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Be Inspired: Meet Jasmine!

Meet Jasmine, she is brave, kind and inspiring.

A friend and supporter of The B Fund since its conception, Jasmine is the owner of the children’s boutique Kodomo. Kodomo, (the Japanese word for child), aims to provide a thoughtfully curated selection of apparel that will satisfy little one’s desire for soft pants, twirling skirts, and maybe a superhero motif as well as their parents’ discerning tastes for latest fashions, all ethically produced.

With locations in Boston’s South End, Beacon Hill and their newest store at The Street in Chestnut Hill, Jasmine is inspiring consumers to purchase clothing from designers who create products that are sourced locally and operate thoughtfully and with honest intentions.

Recently, Jasmine kicked off Mother’s Day weekend at her Chestnut Hill location with a grand opening Fashion Show to benefit The B Fund with 15% of the weekend’s sales benefitting our efforts to provide resources and financial support to families caring for critically ill children.  This sold out event brought families together to celebrate Mother’s Day, fashion and the importance of giving back, as attendees were invited to create get well cards for children spending the spring season in the hospital.

Outside of her life at Kodomo, those who know Jasmine describe her as BRAVE, KINDand a TRUE INSPIRATION. Just months after opening her first store in Boston’s South End, Jasmine was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Rather then allowing this disease to cripple her dreams of opening a store, she used the disease to empower her to focus on her store and keep busy so she was distracted from the difficult side effects.

Jasmine took some time to reflect on what it means to have the opportunity to help others.

“No matter how you are feeling or what is going on in your day, there is always room to help others. As a parent, modeling even the smallest act of kindness is important and meaningful for your kids to witness. Eventually these acts of kindness will make a life-long impression and ultimately make the world a better place.”

Some more fun facts about Jasmine:

We ask The B Fund kids how they will make a difference in this world by asking them to reflect on the question, “What will you be?”

Jasmine completed this sentence by pledging to be Compassionate.

 

Do you know someone who’s using their time, talents, and treasures to help those in need? Nominate them to be featured for our “Be Inspired” piece! Email us at info@thebfund.org for more information.

 

Be Inspired: Spotlight on Rebecca!

Last year, The B Fund highlighted Rebecca, a 16-year-old from Needham who raised $3,000 for The B Fund and the American Junior Golf Associations (AJGA) grant program. You can read more about her hard work from last year here.

Rebecca was the first of many children to begin fundraising for The B Fund by incorporating personal interests in talents; in Rebecca’s case, she used her love of golf!

Leadership Links is a nonprofit organization that helps provide an interactive way for young golfers to give back. Using their fundraising platform, for every birdie that Rebecca makes in tournaments, donors can pledge to give a certain amount to both the AJGA’s grant program and The B Fund. Last year, Rebecca raised over $3,000, so she doubled her fundraising goal to $6,000 for 2018.

The season is still ongoing, and Rebecca has already surpassed her goal! She’s made 10 birdies so far, and has raised $6,125.00 for The B Fund and the AJGA.

When asked about her involvement, Rebecca wrote, “Golf is a game that exemplifies the spirit of giving and I am so blessed to be a part of this most wonderful game. My hope is to use this game of golf that I so love to raise money for The B Fund again this year.”

The B Fund encourages children of all ages to use their time, talents, and treasures to give back to families caring for critically ill children. Rebecca demonstrates our mission wonderfully; not only is she pushing herself to improve her golf, but she also doubled her fundraising goal! Her efforts will help provide essential resources such as lodging, meals, and parking vouchers.

We hope that you will take a moment to make a pledge at this link. You can make a one-time donation or pledge an amount per birdie. Thank you for all of your support!

 

Do you know a child who’s performing acts of kindness? Nominate them for our “Be Inspired” feature! Email us at info@thebfund.org to learn more.

Be Inspired: Meet Koko

 

Meet Koko: She is kind, clever and passionate.

When Koko was a baby, she spent five weeks in the hospital. Fortunately, her family lived near the hospital, but they learned that other families traveled long distances, some even from other states or countries, to receive care for their child. Lodging expenses can certainly add up during this time.

Now, Koko is a healthy, vivacious 9-year-old, and she decided to use her own time, talents, and treasures to provide five weeks of lodging expenses for families caring for critically ill children. Koko set up a fundraising project called Koko Cares, and incorporated several of her personal interests and hobbies to meet her fundraising goal.

Koko’s goal was to raise $500 toward patient family housing for families caring for critically ill children. It costs $100 to stay in patient family housing, so Koko wanted to provide at least $500 – enough to stay for five weeks, the amount of time she spent in the hospital as a baby.

Anyone who knows Koko knows that she LOVES to make slime. Because of this hobby, she decided to start her own slime shop on Etsy! She has made 16 sales already – this alone was enough to provide nearly two weeks of patient family housing, but her fundraising didn’t stop there! Koko also decided to sell homemade rainbow loom bracelets, and sell her old clothing on Poshmark.

Thanks to Koko’s fundraising efforts, a family will be able to stay at the hospital for five weeks – and Koko is just getting started! After she met her goal so quickly, she raised her goal! She is extending her project to last until the end of 2018 so more families will receive free lodging during their hospital stays.

Koko’s project is just one of the many examples of children using their own unique talents to customize their involvement with The B Fund. No matter what a child likes to do, they can use their own time and talents to make a huge impact!

