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The open house, which included a porch gathering and refreshments, was held so people in the community can learn what Friends of Karen does, according to Jackie Holtzer, who is on the outreach committee for the gathering.
Holtzer, who has volunteered at Friends of Karen for about a decade, noted that the open house offers a chance to tour the place, meet the organization's social workers and see its back to school program.
Friends of Karen has a room filled with school supplies for the initiative; several back packs were materials were on display during the open house.
Holtzer said that the organization helps children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses, along with their families.
Among the participants was Lauren Greene, who also served on the outreaching committee and started volunteering at Friends of Karen earlier this year. Greene said she wanted to volunteer because she knew a family that needed its services years ago. While Greene said she was not able to volunteer back then, doing so was of interest to her and she wanted to join when the time was right.
Lisa Dashman, a marketing and developing coordinator for Friends of Karen, said that it was founded in 1978 after Sheila Petersen, a Croton Falls resident, sought to help the organization's namesake, who was a neighboring teenage child.
Dashman said that Karen, who died from a rare illness called Lafora's Disease, wanted to return home.
"She knew she was really ill,” Dashman said. “She wanted to be with her family and friends.”
A problem that arose during the 1970s, Dashman explained, was that home support was not covered by insurance.
Petersen offered to help out, Dashman explained, by getting the community together for cash donations and cooking. She subsequently had leftover funds from the initiative, Dashman added, and Karen's family encouraged her to help another children. From there grew Friends of Karen, which helps sick children and families.
Judy Factor, Friends of Karen's executive director, said that it serves 22 counties in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and supports about 650 families per year.
Another initiative on display was Siblings Making Art (SMART), which includes providing art kits for the siblings of sick children. A kit, which is called a SMART box, includes a family journal and a sharing box, according to Dashman, who said that a lot of siblings never thought about using art of being artistic.
“It really helps them to express themselves,” she said.
Friends of Karen's North Salem headquarters is located at 118 Titicus Road. Its website is available here.
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