Dancing While Cancering
Smile Packs · About this organization
What you get
A backpack of gifts for your child, such as a music speaker, wall decorations and small instruments.
How to start
Ask your hospital’s child life team whether it can arrange a Smile Pack for your child.
The details, as published
Your child gets a gift backpack during hospital care. The hospital team arranges it.
What help you may get
Practical Items And Home Help
Smile Pack backpack
Your child gets small gifts for music, play and room decoration.
Amount not published
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. Published diagnosis scope "any_pediatric_cancer"; GPT Pro intake run05 read B-ALL as eligible.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
Treatment status
Newly Diagnosed
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.
- Site publishes no residence rule; help is delivered through partner hospitals (see treatment location). The home page says the programs reach “pediatric oncology patients across the country.”
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be connected to: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; C.S. Mott Children's Hospital (Michigan Medicine); Cincinnati Children's; Sanford Children's; Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital; Loyola Medicine; Banner Children's at Diamond Children's Medical Center; Central DuPage Hospital; Rush University Children's Hospital; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital; Children's National Hospital; Nebraska Medicine; Presbyterian Children's Care; Children's Medical Center at Summerlin Hospital; St. Luke's Children's Hospital; Methodist Children's Hospital; UChicago Medicine Comer Children's; Johns Hopkins Children's Center; Texas Children's Hospital; Nemours Children's Health; Cohen Children's Medical Center (Northwell Health); Advocate Children's Hospital; Children's Minnesota.
- A Smile Pack is a joy-filled welcome backpack delivered to newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients at select partner hospitals.
- The Partners page lists these Hospital Partners by logo; it does not say which partner offers which program, so ask your child life team whether your hospital takes part.
- If you are interested in joining this prestigious list of hospitals and bringing Smile Packs, Maddie’s Character closets or any of our other great initiatives to your hospital, please CONTACT US.
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.
- Your hospital discusses the activity and local arrangements with Dancing While Cancering.
Ways to apply or ask
- Hospital Workflow
- Web Form · Open form or page — Contact form (Name, Email, Phone Number, Subject, Message; “Send Now”). Also scott@dancingwhilecancering.org and pammy@dancingwhilecancering.org.
Documents to prepare
The program does not publish a document checklist. Ask before gathering paperwork.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Hospital Mediated |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Not Published |
| Last checked | Sep 26, 2026 |
- Delivered through partner hospitals; the site’s contact form (“Send Now”) is the published way to ask about bringing the program to your hospital.
Limitations and things to confirm
No additional limitations are published.
- The site lists its Hospital Partners but not which partner offers this program today; does your child’s hospital take part?
Official sources
Program details were last verified Sep 26, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- dancingwhilecancering.org/our-story · checked Sep 25, 2026
- dancingwhilecancering.org/donate · checked Sep 25, 2026
- dancingwhilecancering.org/partners · checked Sep 26, 2026
- dancingwhilecancering.org/how-we-bring-smiles · checked Sep 26, 2026