Compassion for Kids in Chemotherapy
Jonny de Guzman, MG17 (MBS), M21, has discovered through his work on behalf of young people with cancer that there is an “art” to philanthropy. “You’re setting goals, you’re achieving them, and you pay attention to the human psyche to find out what touches people. And in the end, when you make that goal, that’s a great feeling.”
His deeper appreciation grows out of his volunteer work with KICKS! (Kids in Care at The Floating Hospital & Tufts School of Medicine Student Allies), a partnership between Tufts medical students and the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology clinic. KICKS! pairs medical student mentors with patients ranging from age 3 to 21. For young cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the students brighten their days through playing board games and cards. For older patients they offer valued peer support.
Still, de Guzman had an idea putting together something no one had done before: a prom-style party. “I had heard several accounts [at other schools] of ‘nights to remember,’“ he said, “and I wanted to replicate that special moment. These kids spend so much time in the hospital as it is, I wanted them to truly live their childhood.”
That aspiration would lead to ambitious fundraising, starting in August 2018 and leading up to the prom in April 2019.
The first event he envisioned was a KICKS 1st Annual Kickoff, billed as an “all-you-can-eat buffet and all-you-can-tie-die” party and strategically timed for when new students and their families were on campus. With no prior experience, he sought out people who could help him, including Jennifer Greer-Morrissey, Tufts School of Medicine community service-learning coordinator, and Kristin Hill, director of the Fund for Tufts Medicine.
While many of his classmates were absorbed in summer research, de Guzman was drumming up donations, walking to more than 100 local businesses—restaurants, gyms, yoga studios, “any business that I could think of,” he said. “I introduced myself as a medical student, which lends itself some gravity, but even more so when I told them I was a Tufts medical student,” he said. “Then their ears opened and their eyes lit up.”
He also promoted the attractive notion of free advertising. “When I designed the event flyer, I listed businesses that had already signed on, but in one corner I left a blank square that said ‘your name here,’” he said. “Just a little peer pressure!”
In December, he also organized a weeklong raffle, figuring he would cater to those time-pressed fellow students who still had to do last-minute holiday shopping. “We pitched a table outside the cafeteria during lunch hour, “when we knew it would be busiest,” he said. “On the last day we invited “Be the Match” a registry for bone marrow donations. Location, timing, it all worked, and it was fun.”
All together the fundraising campaign proved successful. The $10 tickets for the kickoff buffet (plus $3 raffle tickets) as well as the December raffle raised close to $2,000, giving KICKS! volunteers the means to transform a large conference room into a colorful carnival-themed party attended by some 20 patients and their families. “It went magnificently,” he said.
And yet, the art of philanthropy, as he learned, doesn’t stop there. After the prom, he delivered handwritten notes, with signatures from himself and other KICKS! board member to each and every business who had made it possible. “A genuine thank-you reinforces what’s most important, he said. “We did something together for a good cause.”