Appreciation Archives

Dear Harold,

My husband and I would like to say thank you for the portraits you took of us last month through the Jack and Jill Foundation. It was so kind of you to give your services. My family will treasure the photos you took for many years. Today I went with Heidi to pick out the frame for the portrait and the it was the first time I got to see it. It turned out very nicely. Thank you again for offering your services.

Sincerely,

Wendy and Andy Alexander

Dear Karen,

We just wanted to send you a note to say "Thanks" for the terrific weekend. Our family vacations will never be the same. We felt like such rock stars. The staff was awesome, knowing our names, meeting our needs and even a few desires. I'm still trying to find room for all of the gifts and we can't stop talking about the food. Chef Chee, Chef Philippe and Frank were so much fun.

Please tell everyone involved in our vacation that we greatly appreciate all that they did and gave to make our memories special.

Missing the beach,
Mitchell, Yvette, Jacob and Conner Austin

Heidi,

Cathy Evans just glowed this morning when she was in our office – she was absolutely blown away with this weekend, it sounds like it was so positive and healing on many levels, not to mention a truly over-the-top experience for her family (i.e. personalized golf experience, behind the scenes with the Blue Man Group, meeting the Falcon’s coach/team, and very importantly, Jon and his children meeting with them Cathy said how meaningful it was to her husband, they really connected). Cathy shared that she would love to participate/volunteer with JAJF in some way, if ever needed…

Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts (she shared her experience with several staff members this morning). As always, JAJF is an extraordinary foundation that offers seamless service from start-to-finish. They will always cherish this weekend.

Please extend my appreciation to John and I hope both of your families have a blessed holiday.

Bryan

Bryan Miller, L.C.S.W.
Oncology Social Worker
Atlanta Cancer Care
Cumming, Decatur, Johns Creek & Roswell Offices

Good morning Heidi and Katie,

We all thought this weekend was AMAZING! We all had so much fun.

I wanted to take a minute to tell you how much my family and I appreciate what you did. Its because of people like you and experiences like this that makes having cancer a little easier to deal with. Seeing my kids so happy and filled with excitement means the world to me and will help me get through tough times ahead. Everyone at the hotel and the park made us feel really special. My kids are still talking about it! There are not enough words to describe how much we appreciate what you did so I will simply say THANK YOU!!!!!! You made our year!

Thanks again
With much appreciation,
Theresa, Mark, Nicolas and Amanda Chabot

Dear Atlanta Falcons:

Thank you for a super day! From the ride in, the tour, the on the field experience, meeting everyone just blew us away. Thank you for the great seats and even though the outcome of the game was not favorable, we couldn't have had a better day.

We would like to thank Arthur Blank, Rich McKay, and Coach Bobby Petrino for spending time with us prior to the game. We realize they have a very busy schedule and thought it was very special for them to set aside time for us during their busy morning prior to the game. Our son Steve would like to thank DJ Shockley for taking the time to see us and get a picture with him. Steve was very impressed with all the pregame activities.

We would also like to thank you very much for the autographed memorabilia that you sent our son. He will cherish them for years to come.

We would like to thank all the players that took the time to autograph our sons program after the game. That most certainly was the icing on the cake!

Since we are from Cleveland, we are diehard Browns fans, but since moving to Atlanta we have come to love the Falcons and after this experience, we just love you that much more.

Thanks again for a great time,
Steve, Cathy & Steve Evans

Heidi,

Please share me heartfelt thanks to all those who made these two days of fun possible. Everyday gets harder and harder as we see my husband/their dad get weaker and weaker as he struggles to fight the Cancer, words can never express how grateful we are that we had the opportunity to have a couple of days of fun and some time where we could focus on something besides this dreadful disease. To hear my kids tell their friends about how awesome the limo ride, getting to go to batting practice, meet the players, our seats at the game, the unique opportunity we got to go behind the scenes for a guided tour of the park and learn the history of some of the rides and attractions. They were made to feel special if only for a couple of days and I am forever grateful.

Many Thanks,
Laura, Jimmy, Brandon, and Kristen Hackney

Hi Heidi,

Words can not express how much we appreciated the good deed you and your organization did for us this weekend. My wife and kids were so happy. To see the joy on their faces for an entire weekend was truly a blessing from God. From the moment we walked into the hotel, we were in a state of disbelief. The hotel staff was so nice and friendly, they greeted us with open arms and smiles.

