 What could give greater pleasure than helping sick children?
In Finland, the conditions are luckily favourable for children to recover even from severe diseases. This is largely due to the high standards of medical research and methods of treatment, the development and procurement of which are financially supported by both the private and public sector. There are five University Children's Hospitals in Finland: in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Kuopio and Oulu. Whether a treatment is successful largely depends on the modernity of hospital equipment and the extent to which the patient feels comfortable at the children's ward.
Effective, Safe and Pleasant Treatment
The Association of Friends of the University Children's Hospitals wants to improve the hospital care of children further by helping the hospitals to maintain and renew their equipment base. Lists of equipment and supplies needed in each hospital are available on the association's homepage in finnish. By supporting the research on children's diseases and the training of nursing staff, we can contribute to the development of more effective, safer and more painless methods of examination and treatment for children. We aim to make the children's stay in the hospital more pleasant by providing them toys, videos and hobby equipment as well as by organising trips.
 Different Ways to Reach the Goals
The basis of the Association is formed by various activities and events, in which many interest groups such as companies, societies and private persons participate. The Association finances its operations e.g. by organising concerts, entertainment shows, sports events and other public performances, as well as by selling Friend-labelled products and organising flag days and lotteries. A considerable share of the funds is obtained from donations, benefits from wills and agreements which allow partners to use the logo of the Friends against a fee.
Help from Many Finns
The Friends include more than 400 famous Finns from the fields of entertainment, sports, culture and business, who are willing to make a contribution towards helping sick children. These members are invited by the board of the Association to join the Friends. Their help is indispensable in the organisation of different events. These Friends visit children in hospitals and appear in different company and public events as well as in concerts. The "Friend of the Friends" is ice-hockey star Teemu Selänne.
The Association's caring and friendly mascot, Teemu the bear has been named after him. The office of the Association of Friends of the University Children's Hospitals, which is responsible for the day-to-day work, is situated on Pohjoinen Makasiinikatu 6 in Helsinki.
Accurate Distribution of Funds
The statutes of the Association include detailed rules how the funds have to be shared. According to the donors' wishes, the funds are either restricted (to a specific purpose) or unrestricted (to non-specified purposes). The specified purposes of the restricted funds are listed on the Association's homepage.
Of the unrestricted funds, 30 per cent are given to the Foundation of Pediatric Research. The rest is distributed among the Children's Hospitals in such a way that Helsinki gets 2/6 of the sum and the Children's Hospitals in Turku, Tampere, Oulu and Kuopio 1/6 each.
Anyone Can Be Backing Member
Of the active members of the Association, two thirds represent the University Children's Hospitals and the Foundation of Pediatric Research. Support members, so-called Friends, have the right to speak but not to vote at the Association's meetings. Private persons, societies and companies can join the Association as backing members with no right to speak or to vote at the meetings. |
 Contact information
The Association of Friends of the University Children's Hospitals
Vattuniemenkatu 23 A,
FI-00210
Helsinki, Finland
Tel: +358 9 6824 520
Fax: +358 9 6824 5210
e-mail: kummit@kummit.com
www.kummit.com
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