Day programs in your community all year-round, for in-person fun and connection.
About Kesem Together
Kesem Together brings children and families facing a parent's cancer together through free, in-person day programs held throughout the year. Depending on where you live, Kesem Together will be hosted by Kesem’s national organization in partnership with local community groups or by your local Kesem chapter. Kesem Together takes place at parks, community centers, cancer centers, conferences, bowling alleys, pumpkin patches, and other welcoming community spaces.
Designed to meet families where they are, Kesem Together day programs offer fun, age-appropriate activities, opportunities to build friendships, and meaningful connections with others who understand the cancer experience. Whether it's a few hours of play for kids while parents attend treatment or support services, or a full-day of fun for the whole family, every Kesem Together gathering is designed to foster joy, connection, and community, all at no cost to families.
Upcoming Kesem Together Programs + Locations
What To Expect
FAMILIES CAN EXPECT:
- Activities include games, art projects, guided peer-to-peer conversations, and more
- National programs are led and supervised by trained Kesem staff, volunteers, and our partners. Chapter programs (formerly Friends + Family Days) are led and supervised by trained college student volunteers from your local Kesem chapter.
- Offered in both half-day and full-day formats depending on location
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS CAN EXPECT:
- Kesem-provided collateral and marketing support
- Custom schedule, combining 25 years of programing expertise with your community’s unique needs
- Age-appropriate activities rooted in fun, connection, and reflection
- Program leadership from Kesem’s trusted and trained volunteers
- Opportunity to connect your community with Kesem’s, expanding your ability to offer peer-to-peer support
Kesem Together Partners
At Pfizer Oncology, we are at the forefront of a new era in cancer care. Our industry-leading portfolio and extensive pipeline includes three core mechanisms of action to attack cancer from multiple angles, including small molecules, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies, including other immune-oncology biologics. We are focused on delivering transformative therapies in some of the world’s most common cancers, including breast cancer, genitourinary cancer, hematology-oncology and thoracic cancers, which includes lung cancer. Driven by science, we are committed to accelerating breakthroughs to help people with cancer live better and longer lives.
Our Ambition:
Cancer is one of the most challenging health crises of our lifetime. Despite significant advancements, millions of people globally receive a cancer diagnosis each year.
At Pfizer, we’ve shown how we can move with urgency to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. And now, we’re making significant investments to outdo cancer — nothing is more urgent, or more personal, than our goal to outpace, outsmart and outmaneuver cancer at every turn.
Our vision is a world where people with cancer live better and longer lives. We are accelerating breakthrough cancer medicines that bring new hope to patients everywhere.
Gilead is creating the future of oncology to help bring more life to people with cancer. From ADCs to small molecules our R&D programs and partnerships are creating possibilities for people with underserved and difficult-to-treat cancers.
Servier is committed to finding solutions for patients living with difficult and hard-to-treat diseases. The company’s oncology portfolio consists of first-in-class and best-in-class medicines designed to bring transformative precision therapies to a greater number of patients.
Governed by a non-profit foundation, Servier approaches innovation with a long-term vision, free of influence from investors and outside pressure to chase short-term monetary targets. At Servier, we bring the patient voice into everything we do, and our commitment to patients extends far beyond approval.
The Alliance for Children of Parents with Cancer (ACPC) was founded in 2023 by a diverse group of more than 40 mission-aligned nonprofit organizations who recognized an important and growing need to support the growing population of children who have a parent with cancer. The Alliance for Children of Parents with Cancer (ACPC) supports the children of parents who have cancer by raising awareness; improving access to programs and resources; and strengthening the network of organizations ready to meet their needs.
Pure Edge, Inc., is a not-for-profit foundation cultivating resilience for youth and the adults who serve them. We provide simple, effective well-being strategies built on three pillars: Breathe, Move, Rest. Our flagship curriculum is backed by research from Stanford University, and our entire multilingual library of curricula and resources is completely free to access. We also partner with school districts, nonprofit foundations, hospital networks, and community organizations to offer practical well-being strategies and professional development training. Visit us at PureEdgeInc.org to learn more and download our free resources for youth and adults.
Founded in 1902, Lamar Advertising (Nasdaq: LAMR) is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in North America, with approximately 361,000 displays across the United States and Canada. Lamar offers advertisers a variety of billboard, interstate logo, transit and airport advertising formats, helping both local businesses and national brands reach broad audiences every day. In addition to its more traditional out-of-home inventory, Lamar is proud to offer its customers the largest network of digital billboards in the United States with over 4,600 displays. Please feel free to explore our website www.lamar.com or contact us at hello@lamar.com for additional information.
Eisai Inc., a human health care company headquartered in Nutley, N.J., is the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd. Dedicated to oncology and neurology, its U.S. operations include research & development; manufacturing; global supply & logistics; and commercial activities. Learn more: https://us.eisai.com; Follow us on X and LinkedIn.
Wonders & Worries provides free, professional support for children and teenagers ages 2-18 through a parent’s serious illness or injury, so that they can reach their full potential. The Illness Education and Coping Curriculum is clinically validated and professionally delivered by Certified Child Life Specialists, free to families and available in Spanish and English.
Since 2001, Wonders & Worries has provided children and teenagers with an age-appropriate understanding of illness, treatments, side effects; strategies for expressing their feelings related to changes in the family; and skills for coping with stress, anger, sadness, and fear. The copyrighted and clinically validated Illness Education and Coping Curriculum promotes healthy short-term and long-term coping and results in improved communication skills, reduced anxiety, increased feeling of security at home, and improved school performance.
In addition, Wonders & Worries provides a multitude of informational and supportive resources for parents and continuing education opportunities for professionals nationwide.
Families First is a special program at Moffitt Cancer Center designed to help parents and their children adjust to the changes that occur within the family when a parent has cancer. Education, preparation, and support enable families to cope successfully in the face of a serious illness.
Bright Spot Network is a national nonprofit supporting parents with cancer and their families. We focus on parents and guardians caring for young children at the time of diagnosis, including those diagnosed during pregnancy. All families navigating a parent or guardian's cancer are welcome, regardless of cancer type or stage. All of our programs are offered at no cost, and parents can choose what fits best for their family: free children's books about cancer and big feelings, a curated art box, a financial grant, virtual support groups, connections for kids, and an array of web resources.
You have cancer. You have kids. No one prepared either of you for this. Pickles Group is here to help. Our free, expert-designed programs and resources are created and delivered with your kid's needs in mind. For parents, we provide live webinars, recordings, and other resources to help you feel prepared to talk to and support your kids with your cancer experience. For kids, we provide in-person and virtual peer-to-peer programs for kids and teens ages 6-18, focused on age-appropriate cancer education, coping, and connecting with other kids that get it. Having a parent with cancer can be a lonely, isolating experience. Pickles Group creates thriving communities of kids supporting kids whose parents have cancer.