Heidi, you know life isn’t always fair when God shows you favor. We must first give him thanks, for he is the reason we are all here and able to do good deeds for others. You know we always say “I am blessed to be a blessing”. Your organization is truly living by those words. My wife, son, daughter and I thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts, we loved the entire weekend. The limo drive was great, and our photographer, Eric was a joy, he really made our visit very special at the Georgia Aquarian. Everything was really AWSOME!!

Again thank you for bringing my family together to enjoy a stress free weekend, it couldn’t have been better. Heidi, thanks for the joy you put back in our lives, if only for a few days…Thanks. Our memory with the Jack and Jill Foundation is center around “JOY” (Jesus, others, yourself) because you are spreading it right now.

Sincerely,

Killis L Hendricks

A many thanks goes out to everyone that was involved in putting together our WOW weekend trip to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. What a great weekend it was from the time we got on the plane to the time we returned home. Everyone that I tell about our trip cannot believe some of the things that we were able to do. Busch race, Helicopter ride to and from race, garage passes, pit passes, Suite passes, drivers meeting, photos with Tony Stewart. What a Weekend,and to top it all off Tony won the race. Thank You Jack Jills for the things you do for cancer patients like my self. Me and my sons have a lot of good memories to look back on.

Thanks Again,
Jeff Richardson
Stephen Richardson

Heidi,

I have attached our thank you letter for Monday night's events. Please feel free to make any comments and/or suggestions. I will admit that I am not a great writer. I am an accountant who is all about the numbers.

As far as the World of Coke Tour, I am doing a little bit of research. Unfortunately, we do not recall our VIP guide's name which I wanted to include in the thank you letter. I spoke with a representative with World of Coke and she is going to forward me the name and the address to send the thank you letter. Hopefully, I will have it this afternoon and will forward my letter to you. My chemo treatment starts back tomorrow so if we do not get it today I will see if Paul can write the letter.

I definitely do not want to leave you out of my thanks. If it was not for all of your calls and contacts, there would be no one to write thank you letters to. The Jack and Jill Foundation and you are doing wonderful things to give families time to forget the sickness and enjoy life. Thanks again and again and again for all that you do. It has been a pleasure getting to know about the Jack and Jill Foundation and you.

Sincerely,
Lisa White

Lisa White and Family

June 11, 2007

Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation
Suite 100
3282 Northside Parkway, NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30327

So simply said - but, so heartfully felt ... thank you!

You cannot imagine how much the day meant to our family. It was a day that honored my children for their unconditional love, support and bravery since my diagnosis nearly five years ago. For that, I am forever grateful.

Cancer is unbelievably complex. Every patient reacts a little differently, both biologically and psychologically. The only constant in cancer is inconstancy; the only certainty is a future of uncertainty. Unfortunately, it profoundly affects every member of the family. It is a road that no child should ever have to endure ... a road of endless heartache and anguish in its purest form.

Thank you so much for honoring my children and giving us a day of "normal" ... a day of laughs and wonderful memories that they will hold with them forever.

A special thank you to Chris, our limousine driver and to Erica Newsome of the Brave's organization ... the day could not have been more enjoyable!!

With endless gratitude,

Jane M. Kerns

Heidi,

I would like to thank the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, the Sheraton Suites Hotel, Zoo Atlanta and the Georgia Aquarium for a WONDERFUL getaway! It was so nice to spend time together as a family without having to worry about doctor's appointments, bills and test results. We all truly enjoyed ourselves and I am so

The staff at the Sheraton was so nice and courteous. My daughters could not believe that we had four TVs in our room and they loved ordering room service and movies. We even let them stay up late and order chocolate cake while we all watched a movie together. They also really enjoyed the indoor/outdoor pool. We really enjoyed our stay there.

We have been to the Zoo Atlanta many times, but the VIP tour let us see the zoo in a whole new way. All the staff members were very informative and they answered any and all questions we had about the animals. The real star of our visit was Kelly the elephant. The girls loved feeding her and have not stopped talking about her. They also enjoyed meeting Rosie the rhinoceros.

The girls and I have visited the Georgia Aquarium before, but my husband had never been so they had a blast showing him around. Our favorite is still the Beluga whales and we also really enjoyed watching the River Otters. As always the aquarium was a real treat.

Thanks to everyone again for a wonderful time. I cannot express how much it means to have these memories.

