In 2005, the Slaven family lost four-and-a-half-year-old Bethany after her battle with brain tumors. During that journey, they noticed so many other families going through something similar. So Kerry and Diane Slaven, Bethany’s grandparents, founded Brave Young Hearts in Bethany’s memory with hopes of bringing joy and fun into the lives of terminally ill children and their families.
“We were able to go with Bethany on her Make-A-Wish trip to a place called Give Kids the World in Florida, and that's where we started seeing that there are so many other families losing children,” shares Kerry, known by most as Papa Bear. “The Make-A-Wish foundation does a great job, but we felt that there is also a need for kids who want to go fishing, hunting, or camping, and that we could provide that type of outlet.”
“We want kids and their families to be able to get away for a week and do something that they wouldn't normally get to do,” adds Diane. “Because they are doing outdoor activities, we're hoping that it gives them a chance to really relax and be together as a family instead of having to be at doctor's appointments and hospitals.”
To date, Brave Young Hearts has sponsored forty-seven children and their families for adventures, with trips forty-eight and forty-nine planned to take place this May. The adventures requested are as varied and eclectic as the kids themselves. Families have experienced elk hunting, deep sea fishing, horseback riding, national parks, and more.
“We have a kiddo, Corbin, who is quadriplegic and can't fly. He lives in South Carolina and has it on his bucket list to go see the Grand Canyon,” explains Papa Bear. “We rented them a motor home and it's going to be a 4300-mile round trip adventure for him and his family. He will get to go see the Grand Canyon, but we also have some other things for him on the way. For example, they will cross the Mississippi, and we want them to do a riverboat cruise while they are there.”
“Another kid from North Dakota asked if he could go whale watching,” he continues. “They went to California for whale watching but I warned him before they went that although we were chartering a boat, there was no guarantee that they would get to see whales. In the first hour, they saw three blues!”
Sometimes they can help kids fulfill more than one wish in a trip. “One boy named Lionel had cancer in his back. He wanted to go deep sea fishing, and so we were planning a sea fishing trip for him,” says Diane. “His mom shared with me that Lionel was looking for a place where he could get baptized in the ocean. We contacted the charter boat captain, who is also ordained, and explored surprising Lionel by having Tom baptize him when they came back from fishing.”
“Captain Tom loved the idea, and he had a lot of people from his church show up at the shoreline for their return,” adds Papa Bear. “So Lionel caught all these fish during the day, and he had no idea that all those people were gathering around the shore to watch Tom baptize him in the ocean.”
Brave Young Hearts covers all aspects of the family’s adventure for every member of the family, including parents and siblings, so that the entire family can enjoy time together. In addition to giving each child a care package full of goodies for the trip, Brave Young Hearts covers transportation, lodging, meals, tickets and guide fees, and spending money for souvenirs. Adventures range in cost from $1,000 to $20,000 depending on the wish and the logistics needed to make the trip go smoothly, with the average cost being $10,000 per trip.
“We are blessed that so far, we have not had to turn a child away and that has always been our goal,” says Diane. “When we first started, we only had $1,500 of our own money, but people have donated and contributed and thankfully we have been able to help each child who has applied.”
To raise the funds for the trips, Brave Young Hearts holds an annual Sporting Clays fundraiser in August that includes a silent auction. This year’s event is scheduled for August 9th. The event offers many opportunities for individuals and businesses to support this great cause through sponsorships, helping set up, run, and clean up after the event, and there is always a need for donated items to be used for the silent auction.
In addition to monetary donations, Brave Young Hearts uses in-kind donations of airline points, event tickets, services (such as hunting and fishing guides), and even the use of vacation or rental properties to house families while they are on their adventure. Because the entire team and board at Brave Young Hearts are volunteers, all the funds and resources donated go directly to making the dreams of kids come true.
“As a general rule, people tend to not want to think about kids who are suffering and dying,” says Papa Bear. “We just want them to know that there are a lot of kids out there and we would really love to partner with them to put a smile on as many of those kids’ faces as possible.”
Brave Young Hearts is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that sponsors adventures for terminally ill children ages 5-18 years old. For more information, to donate, and to see video testimonials from all the kids who have benefitted from this amazing program, visit braveyounghearts.net and follow Brave Young Hearts on Facebook.
We want kids and their families to be able to get away for a week and do something that they wouldn't normally get to do.
We are blessed that so far, we have not had to turn a child away and that has always been our goal.