Homepage / Phoenix News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

| More


Valley Light Display Helps Sick Children

HopeKids Event Raises Money To Grant Wishes

POSTED: 8:36 pm MST December 6, 2009
UPDATED: 9:30 am MST December 7, 2009

This time of year is all about giving, and one Valley group needs your help to make things a little easier for kids in need. They're helping put on the Scottsdale Fantasy of Lights at WestWorld.

Some of the proceeds from the display go to a great cause, called HopeKids.

HopeKids helps kids like Dani Koenes. The 15-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumor last November. She's been fighting back ever since, from emergency surgery to try to cut the tumor out, to twice monthly visits to the hospital for chemotherapy. It's a lot for anyone to handle.

Mom Kristy Koenes explained, "She's really had a tough road and we've gone through some really tough moments."

Moments most teens will never dream of, so the Koenes are thankful for an organization that helps some of Dani's dreams come true. It's called Hope Kids, a Valley group that works with about 600 families with sick children.

Dani said, "It makes a bad situation not so bad, because I get to do things that people never get to do ever in their lifetime."

Things like front row seats to sporting events with her dad and going to a Taylor Swift concert. Experiences that help Dani feel like a regular teenager again, and help mom, dad and brother Jacob cope with all the emotions that come with having your daughter diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Fantasy of Lights runs through Jan. 2. For more information on how you can help, go to www.hopekids.org.

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Feeling bloated or uncomfortable after eating? Try these five recipes and find out why they are so good for digestion. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Choosing less space has to do with a desire to live simpler, whether you're retiring or just want a low-maintenance lifestyle. More

Check out some of the most notorious police car chase scenes ever caught on tape. Don’t try this at home. More

Sponsored Links