Sincerely,

Allison Lyrberg

Jack & Jill

Late Stage Cancer Foundation

Jon and Heidi,

We would like to thank the Jack & Jill Foundation for providing our family the opportunity to visit New York City. My wife, Micki, first developed breast cancer four years ago. The prognosis was good after she completed Chemo. But the cancer came back shortly after that. Hardly a day has gone by the last four years that cancer has not controlled our lives. This get a away trip to New York was a blessing. To be able to travel to New York with the children and get away for a weekend, it was the happiest that my wife has been in a long time. It’s a memory that my children and I will cherish forever.

The city highlights boat tour around the harbor and the city sights bus tour around New York were very entertaining and informative. We also had a great time at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the Broadway shows, The Drowsy Chaperone and the Blue Man Group.

Trump International Hotel & Tower was an amazing place to stay. The staff could not have been any kinder than what they were. The hotel concierge gave us gift certificates to eat dinner at the Fireman Hospitality Group restaurant Café Fiorello and lunch at the China Grill Management restaurant Hudson Cafeteria. Also, the Manhattan Limousine Company picked us up at the airport when we arrived and took us back to the airport when it was time to leave. They were great.

Words cannot express our gratitude. The service that your organization provides to the families of cancer patients is invaluable.

Thanks again,

Charlie Mangan

April 30, 2007

Dear Christine Parker and Katie Seuberling (Staff at Stone Mountain Park

We would like to thank you for all the work that you did to make this a wonderful weekend for our family. You don't realize what is missing in your life until you are given the opportunity to receive it. This is the first trip we have had with just the three of us. And to watch each other laugh and have a good time is something that we will remember forever. The room and boarding was great, our daughter thought it was very cool to have her own hotel room at four years old. The staff treated us special like the pins said. We don’t know how else to thank you for the wonderful weekend. We felt like a normal family for once, to be able to relax and enjoy a weekend vacation with out having to worry about our everyday struggles. It felt great to leave that all behind for two days. The food and snack coupons that you provided for us was very nice of you, the food was great. Again we would like to say thank you for taking the time out to help Jack and Jill Foundation make wonderful memories for our family.

Sincerely,

Shomari Minter-Smith (father)

Adneisha Minter-Smith(mother)

Talieah Minter-Smith (daughter)

February 24, 2007

Dear Heidi/ Jack and Jill Foundation,

What a wonderful experience our family had at the Circus! Me, my husband, Jim, and my son, Jared, all attended. The day started out perfect by being picked up in a limousine. That was my son's first experience in a limousine and he was beside himself. He said he wanted us to buy a car like that. He enjoyed the animal crackers, gingerale and snacks the driver provided for us all. I especially loved the beautiful tulips the limo driver brought me. I am weak from the chemo so having such a luxurious type of transportation was wonderful. Not having to find somewhere to park and walk helped save much of my energy to enjoy the circus. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the photographer who stayed with us the entire time and took tons of pictures of our experience. I know we will enjoy them for years to come. The private meet and greet we had with the performers was really neat. They were all very kind and very funny! That was the first time my son and I had seen the circus. He loved every part of it, but he says his favorite was the acrobats. He would like to quit baseball and learn to become an acrobat so he can join the circus, we all laughed at that one! Having the private booth was perfect. It was a very comfortable place to relax and enjoy the show. My immune is low which means I can catch bugs easily, so it was good not to be sitting so close to others to avoid germs. I can't thank the Jack and Jill Foundation enough for the experience they provided for my family! We have been through a lot this year so it was a great day to let go of all my stresses and enjoy my family in a great environment! I thank God for all the people who took part in making this day possible. What the foundation does is a true blessing! We are all grateful for all the gifts you have given us. I pray the foundation will be able to provide this incredible service for many others.

Thank you Again!

Nicole Smith and family

Heidi, Jon,

I hope all is well with both of you. I feel like I have not thanked you and your organization enough. Since the trip, we have been under a lot of stress. Casey has been pretty sick since we got back through mid January with flu-like symptoms, which have delayed some treatments, but essentially, she was out of commission for about a month. As of last week, she is starting to come back to “normal”. She had her treatment last week and we have 2 more. We tried to keep it low-keyed during the holidays, but inevitably, it was a lot of work. On top of that, I have had to travel more than I would like and my company dropped a bombshell and asked us to relocate to Dallas this Spring. We won a significant account and I will be part of the leadership team (not a bad thing, just one more thing to stress about). And, of course, the kids have an endless number of activities that have kept us busy. That being said (and I’m not complaining), I feel like I haven’t said thank you.

