Carter Family and Penguins Foundation Create Special Experience for Kids
They worked with a local nonprofit called So Many Angels to help kids battling cancer feel like superstars as part of 'Hockey Fights Cancer'
By
Michelle Crechiolo
Penguins Team Reporter
They spoke with founder Matt Meiers, whose organization takes photos of children with cancer and transforms them into whatever - or whoever - they want to be when they grow up. Their editors produce works of art, and they present the families with a canvas print they can treasure forever.
That mission of providing hope, inspiration and encouragement to those kids really resonated with the Carters, and Megan reached out to the Penguins Foundation right away. The timing couldn't have been better, as the Penguins Foundation had learned about So Many Angels after Meiers applied for a grant last season. They were among the 61 organizations who received one, which came from the 50/50 Raffle proceeds at Penguins home games.
"Once we learned about them and what they did for kiddos in our community fighting cancer, we just knew we had to work with them for Hockey Fights Cancer month," said Amanda Susko, Senior Director, Penguins Foundation.
The Carters and the Penguins Foundation came together to create a special experience for four children from UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, including 6-year-old Bryson Phenicie, who celebrated his birthday and beating cancer
in an unforgettable night last season
at a Penguins home game.
They attended a photoshoot at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex prior to the Penguins practice last Tuesday, where they had Penguins jerseys and hockey props so that they could dress as their hockey hero.
"We just said that if the photoshoot was going to happen, we would love to be a part of it and help support that," Megan Carter said. "It all just worked out that it was able to happen."
Ten-year-old Max DelleDonne, who is battling acute myeloid leukemia, was one of the kids invited to take part in that special day. He has been in and out of the hospital since April, never home for longer than two weeks at a time. Going into the event, his parents Scott and Brandy were hoping that Max's numbers would be high enough to get medical clearance to come to the rink.
Fortunately, Max was able to attend, but was pretty nervous heading in. However, once he put on the Penguins jersey and started to get comfortable, his demeanor completely changed, with Max was smiling and posing and really getting into it. It was pretty emotional to watch.
"These are some pretty amazing kids. To see what they go through and to hear their stories, it's challenging," Megan Carter said. "It was an incredible day for them to be able to be kids, and have fun. Show their personalities, pick their favorite players and their jerseys and put the outfits on. It was pretty amazing to see."
That's what So Many Angels is all about - helping children to feel like the superstars they are during their photo sessions, and helping parents enjoy watching their kid be a kid during their photo sessions, instead of a child battling an illness.
"I can't even imagine being a kid and being able to do something like that," said Matt Meiers, founder of So Many Angels. "I used to not be a big fan of that phrase 'for the kids,' but I use it all the time now. Because it's not about me, it's about the So Many Angels. The angels are the people that are allowing me to help serve these families, like the Penguins Foundation; the Complex; Josh, our lead photographer and lead editor; and people like you helping share our story so we can photograph and serve more families of kids with cancer."
The day didn't end there. After watching the team practice, the families were invited into the locker room. Even though it was a travel day for the Penguins, all of the players took the time to meet and hang out with the kids before they were treated to lunch in the team lounge.
"It was a really neat experience," Brandy DellDonne said. "We got to sit and have lunch with Brock McGinn and Jeff and Jeff's wife, Megan. Just kind of interacting with them on a more personal level was really cool."
Max ended up putting on a No. 77 jersey for Tuesday's 'Hockey Fights Cancer' Awareness Night, where the families were invited to watch the game from Sidney Crosby's Charity Suite. Before the puck dropped, the finished canvases were unveiled to the kids and their parents. It was the perfect way to start a special night with so much meaning to them.
"I think being in the situation that we are in, it means so much," Scott DellDonne said. "We have never encountered a situation like this previously. So, we've learned, and we've grown a whole lot in the last seven months during Max's fight with leukemia. And just to see an organization take such attention to bringing light to folks who are dealing with these tremendous hurdles and tremendous problems, it just makes us feel really great to be part of something like that. It's awesome."
