Catalina's Gift

Catalina's Gift is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to support and assist parents and families that are affected by pediatric cancer. Catalina's Gift addresses needs that parents/families have while their children are in the hospital or being treated at an outpatient Hematology/Oncology Clinic. This non-profit was founded by Rob... ert and Adrienne Villar, whose daughter, Catalina was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Beyond the devastation from hearing their child's diagnosis, the Villars found that managing the caretaker role and the financial stressors that accompany this role to be extremely demanding and stressful. As parents who have gone through supporting a child with cancer, when forming Catalina's Gift the Villars wanted to cover all the things that were most important and effective in the healing process as a family. The organization meets the unmet needs that the Villar's experienced when their daughter was in the hospital. Although there are other organizations that help sporadically in certain areas, there is no organization that meets the emotional and basic human needs of the parents. Having a child diagnosed with a life threatening disease is one of the worst experiences a parent can go through. With compounded financial stressors, the experience can be horrific and unmanageable. Catalina's Gift aims to temporarily relieve some stress on families so that they are able to fully concentrate on the health and recovery of their children. Catalina, the Villars child, is surviving every day. The couple began Catalina's Gift to support families and to let their daughter know that her pain and suffering was not in vain; because of her they could reach out and touch other people's lives in times of critical need.Read More