| QFAD had its first party in four years on
July 18, 2009 at Children's Healthcare @ Igleston. The party could not
have been done without the help and coordination from Dara Jackson and
Christina Garrison, the AFLAC Blood Disorder and Cancer Center Child
Life Specialists. At registration each child got a nametag and a glow
bracelet to start off the fun. Also they got their goodie bag toys
donated from Precious Cargo Furniture. Also, the girls had a goodie bag
filled with Avon and Mary Kay make up to take home with them. The AVON
and Mary Kay make up was donated by Rhonda McKinney and Tianna Crooks.
We had a picture frame making station where children could decorate
frames with foam stick ons and stickers. Also, there was a cookie
decorating station where children decorated cookie "hands" with
different colors of frosting and more sprinkles than the eye could see.
All cookie supplies were donated by Alon's Bakery. Also, there were
make to order smoothies from Arden's Garden and a Chocolate Fountain
from Americare Alliance Healthcare! The girls got their make up done
by one of three make up artists and then they got their nails done by a
volunteer. Then they could get their finishing touches from one of
three crowned queens that attended the party. At the party there was
Mrs. Georgia United States, Mrs. Georgia America, and Mrs. South
Carolina American. All three women were wonderful with crowning the
girls and giving them boas. The boys had a special treat when the
Dekalb County fire department Station One showed up with their truck in
tow to give the little dudes a tour and some firefighter hats along with
badges! Also, the boys got some temporary tattoos applied along with
face paint done by a make up artist. The party was a hit and each child
had a blast. It was very exciting having QFAD build such a wonderful
relationship with Children's Healthcare and there will now be a party
every season! Also, there were tons of volunteers besides the ones that
were personally mentioned. There were 23 girls and 8-9 boys at the
party. Of the 23 girls 4 opted to not have their picture taken and
there were 3 BMT patients (all female) that did not get their pictures
taken either. 11alive news and The Dekalb newspaper came and did a
story on the party and as an added bonus my parents surprised me from
Nebraska! |
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This year,
the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference adopted QFAD as their
philanthropy. The SEPC consisted of sorority representatives throughout
the Southeast that came to Atlanta to merge ideas, encourage and empower
each other, and to hone leadership skills. Under the direction of
Atlanta’s chapter director Linley, the Conference committee hosted two
QFAD parties at separate facilities, Egleston Children's and Scottish
Rite, during the conference. Linley made goodie bags filled with picture
frames she made herself. They also contained make-up, jewelry, and a
feather boa. Approximately 6-8 girls attended each party. SEPC members
were asked to bring monetary and in-kind donations to the Conference. At
the end of the luncheon, the Conference presented a check for over
$3,500 to QFAD not including the monetary value from the in-kind
donations! QFAD shipped over 14 (heavy) boxes back to Memphis for
distribution! Exposure from the conference has led to several
sororities’ involvement with QFAD.
QFAD was very
proud to be associated with and receive help from this amazing group of
women. Special thanks to the SEPC Committee for choosing QFAD this year! |
|
After getting
everything set up for our first tea party, our first queen, Maria,
arrived around 3:45. Although, it was a little daunting at first to see
this innocent, young girl with no hair and connected to an IV pole, any
feelings of self-doubt were washed away not only by her excitement, but
also by the enthusiasm of her parents. Once she picked out her colors,
and we got started so did the fun. Both her mom and dad were taking
before, after and during pictures. They were so happy and excited to
for their daughter. Pretty soon more girls were coming to the party.
Other volunteers started their makeover process. Once Maria’s nails
were painted, she was ready to talk to Miss Georgia, Amy Mulkey. Amy
spent a good bit of time with each of the girls. She was really great
at fielding their questions and making them feel special. Maria stuck
around for a little bit to have some snacks and enjoy the party, but
eventually she had to leave.
By this time two
more girls were done with their makeovers, Kourtney and Deja and were
waiting for their time with Amy. The younger queens, I noticed, were
more excited about meeting and talking to Miss Georgia. Some of the
older ones thought it was pretty neat to have their picture taken with
her. They all thought it was so cool that they got their very own
tiara! A few older girls came just to have their nails painted or their
make-up done. However, I do think that they were still able to
appreciate the party because I doubt that they get that kind of
treatment often.
There were two girls
that were in isolation, so they couldn’t come to the party.
Nevertheless, we were able to take the party to them. For the first
girl, I went in with a selection of nail polishes for her to choose from
(per her doctor’s orders, no make-up was allowed) and a couple of tiaras
for her to choose from. She chose the perfect shade of pink! After I
finished, Amy came in and spent some time with her and they had their
picture taken. Next, a volunteer went into the other girl’s room and
painted her nails. Amy visited with her also.
As the party was
wrapping up, three queens had turned the tables and were putting make-up
on us! When they finished up, it was almost 5:00, so they had to get
back to their rooms. As we were packing up, numerous nurses and other
hospital staff came by to tell us how much they appreciated us doing the
party. It was really good to see how welcomed we were by the staff. My
contact at the hospital was so impressed that she is ready to plan the
next party!
Number of
girls in attendance: 7-9 (including those
who dropped by for a minute. Some of the girls that stopped by just to
have their make-up or nails done didn’t take a tiara) |
