a THREAD of Hope benefitting Sam's Fans
Sponsorship & Ticket Info
It is with great excitement and anticipation that we welcome you back to A THREAD of Hope. Last year felt stormy to say the least. We know that the best time to see a rainbow is after a storm and that is how we feel about A THREAD of Hope 2021 - it will be a beautiful rainbow after the storm!
If you didn’t understand why this work is so critical before, now it is crystal clear. Kids every day are struggling with these same challenges of isolation and sadness. Music and Art therapies are non pharmaceutical interventions that help these sick kids express their feelings, manage their stress and pain and assists their physical rehabilitation.
We’re so happy to bring back A THREAD of Hope this year! It may look a little different, but it will still be an evening full of music, food, and friends! Live music, local bites, a silent auction with one-of-a-kind offerings, and a spectacular fashion presentation from Columbus-based lifestyle boutique THREAD.
By supporting A THREAD of Hope, you will help support Sam’s Fans’ mission of supporting and enhancing music and art therapy programs that serve seriously ill children and their families. We hope you will join us!
A Little History about A THREAD of Hope, from Miranda:
I believe that success is not individual, but rather takes a community. In the years since I started THREAD, I have been given a great deal of support. Whether it was a word of encouragement from family and friends, helpful advice from another business owner, or feedback from a customer, many people were there to help get THREAD off the ground and make it what it is today.
As a thank you to those who helped me, I was determined to pay it forward and help a golden thread who came into my life, my dear friend Nikki McCarthy. Nikki and I shared an immediate connection before I could even comprehend the tragedy she had endured. She is now working on a dream of hers, and I couldn’t be more proud or honored to help her.
Nikki's daughter, Sam, was first diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia when she was just seven years old. For five years Sam’s doctors were able to keep her healthy and active and during that time she did what many girls do — she played with her friends, listened to music, went to school, and was a great big sister to her three little brothers. At the age of 11, however, Sam’s bone marrow began failing and she was hospitalized at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where she underwent a bone marrow transplant. For those who don’t know, a bone marrow transplant is an extensive process that requires weeks, and in cases like Sam’s, months, of time spent isolated in a hospital room.These rooms are necessarily sterile environments filled with machines and technology. The days drag on and are dominated by medical jargon and measurements. But thankfully, there are art and music therapists who visit the children regularly. These therapists are there to remind them that even though their faces are swollen and their hair has fallen out that they are still beautiful, they can experience joy, and they can make beautiful things to hear and see.
In 2014, Nikki hosted an inaugural fundraising race in honor of her daughter Sam. The race was a success and Nikki was able to make a generous donation to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, the organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease that took Sam’s life in October of 2009. Buoyed by the support she received with the race, Nikki decided to take the next step and fulfill her goal of establishing Sam’s Fans, a permanent foundation in Sam’s honor.
The Sam’s Fans Foundation is dedicated to helping support music and art therapists, and the children they serve.
In October of 2015, A THREAD of Hope was born. Simply put, we were blown away by the response to our inaugural event. A sell-out evening with a stunning Fashion Presentation, live bands, local bites, and well over 300 in attendance- it was an extraordinary night that we will never forget! The three years that followed were even more amazing, and buoyed by the incredible support of our community, A THREAD of Hope has raised over $300,000 in just 4 years. And we've got no plans to slow down now!
I am thrilled and proud to share the impact A THREAD of Hope has made as a result. In addition to supporting two incredible organizations that share our mission: Flying Horse Farms and the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio, we were able to provide funding for a much needed art therapy program at the Cincinnati Children's Medical Center BMT unit, specializing in care for patients with serious illnesses. We were absolutely thrilled to help Nikki realize a longtime dream of bringing a part-time outpatient music therapist to pediatric patients at Nationwide Children's Hospital!