A Glimmer of Hope Foundation brings the near impossible to light. The organization makes children stricken with cancer and other extreme illnesses smile by providing them with bald dolls that look like them.

Lisa Egan, a 20-year-old student studying psychology and sociology at Simmons University, graduated from Cranston West in 2020. She graduated with honors and awards from the history department. She was involved in theatre, doing set design and theatre board, also participating in Student Council and ATOMS. She also worked at Cranston Parks and Recreation camp.

“Glimmer of Hope (501c3) was established July 9, 2020. We have our own chapter but have donated dolls all over the United States, as well as internationally. Ali Hornung started the organization after making and donating hundreds of masks during the beginning of the pandemic,” said Egan.

Egan was made aware of this through her Cranston West senior year math teacher, Ms. Hornung.

"Her daughter, Ali Hornung, is the founder and is a senior at URI. Glimmer of Hope was founded on behalf of Ella Integlia, a 14-year-old girl who relapsed with Leukemia and sadly passed away. Ella’s dream was to have a bald American Girl doll given to show other girls strength and courage. I have joined this board as I am passionate about advocating for childhood cancer," Egan said.

"Along with that I am the Assistant Special Initiatives Director for Glimmer of Hope Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization that shows girls and boys their strength and beauty through the donation of bald dolls and provides hope to families battling childhood cancer," she said.

The foundation consists of a 10 person executive board as well as a junior board made up of seven high schoolers (executive) and five regular members. The foundation is actively looking for middle school and young high schoolers to join.

As with any organization, creative and productive fundraising is always challenging. But, throw a global pandemic into the mix, and it becomes even more daunting.

To that end, Glimmer of Hope Foundation has created a completely free fundraiser. The only cost is your time.

“We’re running a completely free fundraiser right now that I wanted to share with you all. You have the opportunity to donate a doll to a child battling cancer for free and it is so painfully easy. You can complete 75 surveys (they take 10-30 seconds each) rating your favorite stores and companies by literally clicking smiley faces. The campaign runs for 30 days (until Aug. 3) and if you complete all 75 by then, you can sponsor a doll for a child for completely free, and you will actually get to see the child you sponsored with their doll on our social media pages,” said Egan.

The survey campaign is 100 percent confidential and no information is given out, except your name, so they can record who will be considered a doll sponsor. Here are the simple steps to start taking the surveys.

Text HOPE to 90412 or click this link to sign up https://bit.ly/HXC-HOPE (your personal information is safe and secure with hundred X and it is NOT shared with the companies you rate or anyone else)

Start completing surveys and you have until Aug. 3 to complete all 75. Each survey generates $2, aka $150 if you do all of them!

“Please don’t do this for me -- do it for the little girl who is going to have to shave her head this week and is afraid to be different -- but with her new bald doll friend, she feels like the world is a less scary and more inclusive place. Do it for my best friend who had a dream for children to feel confident in their hair loss and is carrying on that dream from heaven,” Egan said.

Their ultimate goal is to spread hope and donate as many bald dolls to childhood cancer patients.

“We also do ‘Best Day Ever’ photoshoots, which consist of dressing the young girls up as princesses with a day full of hair and makeup as well as a doll dressed up as the same princess as them. We donate bereavement paintings to warriors who have lost their lives. We advocate for more funding, as childhood cancer only receives four percent of federal funding. We will be at Cancer Fest in Washington DC this September,” Egan said.

To learn more about the foundation, or make a donation to Glimmer of Hope Foundation, visit their website: glimmerofhopefoundation.org.