Chaiyanu opened its doors in 1999 with the mission to establish a holistic approach of services to seriously ill children and their families all over Israel. The agency has developed and implemented programs to fit the unique needs of Israeli children and families. Chaiyanu’s professional case managers worked within Israel’s hospital system to provide immediate support and assistance that enabled families to continue to function. Whatever it takes to normalize the home situation, Chaiyanu is committed to provide the means. Social workers provided therapy for patients, parents, and siblings to help them adjust to the new realities of their lives.

One of our very exceptional projects, that is still very fresh in everyone’s mind is the Chanukah Toy Program.

This Chanukah Chaiyanu distributed over 4000 toys and gifts to all of our families throughout Israel and to over six hospitals in their pediatric wards. BUT, THERE IS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT THIS PROJECT.

Every child who is sick sends his/her wish list of what they want for Chanukah and that is what they get. From MP4’s to bicycles, digital cameras, remote control cars (2 feet long) clothing, perfume, computer accessories, Lego, doll and doll houses, every board game you can think of and the list goes on and on. BUT not only the child who is ill receives Chanukah gifts but every sibling in the family gets the same quality toy or gift, because they are SIBS; Specially Important Brothers and Sisters! Volunteers traveled the width and length of the country hand delivering the packages to each family and making exciting parties with clowns music and of course Chanukah treats for all. Hospital parties and gift giving happened across the land with Maccabee Haifa soccer team, Lev Laytzan clowns, DJ's, Karaoke, and magicians.

As one mother wrote;

For our family that lives day in and day out with a child with Cancer it is a tsunami that strikes every element of our family life. The endless details of running a home and caring for the child who is seriously ill and the siblings is totaling over whelming. After our first few encounters with our Case Manager from Chaiyanu we started to see that our lives were so much more under control and everyone in the family was being dealt with on so many levels.

But I want to share with you the most amazing Chanukah we have ever experienced. Thanks to Chaiyanu, Cancer did not rob our child or our family from this wonderful holiday that we have always celebrated as a close family with the greatest of joy.

It really all started over a month ago when Chaiyanu sent us a letter asking us to make a wish list of what our eight year old son who has cancer wants for Chanukah and, get this, what gifts would his brothers and sisters like for Chanukah as well(we have seven other children). A week before Chanukah we received an invitation in the mail inviting the whole family to the Chaiyanu Chanukah party on the second night of Chanukah, we obviously called in and made our reservations.

It is very difficult to describe the party, because there was so much going on, but let me try. As soon as we, all ten of us arrived; dozens of clowns from Lev Leytzan brought the kids in and with the spectacular music of Eli Lauffer, and got the kids dancing in a whirl wind of Simcha. What a special treat it was to hear live Ephraim Mendelson singing with such excitement. The clowns had so much shtick, and made sure to put the cutest red clown noses on each child and my husband too. Joined by tens of volunteers, (who are very close to our family and all the Chaiyanu families) and with hundreds of familiar faces from the Cancer ward, it truly made this evening so heartwarming. You could feel the love the Chaiyanu volunteers had for each and every child of every family, it's so extraordinary! Food galore, tables full of candy and cake and they even had a cotton candy machine handing out hundreds of sticks with cotton candy on it, bigger then a basketball, the kids could not get over it.

The connection that the staff and volunteers made with everyone was so beautiful, we, my husband and I, had a chance to speak to so many people and give and get strength from each other, sharing our stories and at the same time laughing, singing, and dancing the night away. Sick children were carried, crutches aside, kids were lifted on shoulders, wheel chairs were spinning, and some parents were crying and laughing at the same time.

We had a warm and encouraging conversation with R’ Yaakov Pinsky, Chaiyanu's Director and when we told him we needed to go because our son has treatment the next morning he told us to pick up all the gifts for our children by the exit door. We couldn’t believe our eyes, every single toy and gift on our wish list was waiting for us, the bicycle for our son who is sick, the doll house, stroller, and dolls for the girls, Lego and a racing car set for the other boys and a Discman for our oldest girl, incredible (by the way they paid for a mini van taxi to take us home).

I honestly thought we wouldn't be celebrating Chanukah this year with all the pain and difficulties we are faced with, but Chaiyanu had other plans for us and did we celebrate like never before! And it happened for so many. There is no joy like the joy of a sick child smiling, laughing, and enjoying life like any other child.