Mission

Founded in 1978, Friends of Karen provides practical, comprehensive support at no cost to Tri-state New York families caring for a child with a life-threatening illness. Friends of Karen achieves its mission by pairing each family with a social worker who assesses each family's needs so they remain stable, functioning, and able to cope. Each family gets personalized assistance that may include providing direct financial assistance with illness-related expenses and basic living expenses that families cannot afford due to loss of income as a result of their child's illness; empowering and advocating with parents with government and private agencies; providing a Sibling Support Specialist to help children better understand and cope with illness and build resilience; investigating resources available to the child and his/her family; offering bereavement support for families who have lost a child; providing limited supports during the survivorship stage, assisting families through the difficult maze of health insurance; and acting as a referral source and providing guidance to families with ill children outside our guidelines.