A Room to Heal, Inc.

A message from Laurie Abess, Co-Founder

I would like to extend a sincere message of Gratitude.

and Thank you for your tremendous support in 2011.

As a 100% volunteer organization, A Room to Heal can only exist because of the Generosity of people like you. With five referrals already for 2102, your Gift this Holiday Season will

Make a Difference in the lives of so many children

living with serious health conditions.

From our A Room to Heal Board of Directors to you --

we wish you & your Family

a New Year filled with good Health and Prosperity!

new years ___________________________________________________

Linda2 Departing Words from

Co-Founder Linda Salomons

When Laurie approached me in 2005 about my interest in helping her start an organization designed to help children & their families who are faced with a devastating diagnosis, I never could have envisioned the magnitude of the people we have been able to touch with kindness, a helping hand, and also a way for others to reach out and give of themselves.

The timing of when Laurie approached me could not have been more perfect. At that time, my son Eric, who was 5 years old, had been about 1-year past his bone marrow transplant. He was back in school after having been "quarantined" at our house for over 8 months. I was not working at the time & the impact of what had happened to us was just beginning to hit me personally.

Linda & Eric Linda Volunteer

Creating and building A Room to Heal was able to take my nervous, sense of panic energy, and channel it into something so positive and so special for other people. When my family was going through our crisis, first with Eric's diagnosis of Leukemia, and then with his relapse & bone marrow transplant, it was incredible the way the community - our friends -- our neighbors

-- my husband patients -- our co-workers all reached out to us, said prayers for us, made meals for us. They made us feel like we were never alone.

A Room to Heal clearly became a way for me to give back.

And a perfect way for me to heal.

Although I am leaving the Board of Directors, I am not leaving the connection and the good this organization can do for others. It means too much to me, and, frankly, helping others has truly become my life's work.

My plan is to continue on as a volunteer, maybe be a project coordinator once or twice a year for a room recipient, and, of course, offer any support or advice I can to the continuing board members and volunteers.

A Room to Heal has been good for my heart

and for my soul ... and I truly thank all of you for that.

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Linda

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2011 luncheon Holiday Luncheon Update:

The 7th Annual Holiday Luncheon was once again a huge success & a great way to wrap up 2011. We thank all of the people in attendance, as well as all of the people who donated an end of year gift to our organization. A special thank you goes to the Holiday Inn Arena for their incredible service and donation.

The focus of this year's event was on volunteers and how they are such a crucial part of A Room to Heal. Volunteers further our mission by working on room projects, helping with fundraisers and handling with administrative tasks that help in the day-to-day operations of running a non-profit. For example, Rene and Miriam Diaz from Our Dreams Photography donate their time throughout the year photographing and creating video montages of room projects (before, during and after). This year they also created our luncheon video presentation featuring many of our volunteers. We are so grateful to them for their hard work and the donation of their time.

birdhouse4 birdhouse3

The centerpieces featured at this year's luncheon were birdhouses decorated by local artists. These creative works of art were auctioned off to attendees, along with two gift certificates donated by PS Restaurant, to help raise additional funds for room projects in 2012.

See our PHOTO ALBUM here.

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A Room to Heal P.O. Box 503

Vestal, NY 13851-0503

Email us at: aroomtoheal@gmail.com

Consider us for your

end-of-year giving.

DONATE NOW

Words from room recipient Thomas:

I wanted to say thank you to A Room to Heal for redoing my room. I am really enjoying my room, 'my Yankees room'.

I especially LOVE inviting my

Red Sox friends over.

Words from Molly, mother of room recipient Megan:

I am still feeling a little overwhelmed, but it is a wonderful feeling! Thank you for recognizing that I needed help and support even when I didn't. The love and support feels great!

Healing Space Created at Lourdes Hospital

Thanks to a generous donation from SEFCU, volunteers this month created a healing environment in the Children's & Family Room at Lourdes Hospital, in Binghamton.

The project includes a newly painted room with a beautiful canvas mural painted by local artist Cindy Rotella.

mural

The space also includes a comfortable new couch, bean bag chairs, a flat panel TV with a movable game station, and a donated Thomas the Train table for interactive play (from littlekidstuff.com).

Volunteers from A Room to Heal, SEFCU employees and Lourdes staff all helped to complete this project. The hope is that the new room will provide a place

to relax and promote

the healing process.

Lourdes Hospital

The Value of Volunteers

According to Independent Sector, a nonpartisan leadership network for charities & foundations, the estimated dollar value of volunteer time in the U.S. for 2010 was $21.36 per hour.

However, the value of volunteers stretches far beyond what can be measured in dollars and cents. Volunteers affect the lives of our room recipients and their families in ways that we can never quantify or even imagine.

In addition to the positive lasting impact left on our room families, the work of volunteers has significant implications on the lives of volunteers themselves and on the larger community. Individuals that volunteer strengthen their core values and boost their self-esteem, gain valuable hands-on experience, and build social relationships and community ties. In fact, studies show that there is a significant relationship between volunteering and good health.

In an era of increased disconnect from one another, volunteering helps to build bridges between people in our community that would not otherwise have contact. There is great value in social networks, not only to individuals but also to the larger community. Volunteering helps to bolster social capital, which fosters increased trust and reciprocity, among other benefits.

Everyone who has contributed to A Room to Heal should be proud of his or her accomplishments and in the collective good that we as an organization have created.