Quest to Cure Sickle Cell Foundation was founded by Kristine Buchanan, a young lady who has five young children whom two of them, a set of identical twin boys having the most sever form of sickle cell Disease. The organization was created as a parent to parent support group designed to teach and promote self advocacy which in turn would build a stronger inclusive sickle cell community.
Mission: To help children with sickle cell focus more on life not pain, and to heighten awareness as it relates to sickle cell disease while bringing our sickle cell communities together.
Programs:
The Sickle Cell Summer Camp program is a five day out-of-state road camp It is the only camp in the Phoenix Metropolitan area created to meet the unique medical, physical and emotional needs of children with sickle cell disease. The camp caters to sickle cell children between the ages of 7 – 17 years old.
Joshua’s Journal is a Quest to Cure Literacy Program and is designed to enhance the intellectual abilities of children who suffer from Sickle Cell Anemia and other variations of the disease.
The Bedside Buddies Program was created to build the self-esteem of the hospitalized child/youth. Quest to Cure’s Bedside Buddy Program is designed to utilize volunteers to visit children/youth in the hospital. The Bedside Buddies volunteers visit the hospital bringing story time, stuffed animals, lunch, and parent relief and any personal items the patient may need.
The School Success Program is a sickle cell education program, which caters to school aged youth who suffer from sickle cell disease. Its purpose is to educate and bring awareness to the educational professional and school personnel of the protocol needs and emergencies associated with the sickle cell carrier through an informative power point presentation.
Quest to Cure participates with Toys 4 Tots in assisting under privileged children/families with Christmas toys and a holiday dinner through the Holiday Help/Referral program . Quest to Cure also networks with other organizations and companies who may want to assist in adopting families throughout the holiday season.
Quest to Cure sickle Cell Foundation has newly founded and funded and emergency assistance/funeral fund program. This program was developed to assist Quest to Cure families in times of financial need. The program offers emergency funds for rent, utilities, food and funeral expenses.
About Sickle Cell
Sickle Cell Anemia is an inherited blood disorder, which mainly affects people of Afro-Caribbean origin, and some people from the Mediterranean region, Arabia and Asia. It’s estimated that there are some 12,000 people with the condition in the UK – of which 1 in 4 are West African, 1 in 10 are Afro-Caribbean, 1 in 50 are Asian and 1 in 100 are Northern Greek. The aim and mission is to raise awareness of the condition and encourage Black and Asian communities to get screened.
Quest to Cure is located in Phoenix, AZ and is hosting several upcoming events including a Christmas Party for 120 kids on December 17th, 2011. To learn more about Quest to Cure visit www.questtocure.org.
