Standish Foundation for Children

10/07/2026

Today is , which raises awareness for children’s health and wellbeing.

Lily, one of our Youth Board members, has written about National Child Day, its importance, what you can do to raise awareness, and how to respond to it.

Read it here: https://www.cardsforbravery.com/blog

[Image Description: 'Happy National Children's Health Day. This day raises awareness for children’s health and wellbeing. For more information, read Lily’s article on National Children’s Day and what you can do to help us raise awareness and respond to the day'

Background is grey. There is a purple blob in the top left corner and green blob in the top green corner. At the bottom, there is a pink rounded rectangle with text. In the middle, there is an illustration of four different children. Two are holding balloons, one is in a wheelchair, and all are smiling walking together.]

10/02/2026

So grateful for an unforgettable experience at the 4th European Conference on Pediatric Procedural Comfort, Sedation and Analgesia (PROSA) in Maastricht. Joining forces across the Netherlands and globally to advance compassionate care for children everywhere. Here’s to collaboration, lifelong friendships, and preventing pain with compassion! https://www.prosanetwork.com/

Arash Babaoff, Mila Leeuwerik, Andrea Mangione Standish, Tina Sanaia, Philip Van Horen

09/24/2026

💜 Board Member Spotlight 💜

We're proud to highlight Dr. Arash Babaoff, a dedicated member of the Standish Foundation for Children’s Board of Directors.

A pediatrician by training, Dr. Babaoff spent 25 years at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, working in Emergency Medicine, Transport Medicine, and Adolescent Medicine. Alongside that work, he has been volunteering internationally for just as long. His first mission was with Operation Smile in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2001, and since then he has taken part in approximately 75 medical and surgical missions in 25 countries across five continents.

Along the way, Dr. Babaoff pursued training and studies in epidemiology and international/tropical medicine, knowledge he has put to use both on missions abroad and at summer camps for kids here at home. That background proved especially valuable after he retired from Cincinnati Children's in 2019, when he helped a camp navigate the COVID pandemic and supported youth and their families through that difficult time.

Today, Dr. Babaoff also serves as Chief Medical Officer of a biomedical device development project with two goals: speeding the delivery of critical medications, and reducing and preventing false-positive blood cultures. If all goes as hoped, the device will save lives, time, and an enormous amount of waste in the healthcare system, while sparing children and adults alike from unnecessary painful procedures.

Dr. Babaoff's understanding of what hospitalized children go through is also personal. When he was a college sophomore, his closest cousin was diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia. His cousin survived, though not unscathed, after enduring a great deal throughout his treatment. That experience has stayed with him throughout his career caring for children and their families. "I've tried never to lose sight of the word 'care' and its true meaning," he says. "We are given the honor and privilege of caring for our patients and their families." He strives to repay that privilege by providing care that is thoughtful, kind, and patient.

While Dr. Babaoff finds all of his volunteer work with the Standish Foundation meaningful, one effort stands out above the rest: supporting the dedicated Child Life Specialists, child psychologists, and psychosocial workers at several hospitals and medical units in Tbilisi, Georgia, in collaboration with MAC Georgia. "They are a very special to me," he shares. "I am so proud to interact with all of these providers."

Last, and certainly not least, Dr. Babaoff says his life has been enriched by working side by side and hand in hand with his fellow Standish Foundation for Children Board Members and volunteers, both at home and abroad.

Thank you for all you do for the children and families we serve!

09/19/2026

09/17/2026

✨ Community Spotlight: Shani Thornton, Child Life Mommy ✨

We're honored to highlight a Certified Child Life Specialist who has spent 20 years helping children through the hardest moments of their lives. A little over 13 years ago, she left the hospital setting to start her own private practice after recognizing a significant need for child life support out in the community. Today, she works with children and families in their homes and virtually, supporting them through illness, medical and dental trauma, grief, and loss — and for the past 8 years, working closely with children and families impacted by cancer.

💛 HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN CANCER TO A YOUNG CHILD?

