Kenna Romie poses with Vikings Cheerleaders at Shoot for the Moon 2019.
Each year, 700 families in Minnesota face the unthinkable reality of planning end-of-life care for a child. While 4,700 hospice homes exist for adults in the U.S., Crescent Cove Respite & Hospice Home for Kids is just the third facility of its kind in the U.S.
Crescent Cove in Brooklyn Center became Minnesota’s first residential respite and hospice home dedicated solely to the specific needs of children and young adults when it opened in 2018. The home is provided to families at no out-of-pocket cost. In order to provide no-cost services to families, Crescent Cove is dependent on donations and fundraising efforts.
That’s where the Mary Moon Foundation comes in.
The charity, founded by Apple Valley residents Peter and Christine O’Keefe, hosts community fundraising events to support Crescent Cove. The O’Keefes know all too well the importance of pediatric end-of-life care. They lost their daughter, Mary, to cancer at the age of 3 in 2009. Mary’s final days were spent in a hospital, surrounded by life-saving equipment and medicines that were of no use to her.
“Through our experience, there is never enough support for families with children with severe illness,” Peter O’Keefe told the Sun ThisWeek. “Furthermore, there are many families that don’t have any resources to support them through the physical, emotional, and financial hardships imposed on them when their child has a life-threating illness.”
While hospitals provide critical acute care and treatment for their patients, they don’t provide the residential setting for end-of-life care that Crescent Cove offers.
According to Crescent Cove’s founder, Katie Lindenfelser, “As a culture, we don’t talk much about death and dying, particularly around or about children. However, there is a real need for pediatric respite and hospice.”
Shoot for the Moon 2020 will be held Saturday, March 7, starting at 8 a.m. This annual charity event hosted by the Mary Moon Foundation features discounted Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America day passes, with proceeds benefiting Crescent Cove. Families and individuals in the community can support hospitalized children while riding a roller coaster or splashing down a log chute.
While tickets are required to enjoy the unlimited amusement park attractions, none of the other event activities require ticket purchase. There will be face painting, a kids jewelry beading station, costumers from the Minnesota Force Star Wars club, Vikings cheerleaders appearance, a photo booth, Bridgeman’s Ice Cream stand and a silent auction.
Maddie Schwalbe admires her new face paint at Shoot for the Moon 2019.
It is not by coincidence that the Mary Moon Foundation selected Nickelodeon Universe for their annual event. The park has special meaning to Mary’s family.
“Mary visited Nickelodeon Universe a few times in her short life. Her last visit was just 12 days before she died,” Peter O’Keefe said. “During that visit she rode the log chute several times — it was her favorite. We love having our event at a location that has memories for us with Mary.”
The March 7 event marks the ninth annual charity event for families hosted by the Mary Moon Foundation. The organization has also held three benefit concerts to raise funds for hospitalized children. In addition to the organization’s financial commitment to Crescent Cove, the Mary Moon Foundation has established a $125,000 and growing endowment fund for Child-Family Life Services at University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.
Star Wars fans make a connection at Shoot for the Moon 2019. Up to 15 members of Minnesota Force are expected to appear in costume at Shoot for the Moon 2020.
“Our gratitude to the Child-Family Life program at University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital is what inspired us to establish the Mary Moon Foundation,” Christine O’Keefe said. “They provided activities to help Mary play as any child should. Child-Family Life’s dedication to assisting both the pediatric patients and their families throughout their medical treatment was very much appreciated.”
Proceeds from Shoot for the Moon 2020 will be donated to Crescent Cove and Child-Family Life Services at University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. Tickets can be purchased at www.marymoonfoundation.org.
Located in the center of the Mall of America, Nickelodeon Universe features seven acres of attractions and entertainment. The amusement park offers thrills for everyone in the family, including numerous roller coasters, a tower-drop ride, a log chute, a carousel and a Ferris wheel.
Mary O’Keefe was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that occurs mostly in infants and toddlers, at the age of 2 and died a year later. Mary loved participating in arts and crafts and a variety of other activities while she spent a large portion of her final year in the hospital fighting cancer.
The Mary Moon Foundation’s mission is to help hospitalized children enjoy life, learn and grow as much as every child should.
Fundraising events support Crescent Cove, the first children’s respite and hospice home in the Midwest, and finance art supplies, toys and games for the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.
For more information about Crescent Cove, visit www.crescentcove.org.
For more information about Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minneapolis, visit https://nickelodeonuniverse.com.
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