Oak Brook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/31/2013 -- On June 23rd, 2013, the Pediatric Cancer Advocacy & Research Foundation (PCARF) will be holding the Pediatric Cancer Art Show and Family Carnival. Pediatric Cancer patients from Lurie Children’s Hospital and Comer Children’s Hospital will be submitting art, as well as area youth who are submitting art to be donated to children in cancer treatment. The events of the day will include carnival games, food, and fun, as well as horse rides and several guest appearances!

The impact of the event is important because there are so many families in desperate need – and the work of PCARF is just beginning. According to KidStrong.org, a cancer based organization, the out of pocket cost for pediatric cancer in the United States is close to $40,000 per year ­ and that is for families that have quality health insurance. Add this to the statistic that, according to The American Journal of Medicine, 62% of all bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical reasons, and there is clearly a massive need for these families to be helped.

This is why PCARF is introduced the unique financial assistance program that is catered to the unmet needs of middle class families impacted by their child’s cancer. The one of a kind financial assistance program offers assistance to families based off of an expense to income ratio. There is no spend down required and no savings or stocks are taken into account. According to Founder and CEO, Michelle Dodd, she believes that this is the only way to keep families out of crisis. Dodd states, “A family making $700,000 is clearly not eligible for financial assistance. However, if they are sitting on $699,000 worth of debt, they are facing substantial crisis ­ which will ultimately impact the child’s road to health. We are not here to pull a family out of financial crisis ­ we are here to ensure a family never GOES into financial crisis.”

The Art Show and Carnival Event will be held on June 23rd at the horse rescue, Spirits Whisper Acres in Kingston, IL. The Carnival and Art show will be from noon to 4pm and there is no cost to enter. For more information, contact Michelle Dodd at mdodd@pedcarf.org.

About PCARF
The Pediatric Cancer Advocacy & Research Foundation is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization that provides emotional, financial, and crisis based support to families and friends impacted by pediatric cancer. For more information, please visit www.PedCARF.org.