The gift of giving

Mike Sciacca

Karina Hubbard turned seven on Aug. 11.

Seven and 11 are considered to be lucky numbers by many.

They are for Karina and now, they will benefit several young children.

When Karina celebrated her recent birthday, the Seacliff Elementary

School second-grader went well beyond her young years. In lieu of gifts,

Karina requested that those who attended her party -- 15 youngsters in all -- donate money to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

She was able, along with the help of her friends, to raise $330.

“We had a lot of fun at the party,” Karina said. “All my friends were

nice and gave a lot of money for this.”

Karina basically donated her party to the Peter Pan Birthday Club,

which, under the nonprofit organization Peter Pan Children’s Fund, is

designed to inspire, foster and encourage philanthropy in children and

young people as well as adults who have never grown up.

Tinker Bell was in attendance at her party and the Peter Pan Birthday

Club will match that $330 dollar for dollar. Karina will present CHOC

with a check for $660 in September.

Through the program, a donor can decide where the money should be

spent. There are four areas to choose from: children’s bike helmets,

games, toys and videos, research and medical supplies.

Karina decided to use the money toward the purchase of one computer or

board game for each of the four recreational rooms at CHOC.

The Texas-based Peter Pan Children’s Fund had not worked with CHOC

prior to Hubbard’s interest.

“What Karina has done is outstanding,” said Paula Hom, communications

associate for CHOC Foundation for Children. “We do receive a variety of

donations throughout the year, such as monies and books.”

Mary Beth Steen, the foundation’s senior director for leadership and

planned giving, said that an audit has not yet been done to determine

exactly how much the foundation has received in donations for the 2001

fiscal year, which ended in June. She did note, however, that in the year

2000, the foundation received $8.2 million in donations, a majority of it

coming from individuals.

“Philanthropy starts with the parents who teach their children about

giving,” Steen said. “It doesn’t matter the contribution, big or small --

it does make a difference.”

It was a cause close to Karina’s heart and one that came about because

of her stay nine months ago at CHOC.

Last December, Karina came down with what doctors thought was a

stomach virus. After three days, the symptoms persisted, then worsened.

She had developed blisters on her lips and became delirious. A trip to

the emergency room and an ensuing blood test revealed that Karina had no

red or white blood cells or platelets.

Her parents Socorro and Jeffrey Hubbard were told that their

daughter’s symptoms were indicative of leukemia. They even used terms

such as “cancer of the neck,” and, “aplastic anemia.” Karina underwent

four blood transfusions during her first week at CHOC, where she spent

her time in intensive care.

As doctors went down the list, test results -- despite the symptoms --

all came up negative. Finally, she was found to have a staph and strep

infection. She was allowed to return home for four days over Christmas

but then got fluid in her lungs. She returned to CHOC for eight more days

and went on an eight week intravenous antibiotic feeding.

She lost 10 pounds during her ordeal, which left her atrophied. She

couldn’t climb the stairs at home nor was she able to ride her bike.

“But we are very fortunate,” Socorro said. “We were fearing the worst

but somehow, she came through this. CHOC was wonderful and she will never

forget her time there.”

On her second go-round at CHOC, Karina Hubbard was able to play with

other young patients in the hospital’s recreation room. Seeing those

children, she said, made her want to help them.

“They were really nice to me and I made some friends there,” she said.

“I just wanted to help them.”

“She was really determined to make this thing work,” Socorro said.

“We’re very proud of what she’s done. She’s a serious girl and I think

she has grown and matured after her being at CHOC.”She got the idea for

her party from watching a video -- “over and over,” her mother said -- of

Peter Pan, the recent stage version starring gymnast Cathy Rigby. At the

beginning of the video given to her by her grandparents is a presentation

by 19-year-old Julia Hart, co-founder of the Peter Pan Birthday Club.

Hart, on her 10th birthday, toured the Children’s Hospital in London and

her life was forever changed after she saw the faces of the children she

encountered that day. Rather than focus on her birthday wishes, she came

up with the idea of friends coming to her party with a monetary donation

toward a children’s hospital, rather than bring her personal gifts.

Hart has celebrated every birthday the same way since.

The Peter Pan Children’s Fund was inspired by the charitable legacy of

Sir James M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, who gave his rights and

royalties from his play and story to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for

Children in London.

The birthday club to date has raised more than $300,000 for the PPCF

and children’s hospitals from supporters of all ages.

Karina, her mother says, was mesmerized by the video’s introduction

piece and talked about doing the same type of thing when she got out of

CHOC.