By Rose S. Prinzi 

Raising healthy kids in today’s environment can be a complicated task.  We all know that the physical health of a child is a key factor in a youth’s development and success. Attention to good daily nutrition, hygiene and exercise goes a long way to raising a healthy child.

However, there is a myriad of other factors in keeping a child healthy in today’s changing world. Children should routinely receive medical check-ups for their general, eye and teeth health. Parents and caregivers should maintain a regular schedule of these basic exams.  But, to a parent or caregiver who may be facing financial hardships, these obvious, yet simple, tasks may seem insurmountable to provide.  Chautauqua Region Community Foundation can help.
The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation administers the Help for Kids Fund.  This is a grant that offers local parents and caregivers of children between the ages of birth to 18 assistance with small-scale medical expenses due to financial hardship or lack of insurance coverage. 

Eyeglasses may not seem like a life-changing item; but for a child struggling to read or do his homework; it can be an overwhelming task.  And, for that child who cannot hear a parent, teacher or friend, the world is confusing.  The Help for Kids Fund is available to help.

It is the responsibility of the Community Foundation to match specific charitable needs with a donor’s special interest. In this case, the Help for Kids Fund is an endowment fund established by an anonymous donor who has a special interest in the well-being of our local children.  The fund is available to assist parents and caregivers with medical expenses such as braces, glasses/contact lenses, and ear-related or cosmetic-type procedures. 
Grants from the Help for Kids Fund cannot be given directly to an individual or family. The Foundation works with local nonprofit organizations to process these grant requests. The nonprofit organization is a conduit to assess the request, provide guidance to the family and accept the funds on behalf of the family to successfully assist with a child’s medical expenses.

It is hard enough just to be a kid without being confronted with the lack of basic medical support.  It is important that we, as a community, try to provide fundamental care to assure that our children grow up to be healthy.

The Help for Kids Fund is available to fill that gap of providing basic medical support when a family financially cannot.  The Help for Kids Fund is just another way in which the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation through community contributions is enriching the Quality of Life in the Chautauqua Region – one child at a time.

If you are interested in learning more about the Help for Kids Fund, contact the Foundation at 661-3390.