Warm Wishes from The Faris Foundation!
Thank you for your continued partnership in our mission to bring brighter days and better treatments to children with cancer. We are thrilled to share with you some recent updates, as well as upcoming opportunities to get involved.
Fall/Winter 2024 Updates
Let There Be GOLD
In September 2014, inspired by Faris’ words, the first GOLD parade was held at Texas Children’s Cancer Center to honor children with cancer. This September, we celebrated TEN YEARS of LET THERE BE GOLD! It was our busiest and shiniest year yet, with GOLD parades, carnivals, art parties, and events of all kinds at children’s cancer centers and hospitals across the country, including Texas Children’s Cancer Center (the nation’s largest pediatric cancer center), MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, Ronald McDonald House Houston, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York City, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Let There Be GOLD + Good JuJu
This year, we celebrated Let There Be GOLD with our Good JuJu Care Package recipients across the country, with superhero capes, crowns, and yard signs to recognize these special kids! And of course, furry friends joined in the shiny celebration.
Let There Be GOLD
Our partners are GOLDEN! We are grateful to businesses like Prime Communications, Wendy’s Houston Co-op, Aga’s Restaurant, Jersey Mikes, and Sun Com Mobile for shining their light to bring brighter days and better treatments to children with cancer. Thanks to these partners, The Faris Foundation had a golden presence in over 2,500 retail and restaurant locations nationwide, and raised over $550,000 through in-store fundraising campaigns!
Let There Be GOLD
Let There Be GOLD now has its very own anthem! Our Chief Angel Officer’s words inspired an original song by Deazy, featuring Stramango, which the artists debuted at our Brighter Days Golf Tournament, and performed live at Threads of Gold Gallery Night. They brought the house down each time!
Let There Be GOLD
Our fourth annual “Threads of Gold” Gallery Night in November was a glittering success, with over 650 people in attendance at Asia Society Texas Center to view 400+ works of art by HISD student artists! This was our first year awarding student scholarships, as well as teacher recognition awards. View more images of the event and artwork here.
Art Is My Life
Congratulations to Melissa Melo, The Faris Foundation Music Therapist at MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, for receiving the prestigious Heart of MD Anderson Award this November! We are so proud of Melissa, who was selected for this incredible recognition from amongst MD Anderson’s 25,000 employees. It is a testament to the transformative work she does everyday with children and families affected by childhood cancer.
Art Is My Life
The Faris Foundation is bringing music therapy to Texas Children’s Cancer Center! Through a new multi-year grant, we are supporting the position of the first-ever music therapist – along with a magical Music Studio – dedicated to serving patients and families within the nation’s largest pediatric cancer center. The search for The Faris Foundation Music Therapist is underway!
Good JuJu
We have sent over 460 Good JuJu Care Packages this year (to 42 states and Puerto Rico)! The impact of Good JuJu goes beyond words, as one parent of a care package recipient shares: “Words can’t thank you enough for what was certain to be a core memory made, which [our child] now can cherish, in place of needles, chemotherapy, and hospitals.”
Good JuJu wouldn’t be possible (and not nearly as magical) without the support of our incredible volunteers who have served hundreds of hours to make each care package special with personalized wrapping paper and meticulously packaged gifts. We’ve had many special initiatives within Good JuJu, including a very memorable “Zoo-tastic Day” at the Houston Zoo for local Good JuJu families, made possible by Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer.
Childhood Cancer Research
Researchers supported by The Faris Foundation are making key breakthroughs in the use of targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of various pediatric cancers, including sarcomas. Dr. Shoba Navai, Dr. Meenakshi Hegde, and Dr. Nabil Ahmed – all Faris Foundation grantees – are featured in this recent article from Texas Children’s Hospital.
Brighter Days Golf Classic
Thank you to our sponsors, golfers, volunteers, and partners for helping us raise over $1,150,000 and making the 4th Annual Faris Foundation Brighter Days Golf Classic an “awesome possum day,” as Faris would say! We are especially grateful to our guest speakers Judith, Jorge, and Juliana Lara, and to our program hosts, Joan and Rob Forsyth. Congratulations to this year’s Gold Jacket winners, the ApexOne team!
2025 Chevron Houston Marathon
The Faris Foundation is once again a charity of choice for the 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon, and our team of runners is over 80 strong. Each of our runners will be wearing a unique race bib to honor a Good JuJu child. Thank you to our runners and corporate sponsors – Prime, Sunnova, and CDI – for their commitment to brighter days and better treatments for children with cancer, and congratulations to Faris Foundation runner Daniel Flores Cano, whose artwork was selected as the winning design for the Run For A Reason Coaster Contest with the Chevron Houston Marathon!
Opportunities to Shine Bright with The Faris Foundation!
2025 Chevron Houston Marathon
January 18-19, 2025
Join The Faris Foundation’s race day team as a volunteer! Our 2024 cheer station was so sparkly, we were featured on the local news! Contact Carrie at carrie@thefarisfoundation.org to sign up.
Signing off with a Twinkling Thought
“You wouldn’t believe what once or
twice I have seen. I’ll just
tell you this:
only if there are angels in your head will you
ever, possibly, see one.”
– Mary Oliver
Gold Star: Volunteer Spotlight
The Human Resources Team at Prime Communications: Nikky McPike, Sarah Causley, April Caldera, Sharon Ascensio, Niecy Jacobs, Inaara Jiwani, K’Vondrick Parker, Crystal Moten, Hameeda Budhwani, and Neelofar Lakhani – for spreading Good JuJu at every opportunity by helping pack care packages whenever there is a need for extra support!
Glow Baby Glow
We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Come visit or drop a line at info@thefarisfoundation.org. Help us to share the magic by inviting others to join our glowing community.