The trip was an incredible experience for us. First of all, the fact that your organization wanted to do this for us and show us the kindness and generosity that you have done is overwhelming. As you may know, not only is this difficult physically for Casey to continue to endure the chemo, it takes an emotional toll on all of us. Casey and I have made the conscious decision to try and maintain a somewhat stable environment for the kids so they don’t have to worry as much, so the burden of enduring this falls on Casey and me. Being able to forget (temporarily) of the hard chemo sessions and just have fun in DC was a wonderful blessing. Second, the time we spent together seeing the sites of DC and especially the program was something the kids will never forget. Not many kids get to me the President, and now my kids have that unique experience. Thank you.

Turner made us feel like true VIPs. They were incredible with the kids as we prepared for the program and helping Natalie get ready for her part. They even sent us a gift basket after the program with 12 DVDs, including a special edition box set of the Harry Potter movies.

We received the book this past week and it was beautiful. I can’t thank you enough for that and it will go up on our display shelves in the family room.

I truly want to thank you for this trip. It was a memory we will never forget. Your generosity was overwhelming and for a few days, our family felt like royalty.

If there is ever anything I can do for the foundation, please let me know. I would be happy to help.

Thanks,
Rob, Casey, Eric, Natalie and Tyler Norr

Irene

Thank you and the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort for a fantastic weekend. We all felt terribly spoiled. You and the staff were very attentive and made our trip a once in a lifetime adventure.

You have a beautiful hotel and a wonderful city. The time that we spent together as a family this past weekend was more special than any other vacation we have been on. Just to be able to spend time together without thinking about cancer for a whole weekend was amazing.

We have all decided that we need to go back sometime to see some of the things we did not have time to. We will also enjoy seeing you and your staff again.

Sincerely,

Brian, Lee, Josh and Jennifer

Heidi,

Please be on the lookout from Mike with some photos from the Jack and Jill Foundation trip to Steamboat. But first of all we would like to humbly thank you and Jon Albert for the most unforgettable family trip to Steamboat, Co. It was truly more than we could ever have dreamed of. Our children saw "Real" snow for the first time in their lives. Combined with the kind ski lesson and great equipment you provided them they were already skiing intermediate runs by their 2nd day.

Alpine Shuttle service was prompt and we felt very safe considering the icy road conditions. They stopped for restroom/snack breaks and gave good information on Steamboat ( a little history on the way).

The Sheraton Resort could not have been nicer. A ski in-ski out situation for us was just perfect since I needed to rest every day. The service at the hotel was impeccable and the food at every meal was incredible.

Also, the kids were in heaven on the Red Runner Dog Sled Adventure. They took us out on a frozen lake, taught the kids how to harness the dogs and best of all they each got to steer the sleds. And being big dog fans and having our own Siberian Husky, it was the icing on the cake to the trip:-)

We hope we can personally thank everyone involved in this once in a lifetime event that we will never forget. And after everything our two children have been through these years with Fran's illness it was like Heaven seeing them with the biggest smiles on their faces. We will look at the pictures and be reminded of how blessed we were to be chosen and treated by your organization.

We hope one day to be able to help you raise money for this more than worthwhile foundation you have created.

Blessings and Many Thanks,

Mike and Fran Wellstead

I apologize for my thank you not being in a more timely manner. However, life continues to throw curve balls. I started with a cold while I was in Florida and ended up with Pneumonia and then we received word that my husbands' nephew faced an untimely death.

I don't even know where to begin to express our gratitude. Thank you seems so small for the overwhelming acts of kindness that were showed my family. Thank you Heidi for having a foundation that allowed us a family retreat after such a difficult year. And Jon I know if I start naming things I will surely miss someone or something but the memories will be with us forever. IT WAS PERFECT!!!

The staff & merchants made us feel like royalty. I remember having a sewage backup on Christmas day and not wanting to call and take someone from their families but we had to. I don't think I had actually put the phone back when there was a knock at the door. And two very, very nice men were there to help.

When we arrived the house was adorable with the tree trimmed and stocking hanging and a visit already from Santa. WOW!! The gifts could not have been more perfect. It was as if you knew my children individually including their favorite colors. My son's skateboard was a huge hit. I mentioned to you that we love board games and have a million of them, however the games you gave us…we did not already own.

