Giants, they launched the Colleen Giblin FoundaResearch Laboratories is funded by the Hope for tion, the first non-profit in the U.S. dedicated solely Children Foundation, a non-profit launched by the to funding pediatric research at a major academic late Paul and Vicki Giblin in 1986 after their fourmedical center. year-old daughter, Colleen, died from an inoperThe money raised helped establish a laboratory able brain tumor. in Colleen’s name at Columbia University Irving Meg Minassian, the organization’s longtime Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading research executive director, said, “We’re all about research, hospitals, led by her doctor, Dr. Darryl De Vivo. but that can be a tough sell.” Since its founding, over 6,000 donors and vol“Many people want to give a child’s dying wish unteers have supported the Hope for Children to go to Disney World,” she said. “We’re the Foundation, helping it to raise and donate over $7 opposite; we want to let those kids go on many million for pediatric neurological research. Just a vacations in their lifetime.” few of the foundation’s noteworthy local supporters “Our goal is to make cures become realities,” include the late author Mary Higgins Clark, enter12
