Welcome to the Priyanka Foundation
The Priyanka Foundation is an award winning nonprofit organization in Minnesota. Its purpose is to serve sick children and families by operating Child Life and Development service programs for chronically ill children worldwide.
A Child Life and development program is an innovative global concept that makes a significant and positive impact in the medical world for sick children and their families. The program works with these children and families to minimize the stress they feel during hospital stays or visits to the clinics, emergency rooms, radiology, or surgery areas.
In addition our Child Life and development program provides developmental, educational and therapeutic intervention for these children and their families, recognizing individual family needs and respecting different methods of coping.
Specific services include:
- Conducting pre-surgery tours and preparation for children scheduled for surgery.
- Teaching relaxation and mental imagery techniques to help children control pain, deal with anxiety, or cope with medical procedures.
- Leading crafts and other daily activities (such as picnics, outings, and family nights)
- Providing support for a patient's siblings.
- Facilitating support groups for children facing a chronic or life-threatening illness or experiencing a family loss.
- Conducting classroom visits to help students understand a classmate's illness and health care.
- Providing television/audio-visual equipment and resources in patient rooms.
- Coordinating joint programming with community organizations.
- Bringing celebrities, athletes, clowns, and other performers into the hospital.
The foundation is based in Minnesota, the home of its inspiration and founders. It's named after Priyanka Bhakta a patient at the Children's Hospital and Clinics in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 1999 until 2003. Priyanka died a few months before her 9th birthday from complications during bone marrow transplant that was performed at the University of Minnesota Fairview Hospital. The Priyanka Foundation was established in her memory, so that sick children in other parts of the world would have similar opportunities for emotional healing and support during their hospital stay.