If you or someone you know would like to use their talents to give back, set up a fundraising page here.

Do you know someone who’s using their time, talents, and treasures to help those in need? Nominate them to be featured for our “Be Inspired” piece! Email us at info@thebfund.org for more information.

Introducing Be The Change!

The B Fund is excited to introduce its latest program, Be The Change.

Did you know that the TSA found that travelers left behind a record $867,812.39 in 2016? If that doesn’t capture your attention, Coinstar estimates that most American families have an average of $68 in spare change, just lying around. Just imagine what this could be used for!

The B Fund is launching a pilot program during the month of May to raise funds for critically ill children and their families using spare change!

 

WHO can get involved?

Teachers, families, or business owners looking to lend their voices to help shape this program! As Change Makers for this initiative, participants will set up “Be The Change” piggy banks in their homes, schools, or businesses.

WHAT is required of Change Makers for this program?

Change Makers will:

  • Review a one-page overview of the program.
  • Attend an informational Google Hangouts training session.
  • Implement the program by setting up their piggy bank.
  • Complete a survey to provide feedback about the program.

WHEN will this take place?

May 1 – May 31, 2018

WHERE will this take place?

Nationwide

WHY should I participate?

This is a wonderful opportunity for participants of all ages to experience how a program is conceived, implemented, and assessed. Participants will be able to use their own time, talents, and treasures to provide essential resources for families caring for critically ill children.

Email info@thebfund.org by Monday, April 16 to get involved!

Be Inspired: Meet Dylan

Meet Dylan! He is happy, funny, and athletic.

Dylan and his cousin, Ty, recently teamed up to provide lodging for families caring for critically ill children. The boys learned that children are not always able to receive care near their family’s homes. In fact, many families travel from other states and even countries to receive care for their children. Patient family housing enables these families to stay close their children, but it costs approximately $100 each week.

The cousins wanted to help keep these families close together, so they decided to start their own soap-making project called Bubblicious. They set a goal to raise $250, enough to provide two and a half weeks of patient family housing to a family in need.

Using a fundraising page with The B Fund, Dylan and Ty set up their own soap-making shop to sell soap to benefit these families. Each soap costs $2.50, and all proceeds go directly to The B Fund in its efforts to provide for out-of-pocket expenses, like lodging, for families caring for critically ill children.

In less than one month, Dylan and Ty exceeded their initial fundraising goal of $250! This will provide over two weeks of housing for families caring for critically ill children.

To get to know Dylan better, we asked this 10-year-old for some fun facts:

  • His favorite colors are red and
  • His favorite food is chocolate cake.
  • His favorite movie is A Wrinkle in Time.
  • His favorite singer is
  • As a huge basketball fan, his favorite toy is his basketball shoes.
  • When Dylan grows up, he wants to be an NBA player.

Dylan’s soap-making business demonstrates just one of the many ways that children can customize their involvement with The B Fund. No matter what a child likes to do, they can use their own time and talents to make a huge impact!

If you or someone you know wants to use their talents to fundraise, set up a page here!

Do you know someone who’s using their time, talents, and treasures to help those in need? Nominate them to be featured for our “Be Inspired” piece! Email us at info@thebfund.org for more information.

Be Inspired: Meet Francesca!

Meet Francesca (Cha Cha)! She is kind, funny, and grateful.

During the recent storms that have plagued New England, Cha Cha’s family lost power in their home and evacuated to a nearby hotel. While they were staying there, her mother asked her how she wanted to celebrate her upcoming 11th birthday. Instead of focusing on the turbulent weather conditions or her own hardships, Cha Cha thought of those in need.

“I told my mom I did not want any presents and I wanted to make a donation to families not as fortunate as ours,” Cha Cha wrote. Struck by her daughter’s kindness, Cha Cha’s mother reached out to The B Fund to learn about fundraising opportunities. Using The B Fund’s fundraising platform, Cha Cha set up her own birthday fundraiser to help families caring for critically ill children.

Specifically, Cha Cha chose to devote her efforts to providing housing, since she realized how fortunate her own family was to have shelter during difficult conditions. Cha Cha learned that each week of patient family housing costs approximately $100, so she decided to raise enough for two weeks of housing.

“While we were in the hotel I realized how lucky I am never to worry about housing,” Cha Cha explained, “A family should only have to worry about their children getting well, not about where they are going to sleep and rest.”

As of the date of this posting, Cha Cha has almost tripled her fundraising goal, raising nearly $600! This will provide six weeks of patient family housing to a family or group of families.

To get to know Cha Cha better, we asked her for some fun facts:

  • Her favorite color is purple.
  • Her favorite food is strawberries.
  • Her favorite movies include the Harry Potter movies, Narnia, and Pitch Perfect.
  • Cha Cha loves to read! When asked about her favorite toy, she said books.
  • Her favorite song is “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.”
  • Cha Cha said that when she grows up, she wants to be happy. What a great answer!

Cha Cha is truly an inspiration for using her birthday to give back to those in need! Her fundraiser is a powerful reminder that we can always choose kindness and empathy, even when faced with hardships of our own.

If you or someone you know wants to set up your own birthday fundraiser, set up a page here!

Do you know someone who’s using their time, talents, and treasures to help those in need? Nominate them to be featured for our “Be Inspired” piece! Email us at info@thebfund.org for more information.