Mission

Founded in 1978, Friends of Karen provides emotional, financial and advocacy support to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Friends of Karen achieves its mission by providing direct financial assistance with medical care, illness-related expenses and household expenses that families cannot afford due to loss of income as a result of their child's illness; serving as an advocate for the children and their families before government and private agencies; investigating resources available to the children and their families; offering bereavement support for parents who have lost a child and for siblings who have lost a brother or sister; assisting families through the difficult maze of health insurance problem; and acting as a referral source and providing guidance to families with ill children outside our guidelines.