Project Reverberate: The Gift of Time

By Eddie Hahn

I used to run marathons in an endeavor to complete 26.2 miles in the shortest time possible. Now that I am older, I don’t run fast anymore.   My goal is simply to “finish” a marathon. After all, only a small percentage of people have ever completed that distance.  Time no longer matters. In fact, sometimes the longer I take, the better.  The extra time allows me to meet and to encourage a first time marathoner who otherwise may not finish.

There is a group for whom time matters a great deal. For parents of a dying child or a child with a catastrophic illness, time is the most precious thing they have. One organization gives the “Gift of Time”—the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL). Based in Los Angeles, ASRL provides urgent financial assistance for mundane things like light bills, rent, and even groceries, so that a parent doesn’t have to make the unbearable choice between sitting by a sick child’s bed and going to work.  Many families in the Inland Empire have been supported by the Foundation in their time of need. As the parent of a three-year old boy and a five-year old girl, I cannot imagine nor put into words what I might feel were I a recipient.

Eddie and his family.

In its tenth year of operation, ASRL has provided almost $4 million in assistance to 3,100 families in 21 states. Many of these families live among us in the Inland Empire quietly struggling through an extremely difficult time.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, from 8-11 p.m., there will be a celebration to kick-off a national campaign to increase awareness of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.   Project Reverberate: Echoing the Sounds of Hope, begins with a launch party at the Target Terrace in Downtown Los Angeles across the street from the Staples Center. Rock vocalist Kara Aubrey, a recent CSU San Bernardino graduate and generational ambassador, will be performing at the event. Tickets are $30 and include food, entertainment, refreshments, a silent auction and mingling with celebrities. Tickets and/or donations can be made online at: http://projectreverberate.eventbrite.com. Please buy a ticket or make a donation today. All proceeds go to the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.

Combining music, media and a powerful message, “To challenge a generation to “do well by doing good,” Project Reverberate is a grassroots initiative spearheaded by students at California State University, San Bernardino, and “The Friends of Andre” to spread awareness about the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. Kara Aubrey, an inspiring vocal artist and new generation ambassador, is set to challenge her generation to reach for a mission beyond themselves.

The Project Reverberate Launch Party on June 2, 2010, at the Target Terrace in Los Angeles is the catalyst event to expand the nationwide awareness of the Andre Sobel community. By combining the power of music with the powerful stories of families battling catastrophic illness, Project Reverberate will echo the message of hope around the country.

The Launch Party is the kick-off event celebrating the tenth anniversary of Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.  It is also the event designed to inspire and empower the new generation to care—the future of the Foundation. The media captured during the event will be streamed live on the Andre Sobel website (www.andreriveroflife.org).

For more information, contact Christina Gagnier at gagnier@realpolitech.com.

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.”

- Harriet Beecher Stowe

It all started on the darkest of all Mondays that anyone can ever imagine.  Now, 15 years later, I have the privilege to help those whose black Monday is on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

My son Andre was not quite 18 at the time when he complained of having double vision.  Four hundred twenty-seven days later, he lost the fight against what turned out to have been an inoperable brain tumor. On this Mother’s Day, I recall that “Mom” was the first word that Andre said when he learned to speak. It was also the last. On this Mother’s Day, I also wish to remember the unseen legion of mothers who at this minute are facing their child’s terminal illness alone.

Establishing the mission that bears my child’s name has set in motion the work of the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL). We carry out a unique purpose that I, his mother, came to understand when I saw children die alone. Why? Because these were children of single parents who could not afford to be at their child’s hospital bedside where they were most needed and wanted to be.

The plight of single mothers (and fathers) is the focus of ASRL. Now in our tenth year, we understand the extent of this population, and have become the foremost champion of their cause nationally. We understand that what we are fighting against is not the social injustice of neglect, but the phenomenon of LACK – that lack of funds can separate a sick child from his parents when he needs them most. Single parents often face the toughest of Sophie’s Choices:  stay at work to keep a paycheck or leave the job in order to be at their sick child’s beside.

Could there be anything that would keep a parent from jumping into the pool to save their child if he was drowning?

The onset of a grave illness does not have the drama of a critical moment in time. When a child is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, there is no poolside audience applauding the parent’s bravery. A single parent quickly becomes invisible as they themselves are drowning in the emotional, physical and financial ordeal. They become no one’s responsibility as they make medical choices and financial decisions alone. They soon begin to feel the limitations of options closing in around them.

In response, we at ASRL are very practical.  We don’t address their emotional battle or the medical battle that will be waged for the child’s survival. We fight for the survival of the caregiver, who is responsible for holding the family unit together. We lift urgent financial burdens that often are the last straw to crush them. We act within 24 hours to maintain the family’s dignity and often sanity by paying rents, mortgages, insurance, transportation, medications and often for funerals.  We address what is most urgent in a financial crisis that inevitably accompanies a medical catastrophe.  We  stop parents from having to make the impossible choices of balancing work with being with their critically ill child.

If you would like to give something different in honor of Mother’s Day or the special caregiver in your life, contribute financially to ASRL that we may continue to support those that are invisible.  Your help will allow us — who are willing to remain deeply responsible for these families —  to ensure that parent and child can be together when they must be together.

In appreciation and gratitude,

Valerie Sobel
Mother of Andre & Simone
Founder of ASRL

Imagine if you had to fight for that time to be with your child.

Join Andre Sobel Foundation in supporting moms who need to go beyond the clock this Mother’s Day.

Learn more about the campaign.

Click here to donate.