Each year the ILMC's charity collection, The Nikos Fund, raises money for a chosen registered charity, to commemorate the life and contribution to the ILMC of one of our founding members, the late Nikos Sachpasidis.
Unbeknown to many, every ILMC delegate makes a donation to The Nikos Fund just by registering for the conference. The organisers decided that rather than resort to the tried, but completely ineffective method of extracting cash in exchange for raffle tickets, the best way to raise funds was to make a donation for each registration received.
However, acknowledging that our delegates are known decision makers and proactive in every way, we are giving them all the opportunity to further swell the coffers of The Nikos Fund by giving generously via the Nikos Collection Tins, strategically placed around the conference.
The charity for this year's Nikos Fund collection is Floga.
Floga (Flame for Hope)
Floga is an association of parents with children that have become sick with cancer. The association embraces thousands of families around Greece. Today 25 years since its foundation, Floga has active representatives in the largest cities around the country.
• It supports parents during the phase of diagnosis. Mothers and childhood cancer survivors visit the hospitals and Floga’s house to stand by parents and children during the difficult phase of diagnosis. In this way they can provide indisputable live proof that these kids, also stand a good chance at being cured.
• It provides free good quality accommodation to parents and children from regional Greece and Albania for the duration of their mandatory stay in Athens. The children there, are offered support from specialized psychologists and social workers, so their overall psychological state, maximizes the benefits of their therapy. Floga also provides school classes (kindergarten, elementary and high school education) with teachers and professors, provided for by the Ministry of Education.
• It has at its disposal suitably equipped vans to comfortably and securely transport children to public hospitals or to any other medical exam centre.
• It participates in providing medical and other equipment as well as funding the improvement of medical care areas in public hospitals.
• It tries with continuous appeals to the Federal Government to encourage them to improve medical care for children with cancer.
• It provides financial support to cover for the immediate needs of the financially weaker families.
• It finances additional medical tests for children when their attending physician prescribes them and their insurance provider does not cover costs.
• It organizes concerts, charity bazaars, blood donations, festivals for the purpose of entertaining the children and sells its own Christmas cards to support these programs.
• It participates in the ICCCPO’s (International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organizations) activities, as one of the founding members in which 64 more countries are also participating.
• BUT MOSTLY it tries to inform people about childhood cancer and to eliminate prejudice. Cancer is not hereditary and is not contagious. Childhood cancer does not necessarily mean death. It is not a curse, but a serious, life threatening disease, that needs time and specialized treatment.
Aigiou 7
11527 Goudi
Athens - Greece
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0030.210.7485000 |
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0030.210.7716363 |
Fax:
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0030.210.7772421
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