Joshua Honebrink
Fund Raiser and Bright Eyes Donation
The Bright Eyes Fund was specifically to help children with brain tumors. The Fund was started in 1998 through a community-wide fundraiser led by then Monroe County Sheriff Andrew Meloni. It was inspired by and named in memory of Alexandra Walker, a 4 year old girl who died of a malignant brain tumor, and whose beautiful bright eyes touched our lives and will stay with us forever. Through the years the fund has been sustained through the generosity of the families and friends of children stricken by brain tumors. The purpose of Bright Eyes is simple – to improve the lives of children with brain tumors and their families throughout their treatment and beyond. This is done by helping families in their daily struggles as their children undergo treatment, and by conducting research testing new approaches to treatment. The Fund has been used to help families purchase medicine and/or equipment not covered by insurance companies, and to pay for tutoring not covered by school systems. It has covered registration fees for parents to attend conferences on brain tumors. We have also used funds for various patient and family support groups and events, for example our annual bowling party for children and their families. The Fund is used to support continuing medical education for the Brain Tumor Clinic staff through access to the latest medical journals and other sources of new information on brain tumors. It is also used to support research projects involving children with brain tumors. Such projects include new treatments – the funds not only support our ability to conduct these trials, but also to support children and families who come from afar to cover expense related to travel and unanticipated expenses.
Our goal is to improve the care for children with brain tumors, and the Bright Eyes Fund enables us to do just that. All funds stay here at the Golisano Children’s Hospital to benefit the children treated here.
Please consider a donation to this important cause.
