Candlelighters CyberKids Program

Organization Information:

Organization Name:
Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Support Programs
City & State:
Ottawa, 
Ontario
Organization Website:
http://www.candlelighters.net
Organization's Mission Statement

Candlelighters mission is to enrich the lives of children and their families coping with childhood cancer. The organization promotes awareness and understanding of the impact of childhood cancer on children and their families. Candlelighters strive to ensure that the children and their families enjoy the best quality of life possible, from the time of diagnosis, through to the completion of treatment and beyond.

Submission Information

Impact Essay

Treatment for cancer in a child can come at a high price for families, as often their quality of life is compromised by the financial and socio-economic impacts that result from a child fighting for their life while enduring cancer treatment. Candlelighters CyberKids program provides young cancer patients in the Ottawa area with the tools to complete school projects at their own pace and stay in touch with teachers and friends in their learning community. Children battling cancer are often absent from school for long periods of time, and the nature of their disease and treatment regimes makes their day-to-day ability to participate and complete schoolwork activities difficult. The conventional school system is often not a viable option for kids with cancer. The laptops provides to the children via the CyberKids program allow the child to stay engaged and interested in school, stimulating their minds, providing entertainment distractions and boosting their self-confidence. The CyberKids program provides the children undergoing treatment who are in Grades 2 and higher with a laptop computer, equipped with Microsoft XP Home Edition or XP Professional Edition as the operating system. The laptops are also configured with Windows Messenger which is widely used by the children so they can communicate directly via chat with their teachers and friends, as well as Windows Media Player so they can watch movies and play music which are important distractions while they are undergoing treatment. The computers are also equipped with the full suite of Microsoft Office, which provides the children with the tools so they can create essays, keep notes and generate reports for their schoolwork. And the laptops and software allow the kids to work at their own pace, when they feel good enough to do their schoolwork. Candlelighters have a pool of 35 laptops with a need for an additional 15 to meet the need of children in treatment. While the impact of the program is narrow with respect to the number of children directly affected, the overall impact to each of those children is extremely significant. Feedback from families supported by the Candlelighters CyberKids program rate this program in the top 2 of the most appreciated support programs provided by Candlelighters.

In addition to the CyberKids program, the Candlelighters staff use Microsoft products to assist in the preparation of collateral materials and presentations to various organizations. Through the use of Power Point Candlelighters is able to tell the organizations story of the support provided to the children and their families.

Treatment for cancer in a child can come at a high price for families, as often their quality of life is compromised by the financial and socio-economic impacts that result from a child fighting for their life while enduring cancer treatment. Candlelighters CyberKids program provides young cancer patients in the Ottawa area with the tools to complete school projects at their own pace and stay in touch with teachers and friends in their learning community. Children battling cancer are often absent from school for long periods of time, and the nature of their disease and treatment regimes makes their day-to-day ability to participate and complete schoolwork activities difficult. The conventional school system is often not a viable option for kids with cancer. The laptops provides to the children via the CyberKids program allow the child to stay engaged and interested in school, stimulating their minds, providing entertainment distractions and boosting their self-confidence. The CyberKids program provides the children undergoing treatment who are in Grades 2 and higher with a laptop computer, equipped with Microsoft XP Home Edition or XP Professional Edition as the operating system. The laptops are also configured with Windows Messenger which is widely used by the children so they can communicate directly via chat with their teachers and friends, as well as Windows Media Player so they can watch movies and play music which are important distractions while they are undergoing treatment. The computers are also equipped with the full suite of Microsoft Office, which provides the children with the tools so they can create essays, keep notes and generate reports for their schoolwork. And the laptops and software allow the kids to work at their own pace, when they feel good enough to do their schoolwork. Candlelighters have a pool of 35 laptops with a need for an additional 15 to meet the need of children in treatment. While the impact of the program is narrow with respect to the number of children directly affected, the overall impact to each of those children is extremely significant. Feedback from families supported by the Candlelighters CyberKids program rate this program in the top 2 of the most appreciated support programs provided by Candlelighters.

In addition to the CyberKids program, the Candlelighters staff use Microsoft products to assist in the preparation of collateral materials and presentations to various organizations. Through the use of Power Point Candlelighters is able to tell the organizations story of the support provided to the children and their families.

Submission Category
Optimize Mission Delivery
Project Image
cyberkids.png