Famous Fone Friends "Making Children Smile"
1. Who Operates Famous Fone Friends?
Famous Fone Friends is operated by its founder, Linda Stone Shure, a Los Angeles Board of Education Studio Teacher. Studio Teachers are California credentialed teachers who teach the minors employed in the entertainment industry. As the Director of FFF, Linda manages the day-to-day affairs of the organization. Mark Wallis, a retired business consultant, assists Linda in FFF's on-line and fund raising activities. Of course, there are also the dozens of other volunteers who give so generously of their time. No one associated with FFF receives any monetary compensation.
2. Is Famous Fone Friends a Recognized Charity?Both the IRS and the State of California recognize FAMOUS FONE FRIENDS (FFF) as a non-profit, charitable, 501(c)(3) organization. All donations to FFF are fully tax deductible.
3. Is there a charge to the hospitals or children who receive celebrity telephone calls arranged through FFF?
There is no cost to the participating hospitals and families.
4. How does FFF obtain the funds that it needs to operate?
The majority of funds come from donations from the supporters of FFF. In addition, some additional funds are obtained through the auctioning of items donated by some of its celebrity volunteers. Hospitals and families are never solicited for donations.
5. How Can I Make a Donation to Famous Fone Friends?
Please mail your check or money order to:
Famous Fone Friends
9101 Sawyer Street
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Please include your name, address and telephone number. 100% of your donation goes towards services to benefit the children.
6. Did Famous Phone Friends have an advisory board?
Yes, the members of the Founding Advisory Board are:
Dr. Robert Adler, Director of Education, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Hon. Thomas Bradley, Former Mayor, City of Los Angeles
J. Nicholas Counter, III, President, Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)
Hon. Terry Friedman, Judge
Zev Yaroslavsky, Member of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
7. I work at a hospital. How can I refer a seriously ill child to Famous Fone Friends?
The purpose of FFF is to lift the spirits and morale of hospitalized and home-bound children by linking them with celebrity "friends" through the telephone. To refer a child, please phone/fax the information below to 310-204-5683 or send it in an email to info@famousfonefriends.org.
a. Child's name, gender and age
b. A brief description of the child's medical problem Optional)
c. Child's home telephone and parents' cell phone numbers (especially important if there is a chance of an early discharge)
d. Child's special interests (TV shows/movies, sport, music, specific celebrities, etc.)
e. Hospital room number AND NURSES STATION NUMBER
e. The best time(s) to reach the child
f. Your name and telephone number, hospital name, city and state/province
8. I'm a celebrity or well-known athlete and would like to phone a child. What does this involve?
The commitment for the celebrity is to make one telephone call. FFF will provide suggestions regarding the structure and content of the call. Occasionally a child will ask for an autographed picture (or the celebrity can volunteer it) and FFF will mail it out for you. In most circumstances, FFF discourages having the celebrity call the child more than once to avoid the child becoming too attached. Contact FFF if the child requests to be called again and FFF will assign another celebrity.
It is very important for a celebrity to call the child soon after receiving the request from FFF. Doctors try to discharge children as soon as possible so, if for some reason, the call cannot be made in a timely fashion, please notify FFF and other arrangements will be made.
If you'd like to get involved, please contact us at 310-204-5683 or send it an email to info@famousfonefriends.org.