And all the fabulous meals that were planned at the different restaurants and cafes, it was fun to watch the Truman Show and see the store where we enjoyed fresh squeezed orange juice with our breakfast and see the owner on the ladder (we were there). We were blown away when you took us around to the bookstore and seaside shop and they were so generous with the gift cards. We received shirts from Bud & Alleys that we have been wearing since we have been back home and we have had several customers comment on what an excellent restaurant it is and "didn't you just love their sweet potato fries"! What a fun evening both there and the Red Bar. Everyone was so kind.

You know how much we enjoyed the bikes and especially the segway. I personally had a great time on it the day we all rode over to Publix. We were grateful for the gift cards that they furnished. We are not even sure who to thank for Christmas Dinner (that was like being at grandmas) or for the breakfast that was delivered and the Pizza. Wow does the list go on.

And what a fun day we spent working on our ice cream bowl at the pottery shop. We felt like family when we left. In fact our children kept saying they felt like we should stop in and say goodbye AGAIN.

Everyone enjoyed the tennis and my husband wanted to make sure I again said thanks for restringing his racquet. It was a really fun day for Keith to play with the children and I enjoyed some sleep. We have received the email with the proofs from Shane and thrilled to have finally had a family portrait made. It has been to many years. And best of all he seemed to have captured our personalities and love for each other.

I am sure I have missed things and not because they were not important to us just the shear volume of generosity was overwhelming. But before I close I would once again like to personally thank Jon for all the time and effort in organizing such a fairy tale week. Even the extra night in the house when you learned that we would be arriving a little earlier than expected was not taken for granted. And the impromptu tour of the Vera Bradley Inn You were an amazing host!

And now in closing my motto in life has always been to live like you are dying. Never go without saying I love you to those you love. Or thank you, to someone who has shared an act of kindness. You each have left a footprint on our hearts and we will be forever grateful!!

Sincerely,
Julia & The Westover Family

March 27, 2008

Special Thanks To:

Mrs.Victoria Cobb and staff at the Ritz Carlton,
Dailey and staff at the World of Coke,
Tony and Shawn and staff at Six Flags over Georgia,
Jen and Samantha and staff at Phillips Arena and Atlanta Hawks,
To the wonderful people who gave us the most beautiful Suite,
And last for the wonderful photographer Eric Bern and his son.

May the Lord repay you for all you have done. This is a sincere message that expresses our deepest gratitude for everything that was done for us this wonderful weekend. It will be a very memorable time in our lives. We appreciate all the gifts that was given to our children, they will never forget this time in their lives. They have talked and shared this weekend with anyone that would listen. My husband (Tony) and I (Tara) truly have been blessed by wonderful people like you all.

May God Bless you All

Tony,Tara,D'Angel,Mario,Kamaron,Brendin

Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 9:22 AM
To: Heidi Cohen, Executive Director, JAJF
Subject: Thank You

Dear Heidi/ Jack and Jill Foundation,

What a wonderful experience our family had at the Circus! Me, my husband, Jim, and my son, Jared, all attended. The day started out perfect by being picked up in a limousine. That was my son's first experience in a limousine and he was beside himself. He said he wanted us to buy a car like that. He enjoyed the animal crackers, gingerale and snacks the driver provided for us all. I especially loved the beautiful tulips the limo driver brought me. I am weak from the chemo so having such a luxurious type of transportation was wonderful. Not having to find somewhere to park and walk helped save much of my energy to enjoy the circus. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the photographer who stayed with us the entire time and took tons of pictures of our experience. I know we will enjoy them for years to come. The private meet and greet we had with the performers was really neat. They were all very kind and very funny! That was the first time my son and I had seen the circus. He loved every part of it, but he says his favorite was the acrobats. He would like to quit baseball and learn to become an acrobat so he can join the circus, we all laughed at that one! Having the private booth was perfect. It was a very comfortable place to relax and enjoy the show. My immune is low which means I can catch bugs easily, so it was good not to be sitting so close to others to avoid germs. I can't thank the Jack and Jill Foundation enough for the experience they provided for my family! We have been through a lot this year so it was a great day to let go of all my stresses and enjoy my family in a great environment! I thank God for all the people who took part in making this day possible. What the foundation does is a true blessing! We are all grateful for all the gifts you have given us. I pray the foundation will be able to provide this incredible service for many others.

Thank you Again!

Nicole Smith and family