Nemours Women’s Committee kicks off 2nd year of fundraising with annual tea party

Last Friday, Aug. 17, the Nemours Fund for Children’s Health Women’s Committee hosted its second annual tea party at the Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach to launch yet another year of raising funds and awareness for Nemours Children’s Specialty Care in Jacksonville.

“I’d like to thank the Women’s Committee for all of your tireless efforts,” said Committee Chair Hilary Keeley, who is also chief legal officer for the Nemours Foundation’s Florida operations. “There are so many of you here today, and the vision of the Fund just 24 months ago to where we stand today … it really is a testament to what we’ve done, and I appreciate every one of you for coming along on this journey.”

A nonprofit pediatric health system dedicated to improving the health of children, regardless of their financial status, Nemours serves patients in Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida, including in Jacksonville. Formed last year, the Women’s Committee has since organized multiple fundraisers to benefit the nonprofit’s local services, including shopping events, a Princess Ball, the Nemours Day of Giving and the Our Promise Fore the Kids Golf Tournament, which ultimately raised more than $100,000.

For Jacksonville resident Casey Andeer, who spoke at the inaugural Women’s Committee Tea last year, the fact that her young daughter is still alive is a testament to the invaluable nature of Nemours’ work.

“My daughter Rue was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia almost three years ago, and I’m very pleased to say she finished her treatment last December, so she’s eight months treatment-free, which is pretty amazing,” Andeer said. “It was about 26 months filled with chemotherapy, steroids, hair loss, hospitalizations, illnesses. Needless to say, it’s been a very long journey, getting to where we are today, and I know that we only have the doctors, nurses and staff at Nemours to thank for, quite honestly, saving my daughter’s life.”

Andeer noted how fortunate her daughter is to live so close to a facility like Nemours, whereas other children that receive such devastating diagnoses are not always so lucky.

“I hope that each of you understands that for every survival story there’s another child being diagnosed, and they’re going to need the same treatment and care, just like my Rue had,” she said.

Stating that she would be forever grateful for Nemours’ life-saving work, Andeer emphasized the importance of raising support and awareness for the nonprofit’s mission.

“We need to ask ourselves what we can do to make sure that Nemours keeps being able to do the tremendous work that they’re doing, from post-treatment care to the medicine, and the research, and the music therapy and art therapy, and community education really is an integral part of this journey,” she said. “Rue is a survivor … and it doesn’t mean that that worry is ever going to go away in the back of my mind, but I know every time we walk into Nemours, we’re met with professional, loving, caring people that have two things on their mind: curing this disease and making our experience at Nemours the best that it possibly can be.”