RAERAE OF LIGHT

RaeRae of Light provides resources to families with children affected by congenital heart defects in the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona. Founded in 2020, we give hope to families during an emotionally, financially, and logistically unstable period in their lives by ensuring their basic needs are met while their medically complex child receives the best care possible. Congenital heart defects affect 1 in 100 babies born. Due to the intense nature of congenital heart defect medical care, children often spend weeks at a time in hospitals. Underprivileged families without access to transportation, the inability to take off from work, or otherwise who cannot balance the logistics of day-to-day life often have to make difficult decisions regarding how often they can visit. Furthermore, medical expenses, surgeries, medications, and specialized care can quickly accumulate. The costs alone leave financially struggling families vulnerable, and basic needs such as food, housing, and utilities often are sacrificed in order to pay medical bills. All of this comes on top of the emotional toll of caring for a medically complex child. RaeRae of Light serves as a guiding resource for these families in their time of need. In addition to offering emotional support to deeply struggling families and their children, RaeRae of Light provides direct support for food, gas, utilities, and access to transportation to these families on a case-by-case basis, whether it is a single mother that needs transportation to see her child in the hospital or an underprivileged family of five in need of groceries for the week after a particularly tough medical bill. Finally, RaeRae of Light provides mental health resources for families struggling with the medical journeys of their children, empowering families to stay hopeful. We are impacting the lives of hundreds of families in the Phoenix Valley, continuing Reagan’s legacy of being a shining light in the worlds of those who need it most.