Welcome to Dragonfly Chicago
Welcome to Dragonfly Chicago
The Dragonfly Foundation offers families battling pediatric cancer a holistic, uncompromising, fighting chance at well-being. While recognizing that funding research is crucial, Dragonfly believes that providing quality support to these families’ lives until a cure is found is just as important. Working together with our partner hospitals, our team supports families as they strive for fulfilling and complete lives at diagnosis, throughout treatment, and for years to come.
Through its core programs, Dragonfly provides critical items and offers psychosocial, emotional, and financial support to ease the profound burden of this illness, as well as equips our partner clinical teams with tools to provide stellar, developmentally appropriate care through our many hospital programs.
Dragonfly works directly with front-line staff to assess, identify, and fulfill incoming requests to support patients’ and families’ daily needs.
From sending gas and Uber cards to help offset costs to and from treatment, supplying household necessities, offering grocery gift cards, covering the cost of out-of-pocket medical devices or prescriptions, or sending meals to those at the bedside or to family at home… Dragonfly hopes to support the day-to-day critical needs of those we serve in a timely manner.
Our team creates community-focused experiences to help ease the burden of many consequences of a pediatric cancer diagnosis – from familial isolation to financial stress, psychological and emotional challenges, compromised immunity, and more. When these families are ready, they are always welcome to join our “Dragonfly Family”.
Once involved, they are able to benefit from a more personalized support system that includes connections with other families experiencing a similar journey, attending free patient and family events, receiving birthday and milestone celebration support, and enjoying a variety of opportunities that arise throughout the year. Investing time in building relationships with our Dragonfly families is a piece of our mission that ensures they won’t walk this journey alone… “Once a Dragonfly, always a Dragonfly”.
If you’re a family interested in learning more, please visit our Become a Dragonfly page
Our many hospital programs help our partner clinical teams provide stellar, developmentally appropriate care by addressing critical gaps identified by staff and patients. Through strategic collaborative efforts with hospitals and other nonprofits, we vow to ensure meaningful, non-duplicative support where it’s needed most.
We are proud to be the sponsor of the Chemo Ducks initiative at Lurie Children’s. This soft, cuddly pal is an educational tool that helps kids understand their treatment protocols and procedures, alleviating fear and anxiety through the power of play therapy.
Through her family’s desire and initiative, we are able to honor the life and legacy of Abby Shapiro – a pediatric cancer patient who adored and found reprieve in extracurricular activities such as swimming, art, and much more. This program allows us to support patient swim lessons and bedside art therapy sessions at our partner hospitals throughout the year.
Our I Am Still Me booklet offers insight into patients’ experiences with hair loss, all from the perspective of other Dragonfly peers who have previously endured the journey. Paired with a soft pillow case and a gift card for a hat, this care package is intended to deliver comfort to those in need.
Whether it is through our sponsored tea cart, our Joy Cart, or by sending coffee and treats, Dragonfly takes time to appreciate the front-line staff at our partner hospitals to ensure that they take a moment to care for themselves as well.
Dragonfly provides support to families treated at our partner hospitals to create a brighter holiday season and ease the burden that often accompanies the celebrations. After front-line staff refers families that can benefit from this program, each donor receives a wish list from all family members that is then fulfilled in order to bring joy to those we serve!
Dragonfly supports young cancer patients at our partner hospitals in Chicago. At all partner hospitals, patients and families can work with their social worker to register to become a Dragonfly.
