FAQ
Everything families and donors ask us most. If yours is not here, just write and ask.
What exactly does The Mother Nurture do?
Great question! Our mission is to encourage and remove financial barriers for childhood cancer families to get out into nature in whatever way they can. We do this by connecting with families who have faced, or are currently facing, a childhood cancer diagnosis and learning what might make getting outdoors possible for them both financially and physically.
In 2027, our inaugural year, we will only be providing Colorado State and county parks passes (and reimbursements for passes) but looking ahead we hope to offer things like fishing rods, hiking backpacks, ski passes, hiking shoes, jogging strollers — you name it! Whatever helps a childhood cancer family get outdoors is something we want to support!
What does it mean when you say helping families who have faced, or are currently facing a childhood cancer diagnosis?
Our goal is to support families no matter where they are on their childhood cancer journey. They can be at the very beginning of their journey to apply, or 10 years off treatment and cancer free. The reason we aim to support families no matter where they are in their journey is because the trauma and grief from a catastrophic event like childhood cancer does not end when treatment does.
Why do you support the entire family that was affected by childhood cancer?
From our lived experience, and that of other childhood cancer families we know, the siblings and caregivers are often left feeling depleted and unseen along the journey. Of course, a childhood cancer kiddo needs love and support, but the caregivers and siblings do too!
What supporting the entire family does is allow for time together as a family unit, gives siblings and caregivers moments of much needed one-on-one connection, or even caregivers some quality alone self-care time. In supporting all these needs we hope to inspire healing in a myriad of ways throughout the entire family system.
Do you support families who have lost a child to cancer?
YES! We wholeheartedly support bereaved families. We cannot imagine the pain, grief and trauma from such a loss and want to help minimize that with the power of nature if we can.
Some childhood cancer kiddos are so sick, how can they get outside?
Any family applying to our program will want to consult with their medical care team before engaging in any outdoor activity to verify its safety. That said, we will aim to offer tools to meet the various needs of each childhood cancer family.
For example, our founder Sarah used a jogging stroller and hiking backpack to make outdoor time possible with her childhood cancer survivor Bellamy when she was very sick in treatment. We aim to work with each family’s individual needs and wishes to make getting outdoors possible and safe!
I am, or I know, a childhood cancer family — how can they apply?
Take a look at our Apply page! It shows the guidelines for the application process. For the moment, we are only serving childhood cancer families who reside in the state of Colorado, but be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get updates because we hope to expand in the near future!
What is the application process like?
Our application process is pretty simple. One thing to note, that is different about our application process from some other nonprofits, is that we open online applications on March 1st of every year — Bellamy’s diagnosis month — and it is on a first-come-first-served basis based on our annual funding allocations. So be sure to set a calendar reminder each March 1st to apply ASAP!
My childhood cancer family applied, now what?
After you have applied for a donation our team will send you a confirmation for your application. We will make final determinations on our annual giving by August 1st of each year. Every family that applied each year will get a notification as to whether we were able to meet their needs and next steps at that point.
We know that March to August is a long time to wait, but that time allows for us to not only source goods once we forge that path, but also allows us time to try to wrangle more funds if need be to help even more childhood cancer families. Donations will be gifted during the month of September, which is childhood cancer awareness month!
I love this mission and I really want to help!
Thanks, we love it too! Donate — we can’t help childhood cancer families without donations, and even small donations make an impact. Sign up for our newsletter, where we share important updates, events, and needs including volunteer opportunities. Offer your services or goods, if you have something you think might help us on our mission. And follow, like and share our Instagram (pretty please)!
If you’re curious about bigger individual donations, recurring, or business-related donations, please contact us.
I’d like to make a large, meaningful donation. How can I do that?
We’d love for you to make a large, meaningful donation too! Please reach out to us directly to discuss.
What else do I need to know?
The Mother Nurture is not your doctor or medical care team, we are just sharing our love of the outdoors and lived experiences with you, and hopefully making getting outdoors more accessible, so you can hopefully heal in some way in nature!
Please always check with your doctor before engaging in any activity. Please always use any equipment provided by The Mother Nurture as directed by manufacturer instructions and per your medical care team. When in doubt ask your doc!
Childhood cancer families should always consult with their medical care team before engaging in any outdoor activity to verify its safety. As always, take care when enjoying the outdoors and use any products per their specifications.