Help Arrives with Wings: Christine Callahan

Under the leadership of Christine Callahan, Julia’s Butterfly Foundation has granted almost $600,000 to families of sick children who require financial aid and services.

Posted August 19, 2014 by Maryrose Mullen
http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/christine-callahan-julias-butterfly-foundation.html

A critically ill child is a parent’s worst nightmare. Thanks to the Julia’s Butterfly Foundation and volunteers like Christine Callahan, no parent has to walk this dark path alone.

The foundation provides financial assistance to families of chronically and terminally ill children. It was created in 2005 by Callahan’s close friends Maureen and Stephen Bommer in memory of their daughter Julia Marie, who died of a rare kidney disorder one week shy of her seventh birthday. The Bommers wanted to aid families like their own, who must deal with a health care system that often does not provide necessary services for an ailing child.

Compounding the agony, Maureen died of cancer only a few months after her daughter. Callahan and others channeled their grief into expanding the foundation into a sustainable nonprofit.

“It started as a way of mourning the loss of a friend,” Callahan says. “Slowly, we saw there was a huge need in the community.”

Since 2006, the foundation has granted nearly $600,000 to needy families in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. The organization takes an inclusive approach, providing financial aid and services to families struggling with myriad diseases and physical conditions. Callahan, who became the volunteer president of the foundation in 2008, credits the efforts of her 13-member board, although board members are just as quick to sing Callahan’s praises.

“I nominated Christine for her foresight and vision, tenacity, compassion, passion to make a difference in society, courage to take a risk and her leadership to develop and run the organization,” says Butterfly volunteer Ceci Zak. “She’s a role model for others—not only as president, but as a mother, sister, daughter and friend.”

The foundation pays for treatments, equipment and more. Certain moments make the journey especially rewarding. The foundation inspired a local Girl Scout troop to raise money for an adapted bike for a special needs child. A young boy from Fort Lee who received aid from the foundation following complications from a heart transplant now raises money for the Children’s Organ Transplant Association.

“The people we help are the sickest of the sick and the poorest of the poor,” Callahan says. “In the beginning, it weighed emotionally. Now it’s really gratifying that, in these families’ times of desperate need, we’re able to help them.”

The foundation’s biggest annual fundraising event, the Butterfly Ball, will be held November 15 at the Tides in North Haledon. For information, visit the foundation’s website.

The Extra Mile: Seeds of Hope 2014

Our annual Seeds of Hope awards honor exceptional New Jersey volunteers who go above and beyond the call. Read about our five honorees.

Posted August 18, 2014
http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/seeds-of-hope-2014.html

To make a difference in the lives of others takes serious time and effort. Those who give of themselves to assist neighbors in need or to support a worthy cause deserve recognition. For more than a decade, New Jersey Monthly has cited—and celebrated—the work of our state’s most dedicated volunteers with the annual Seeds of Hope awards. Here, we profile this year’s honorees.

The 2014 winners were chosen from a pool of nominees by our judges: Sally Glick, principal of Sobel & Co.; Christine Healey, president of the Healey Education Foundation; David H. Kerr, founder/president emeritus, Integrity House; Kathleen Palmer, director, Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery; and Paul Silverman, principal, Silverman: Building Neighborhoods.

The honorees will be saluted at a luncheon on September 19 at Crystal Plaza in Livingston. The event is sponsored by Crystal Plaza and PNC Wealth Management.

Eric Fuchs-Stengel: Blazing a Trail
A 22 year old from Mahwah parlayed his love of outdoors into an organization focused on engaging young people in their natural environment.

Kristen Gillette: From Tragedy Come Inspiration
After losing her daughter to a rare form of cancer, Kristen Gillette created the Kortney Rose Foundation to raise funds for pediatric brain tumor research, education and awareness.

TJ Nelligan: Making the Games Even More Special
Sports-marketing executive TJ Nelligan brought his expertise to the Special Olympics, soliciting more than $20 million in donations from 52 companies.

Zachary Brooks: A Small Voice Moves Many
Zachary Brooks was inspired to raise autism awareness after his twin, Jack, was diagnosed with the condition.

Christine Callahan: Help Arrives with Wings
Under the leadership of Christine Callahan, Julia’s Butterfly Foundation has granted almost $600,000 to families of sick children who require financial aid and services.