With honesty, and with hands-on tools kids understand. She uses body books, building blocks to represent healthy cells, and Play-Doh to represent cancer cells. She explains that our bodies are made of billions of cells, each with an important job — and that sometimes a cell becomes broken and doesn't work the way it's supposed to. That broken cell can get in the way of healthy cells doing their jobs, and cancer cells make more cancer cells. Then they talk about the ways doctors can treat cancer: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination.

Just as important, she makes sure children know: cancer is NOT contagious, and it is NEVER caused because someone made a mistake, did something bad, said something wrong, or even had a bad dream. These misconceptions matter deeply to young children — and they need to hear the truth.

💛 WHAT SHE WISHES MORE PEOPLE KNEW

Childhood cancer is not as rare as many people think — and yet only a small percentage of federal cancer research funding is dedicated to children, divided among the many different types of pediatric cancers.

She also wishes people understood what childhood cancer truly looks like. It isn't just the image of a smiling, bald child. These are real children and families whose entire lives are suddenly turned upside down — children separated from siblings, friends, school, and everything that feels familiar and safe, enduring incredibly difficult treatments whose physical and mental trauma can continue long after treatment ends.

In her words: "Most importantly, I want people to stop looking away because childhood cancer is uncomfortable or heartbreaking to hear about. Instead, lean in. Lean in with support. Lean in with advocacy. Lean in with funding and research. These children and families deserve all of us standing beside them."

💛 HER NEWEST RESOURCE

Last September, she made it her mission to create a comprehensive Childhood Cancer Resource Guide — one PDF bringing together the nonprofits, organizations, programs, and resources that support families coping with childhood cancer. It spans 17 categories, including financial assistance, survivorship, comfort and care packages, mental health and psychosocial support, research and advocacy, sibling support, camps and retreats, educational support, and more. It’s now available on her website here: https://childlifemommy.com/resources/

She spent countless hours researching, reviewing, and organizing it all so that families, child life specialists, healthcare professionals, social workers, and nonprofits have one place to turn.

Because, as she puts it: "Families are already carrying so much. Finding help shouldn't have to be another overwhelming task."

Thank you, Child Life Mommy, for two decades of standing beside children and families — and for making sure no family has to search for help alone. 💛

09/11/2026

🇺🇸

25 years later, we will always remember.

Today, we honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, the heroes who responded, and the families and communities forever changed.

We also remember the children- those who witnessed unimaginable events, lost someone they loved, or experienced fear and uncertainty that changed their sense of safety and the world around them.

Twenty-five years later, children continue to face disasters and crises that can change their lives in an instant. CLDR works to ensure they are not overlooked, providing child-centered support and helping the adults around them understand and respond to their needs.

Today, we remember the children whose lives were changed on September 11, and stand ready to support the children whose lives are changed by crisis today.

09/09/2026

💜 September is Pain Awareness Month.

Children feel pain just as deeply as adults — but they don't always have the words for it, and too often it goes under-recognized and under-treated.

The good news? So much of children's pain in healthcare settings is preventable. Comfort positioning, numbing options, distraction, and honest preparation can turn a scary, painful visit into a manageable one.

This month, we're raising our voices for the littlest patients. Because every child deserves care that comforts.

👉 Parents and caregivers: you can always ask your care team about pain-easing options. Your voice matters.

09/04/2026

MAC Georgia & SF4C planning session. Looking forward to meeting at PROSA Conference!

09/03/2026

This Month, we turn our world gold to make childhood cancer impossible to ignore. Behind every diagnosis is a child, a family, and a journey filled with challenges. But behind every challenge are people choosing to act. 🫶

Kythe joins Childhood Cancer International in “Demonstrating Impact: From Challenge to Change.” We celebrate the progress made through collective action while recognizing the work that remains toward a world where every child has access to the care, support, and opportunities they deserve. 😷

To all the parents and caregivers walking this journey: your experiences matter, and your voice can help create change.

What has your childhood cancer journey taught you? What change do you hope to see for children and families facing cancer?

📣SHARE YOUR STORY in the comments below! 🎗

09/03/2026