History
Before the Family Reach Foundation was incorporated in 2003, the organization operated as the "Colangelo/Morello-Wiatrak Cancer Fund." The Fund was founded as a joint effort in 1996 by the families of Christopher Colangelo and Kristine Morello-Wiatrak. Christopher lost his battle with neuroblastoma at the age of 11 in 1981, and Kristine died in 1995 at the age of 27 after a year of fighting Ewing's sarcoma, a pediatric-type cancer.
Shortly after Christopher's death, the Colangelo family began a relationship with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York to help families with the financial and emotional burdens of dealing with pediatric cancers. Over the years, the Colangelo's offered special attention to families requiring palliative care, home health assistance and other needs in the final days of their children's lives.
Kristine and her husband Chris had a similar vision during Kristine's fight against Ewing's sarcoma. They both were astounded by the plethora of secondary costs and burdens that mount during treatment - from transportation to cancer centers, to special nutrition needs, to day care. They witnessed the struggle of families to keep up with the everyday strains of helping their loved ones fight cancer,and at the same time, manage the variety of financial pressures. Kristine, before she died, agreed with her husband Chris, that they should create a fund to help families cope with these financial pressures, and allow them to focus their emotions on the healing of loved ones. In particular, Kristine and Chris wanted to help families confronted by similar solid tumor cancers, those that often do not receive the same relative level of resource attention as other cancers.
In 1996, the families of Christopher and Kristine, already good friends, decided to meld their efforts together into one fund. Since that time, the fund has generated nearly $500,000 in net contributions largely through annual events and ongoing donations. Monies have been distributed to hundreds of families fighting cancers (and other life threatening diseases) to help pay for critical secondary expenses. For the first several years, patients and families were identified primarily through relationships with social workers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and New York-Presbyterian in New York City (where Kristine and Christopher were treated respectively). Recently other prominent cancer hospitals including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore have been added to the network.
The families of Christopher and Kristine are now determined and excited to expand the scale and reach of the fund by incorporating as a formal organization (under the new name) and achieving 501(c)(3) status. The goal of the new "Family Reach Foundation" is to raise $1 million and help 1,000 families in the next three to five years.
To view a timeline of our history and milestones, click here: View Our Timeline
Shortly after Christopher's death, the Colangelo family began a relationship with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York to help families with the financial and emotional burdens of dealing with pediatric cancers. Over the years, the Colangelo's offered special attention to families requiring palliative care, home health assistance and other needs in the final days of their children's lives.
Kristine and her husband Chris had a similar vision during Kristine's fight against Ewing's sarcoma. They both were astounded by the plethora of secondary costs and burdens that mount during treatment - from transportation to cancer centers, to special nutrition needs, to day care. They witnessed the struggle of families to keep up with the everyday strains of helping their loved ones fight cancer,and at the same time, manage the variety of financial pressures. Kristine, before she died, agreed with her husband Chris, that they should create a fund to help families cope with these financial pressures, and allow them to focus their emotions on the healing of loved ones. In particular, Kristine and Chris wanted to help families confronted by similar solid tumor cancers, those that often do not receive the same relative level of resource attention as other cancers.
In 1996, the families of Christopher and Kristine, already good friends, decided to meld their efforts together into one fund. Since that time, the fund has generated nearly $500,000 in net contributions largely through annual events and ongoing donations. Monies have been distributed to hundreds of families fighting cancers (and other life threatening diseases) to help pay for critical secondary expenses. For the first several years, patients and families were identified primarily through relationships with social workers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and New York-Presbyterian in New York City (where Kristine and Christopher were treated respectively). Recently other prominent cancer hospitals including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore have been added to the network.
The families of Christopher and Kristine are now determined and excited to expand the scale and reach of the fund by incorporating as a formal organization (under the new name) and achieving 501(c)(3) status. The goal of the new "Family Reach Foundation" is to raise $1 million and help 1,000 families in the next three to five years.
To view a timeline of our history and milestones, click here: View Our Timeline
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