Care Partners

Care Partners, originally called CARE, was established in 1983, through a collaborative effort of the Junior League of Minneapolis, Children’s Cancer Research Fund, and, what was then the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics. These organizations recognized the need for a support system for patients and their families undergoing bone marrow transplants and other treatment for cancer and blood related disorders.

Care Partners today is comprised of a staff of two and approximately 130 volunteers.  We serve both pediatric marrow transplant patients, as well as pediatric hematology and oncology patients, and their families.  Our goal is to provide non-medical resources, support and encouragement to these families at a tremendously difficult time in their lives.

Care Partners has four distinct programs in place for helping our kids and families. The volunteers in these programs are screened, interviewed, well-trained and supported.  The training is intense, covering needed medical information, listening skills, confidentiality, the psychosocial issues of a life threatening disease in a child and practical/protocol issues of interacting with the patient.

The first of our four programs is the Clinic Volunteer Program in which volunteers provide art activities for patients and their siblings during clinic visits. In addition to keeping the children occupied and happy, this service allows parents to talk with doctors alone.

The Unit Volunteer Program is comprised of volunteers who work a four hour shift.  They stay with patients so that parents can take a break, eat a meal, rest, or run errands. These volunteers also provide activities such as playing games, doing craft activities, reading stories, watching movies together, or “playing for the child” when the child is too sick to even play himself.

The heart of our program is the Family Volunteer Program.  Family volunteers are assigned to one family at a time and stay with that family until they return home. These volunteers slide into the role of “almost best friend” of the patient and family. The bond is formed quickly because of the crucial need.   The possibilities are almost endless; family volunteers do what anyone would do if it were their own family going through a crisis – making and bringing meals, picking up friends and family at the airport, staying with the patient, being with parents during procedures, doing errands, and, so importantly, often just listening.

Our newest program is called The BookCart Program which takes place once a week on Thursdays. The volunteers in this program wheel a library cart stocked with new books to the pediatric units.  Each child is given a book to keep which the volunteer offers to read aloud.

Care Partners also supplies items for the patients and their families – phone cards, hats for little bald heads, grocery store gift cards, Target gift cards, games, stuffed animals, winter outerwear, and other needed items. 

While Care Partners is funded by Children’s Cancer Research Fund, we need and encourage funding directed to Care Partners. (Checks can be made out to: Care Partners.) Our dollars are used for special items and programs for the patients as well as funds to help underwrite our operating expenses. In this way, we can support our program so that more Children’s Cancer Research Fund dollars can be directed to research. And, in addition to funding, we are always looking for volunteers who truly want to make a difference by what they do.

Meet Boriana Petkov, a Care Partners volunteer