Submitted by: Jane Waters Bugg, Marketing Coordinator, Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund
Meghan was fired today. Not because she was incompetent – she was a great worker. Not because she was dishonest – she was very trustworthy. No, Meghan was fired because she took too many days off to be by her child’s side at the hospital.
Luckily, her husband still has his job. But they need both salaries to maintain their household. Their savings will only cover a month or two. And with her child’s diagnosis, she worries that it won’t be enough. What will they do when the savings run out but the bills keep coming? She already knows that her child’s ventilator will more than double their electric bill.
This is the kind of scenario the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund hears about every day. Families who once were financially solvent are now near bankruptcy because their child experiences an unexpected illness, injury or disability.
The Dolan Fund helps these families. They provide financial assistance for needs not covered by insurance, respite programs, and non-cash items to families in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund was established when Kelly Anne died from a rare form of leukemia. Her parents, Peggy and Joe Dolan, were distressed when they learned about the hardships other parents of sick children experienced. Parents lost jobs, homes, cars, and more, because caring for their child kept them from their jobs. Hard decisions had to be made – pay the rent or the doctor bill, pay the phone bill or the hospital parking fees, stay with the child or go to work.
The day after Kelly Anne’s death, the Dolans started the fund. Their goal: to keep the lights on, fill the oil tank, pay the rent, purchase handicap equipment, and provide relief to families. Referrals come from social workers and healthcare professionals; critical requests are processed within 72 hours. Payments are made directly to vendors to avoid misappropriation of funds.
More than 24,000 families have been helped, not only with financial assistance, but also through programs including Family Fun Days and the Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program. Thirty-eight years later, the Fund is going strong.
