BEYOND THE MOON
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Mission Statement
Beyond the Moon offers happiness, relaxation and pleasure to families with a sick child by allowing them to enjoy, far away from the hospital, a cost free all-inclusive family vacation, and by providing them distraction with interactive 3D murals in the hospital, during a consultation and/or hospitalisation.
About This Cause
Beyond the Moon, a Belgian non-profit organisation founded on 18 May 2005, is of the opinion that every child should get the chance to be a child and enjoy life. We strongly believe that a relaxing vacation is a fundamental right for everyone, especially for families with a sick child. A sick child, who today can relax and have fun with his family, will better fight against the disease tomorrow. A break away from the daily routine is important for the mental wellbeing and to fill the batteries with new energy. The MOON in our logo symbolises the carefree family vacation and brightens up the often dark and painful days of these families. The joyful holiday memories will be cherished forever and reach BEYOND their expectations and dreams. We make every effort to ensure that the Beyond the Moon vacation provides them with lifelong memories; especially should the sick child pass away. Since Beyond the Moon was founded in 2005, our main project 'Offer a Vacation' provides families with a sick child an unforgettable vacation experience before or after a medical treatment, far away from the hospital. Taking a break and reloading the batteries with new energy is extremely important for the morale of these families and strenghtens family ties. Our unique project puts a smile on the face of the sick child and other family members. Beyond the Moon handles, organises and pays everything. The families only need to pack their suitcase and enjoy the once in a lifetime vacation. Short, Beyond the Moon gives hope, energy and joy. Families with a sick child constantly cherish the hope for better times and more enjoyable moments. The carefree family vacation offered by Beyond the Moon gives them the energy they need to experience some joy in their life and to continue their daily struggle against the disease. Every year, we assume our responsibilities and we strive to book at least a family vacation per week (minimum 52 vacations/year). A sponsor can finance the entire fee for sponsoring a family vacation (€4.500/per family - regardless of the destination and the number of family members). This amount covers the travel and transportation costs, accommodation and meals, charges for a travel and medical insurance for all the family members, medical services and equipment, pocket money, car rental with insurance (if needed), gasoline, medical assistant or interpreter (if required), any other travel related costs (e.g. passport, visa, taxi, etc) and reimbursement of telephone and postal charges involved in the administrative handling of the family file. In addition, the families get free entrance tickets or a financial allowance to visit attraction parks and other local curiosities nearby their travel destination. Any non-used portion of the €4.500 will mainly be used to offer another family with a sick child a Beyond the Moon vacation and/or to cover extra travel costs for large families. Beyond the Moon collaborates with specific holiday partners. The family may possibly choose between a quiet holiday park (e.g. Center Parcs, Sunparks, Landal GreenParks, Park Molenheide) or an attraction park (e.g. Disneyland Paris), once all the criteria, as well as the advantages and disadvantages have been discussed with the child's primary care physician. Therefore, the holiday destinations are first thoroughly discussed and assessed with the child's primary care physician who, upon mutual agreement, delivers his written medical authorisation for this family vacation with the sick child. The family can not submit her preference for or choose a specific holiday village at one of our holiday partners. This is determined by Beyond the Moon in consultation with the holiday partner(s). The possibilities are investigated according to the availability for the preferred travel dates, the size of the family, the age of the child(ren), the medical needs of the sick child, etc. Beyond the Moon has an international reach for families across Europe. A contribution we receive from a sponsor in a given country will be used for a family with a sick child from that country. Therefore, the number of families per country depends on the funds we respectively receive from each country. We propose to the families a travel destination to a child-friendly environment appealing to the children’s imagination, which moreover meets the special needs of the sick child and family. Sponsors raising funds for Beyond the Moon have the chance to see the tangible results of their contribution close to home, as they can help a family from their own region or country. Staff members from corporate companies who may happen to know a family that answers our selection criteria, can also nominate a family and contact the Beyond the Moon office. That makes the support tangible and transparent. Before a family is found eligible, the request and our selection criteria are thoroughly discussed with health professionals, such as nurses, social workers, psychologists, doctors and professors. They know the background of these families and their needs. Once we get the medical approval for a sick child, we work out the most appropriate vacation package for the family. Custom work is only possible if we carefully and skilfully handle the confidential information received and we are able to meet the specific needs of the sick child and his/her family. Each child has a specific medical and social background and own needs. The timeframe between the nomination, the selection and the fulfilment may vary from 14 days to 2 months, and sometimes may even be longer. It depends on the cooperation of the medical staff at the hospital, the treatment and health condition of the child, family circumstances, availability at the vacation partner, specific medical constraints or other special needs. We believe it is utmost important and crucial to allocate sufficient time to scrutinise each application to prevent and avoid disappointments and risks. Beyond the Moon can annually count on the support of a number of loyal partners, who fully cover its operating costs. We do not spend a single eurocent for advertising or office renting (our two employees are home-based / one full-time and one part-time employee). We can count on free media and marketing, word-of-mouth and we get the support from students (studying Marketing, social media and e-commerce) to increase our awareness on the Internet. Each donation to our charity is fully used to offer a family vacation to families with a seriously ill child. Beyond the Moon deliberately doesn't claim government grants. We totally depend on donations and corporate sponsorship, private benefactors, schools, sports and service clubs, etc to fund the family vacations. In-kind support of material, services and tools is also welcome, because it allows us to reduce our daily operating costs and to invest our energy and funds where they are most needed, i.e. to fund family vacations. Therefore we get the help from companies that make a contribution of time, talent or other resources, such as collateral designs, printing, website, accounting, IT-support, mailing, auditing, etc. Since Spring 2021, we launched a second project. This project was started in 2021, despite and partly due to Covid-19, because family vacations were not possible during the pandemic. Our secondary project “Paint a Smile” brings colour into the life of families with a sick child and puts a smile back on their faces during a hospitalisation or consultation at the children's hospital. The result promotes mental well-being and relieves the pain in their days, which are often synonymous with stress, anxiety and loneliness. References from parents and medical staff (see our website) confirm that this project is beneficial to the child's imagination and the mental well-being. The main project of Beyond the Moon remains ‘Offer a Vacation’, to which we will yearly devote 100% of our attention. Nevertheless, ‘Paint a Smile’ will be annually evaluated and could also be implemented as secondary project, depending on the available funds and the involvement of sponsors & partners. Should you wish to sponsor one of our projects as company, please contact us. Since Covid-19 in 2020 and the energy crisis in 2022, i.e. over the past three years, we noticed a serious decrease of fundraising activities. We are looking for new partnerships with companies and more funds to enable us to achieve our annual goals. Our communication channels are mainly: our website, Facebook and Instagram We also publish posts on LinkedIn. Twitter is not much used.