Jason Program Newsletter, December, 2002 We exist simply because children have touched our hearts. We believe they should be listened to and cared for. To the Jason Program Community -- We hope this newsletter finds you happy and well this holiday season, and we extend our wishes to all for a rewarding New Year filled with peace. As you know, caring for others can carry its own burden, and we encourage you to take time to reflect on your feelings and to do what you need to reduce stress and allow you to enjoy the emotions of the season. You may wish to listen to Grown-Up Christmas List on our front page. This song captures the essence of the holidays season, regardless of one's religious beliefs, and allows us to ponder what matters most to us in life. You can read the lyrics here. Two new stories, "Lessons in Friendship" and "The Cat and the Christmas Star" are also available for reflection. Our program has enjoyed several recent advances. We now formally welcome Shelley MacQuinn, child-life specialist, to our program. She has already done a wonderful job working with our children, and we greatly appreciate the benefits she brings to them. You can read about her on our Team Profile page. On the development front, we are fortunate to have the services of Deborah Lielausus Tombleson, our new development director. She has just developed a full-page ad that runs in our local newspaper. Made possible by the gift of a single donor, the heart of this ad comprises our Giving section, and you can view the lead photograph here. This donor is also responsible for raising funds that brings Greg Burns, our nursing coordinator, to our program on a full-time basis. Finally, we are extremely pleased to have the support of five organizations that have pledged to support the growth of the Jason Program. They include Southern Maine Medical Center, which has been instrumental in helping us establish our our new office and clinical center. You can find our new contact information and directions to our center here. The University of New England, the Maine Parent Federation, Maine Bureau of Health, Maine Bureau of Children with Special Health Needs, and Community Partners have also joined us, providing support in many ways. We are grateful for their involvement. You will find a variety of new information throughout our site. Please check our News page, where you can see how Maine fared on a recent nationwide survey of palliative care services. There is also a new employment opportunity in Wisconsin for a pediatric palliative care physician, words of thanks to Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and journal articles discussing withdrawing care and delivering bad news. Let us remember that at this time of joy, many are hurting, their pain made worse by the atmosphere of happiness around them. Please keep these people in your heart, and stay ready to help if you are needed. As always, on behalf of the children, we thank you for your interest and caring. Sincerely, The Jason Program Team 13 Industrial Park Road Saco, Maine 04072 Phone: (207) 294-8255 Fax: (207) 294-8257 E-mail: mddirector@jasonprogram.org Web: www.jasonprogram.org Technical Issues: If you cannot view this letter with a background and pictures, please send us a brief e-mail, and we will deliver you a text-only form. If you know of a conference, article, web site, or other information you wish shared, please notify us here and we will consider it for this mailing and/or the web site. Thank you for your input. If you wish to be removed from this list, click here and enter "remove" in the subject line.