Mom gives away $40,000 to help children

Posted in charity
by Lorain County Moms

By Jondi Gumz, Santa Cruz Sentinel

APTOS, CALIF. — Cece Pinheiro, who runs the Special Parents Information Network, was ecstatic.

“This is the largest donation SPIN has ever received,” she said, beaming over a $10,000 gift.

Devon Dabbs, co-founder of Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition, got the same gift: $10,000.

So did Ann Carney Pomper, who runs Hospice of Santa Cruz County.

And so did Jacob’s Heart, a nonprofit that helps children with cancer and their families.

All the donations came from Aptos resident Christy Licker in honor of her daughter Caroline, a child with special needs who died at the age of 16.

She hosted a reception Thursday afternoon for 50 people at the Jack & Peggy Baskin Center for Philanthropy to present the gifts to the four nonprofits, which all serve children with special medical needs.

She raised the money by opening a nonprofit resale shop at 402 Trout Gulch Road six months ago. It is staffed by volunteers 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 5 p.m. weekends.

The shop, called Caroline’s, is set up to display home decor, furniture, women’s clothing and children’s clothing and toys, whatever has arrived in the transom.

The Special Parent Information Network serves 400 families, with a growing need to support older Spanish-speaking mothers with babies who have Down syndrome, according to Pinheiro.

“This shows the value of this work,” Pinheiro said, explaining how the Lickers had come to the network for support.

Children’s Hospice is currently supporting 50 families with a seriously ill child, providing 500 rides a year for children to medical appointments in Palo Alto and San Francisco. The organization also supports 100 children with life-threatening conditions and their families in pilot projects around the state.

“We’re thrilled,” said Dabbs, impressed that Licker could make such large donations in such a short time. “It’s a wonderful model for the community. We’re all stronger when we work together.”

Hospice of Santa Cruz County is working with fewer than 20 children with terminal illness but provides grief support to about 200 children.

Pomper said the donation would go toward outreach to schools, grief counseling in English and Spanish for high schoolers, training for pediatric nurses, and training interns at Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance who work with South County students.

“We have a publication for teens and kids that we make available to teachers,” she said, noting it helps people find the right words to say to a grieving student.

Jacob’s Heart provides assistance to families with children younger than age 18 diagnosed with cancer in the counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and south Santa Clara. It also provides bereavement support when children die from diseases other than cancer.

There are no hospice services for children in Monterey County, Dabbs said, adding, “You need a champion like Ann (Pomper) to make it happen.”

Licker said her volunteer staff has grown from a group of seven friends and family members to 28.

Connie Unsicker, who was Caroline’s therapist, wants to volunteer, and a grandmother with a special needs grandchild drives from Lodi to drop off a load of donations. Another recent donation included 22 boxes full of crystal and a cashmere teddy bear.

“If you’re not a Caroline’s shopper, come on down,” said volunteer Sirleen Ghileri, modeling a suede skirt she bought at the shop for $12.