NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - Friends of Karen, a North Salem-based nonprofit that assists families with children facing life-threatening illnesses, recently received a financial boost from the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
Legislator Erika L. Pierce (D-District 2), delivered a ceremonial “big check” for $21,600 to the organization on Monday, April 6, affirming “the board’s commitment to uplift the county’s children and families.”
Said Pierce, “Friends of Karen provides critical support to families facing the unthinkable. With the benefit of decades of experience, their trained staff assists families as they try to negotiate the medical system, providing mental health supports, camp scholarships, school supplies, and other daily needs, including rent and transportation, for the entire family, often for many years.”
These efforts can help prevent families from “losing their home and allow them the space to celebrate holidays and other family milestones,” she said, adding that the county is “grateful for them and the work they do and thrilled to partner with them in these efforts.”
Accepting the money was the nonprofit’s executive director, Stefanie Ortiz-Cidlik.
“We are deeply thankful to Legislator Pierce for recognizing that medical care is only one part of a family’s journey when facing a child’s life-threatening illness,” she said.
“This support means that families can focus entirely on their child’s health rather than the fear of losing their home or falling behind on bills. With a Friends of Karen social worker by their side, they gain a compassionate partner to help carry the weight of an unimaginably difficult time,” Ortiz-Cidlik said.
To date, Friends of Karen has provided emotional, financial, and advocacy support to the families of nearly 19,000 children in the tri-state area.
In 2025, nearly a third of its clients had an income below poverty level and 52 percent had an annual income of $50,000 or less.
The need for these is families is “acute, particularly as the cost of essentials such as food and medicine continues to rise,” it says.
ORIGIN STORY
The North Salem-based nonprofit was started in 1978, most likely at the kitchen table of its founder, the late Sheila Petersen, a friend and neighbor of the MacInnes family, whose 16-year-old daughter, Karen, was dying of a rare genetic disorder, Lafora disease.
The teen had been in the hospital for almost a year and her parents, who lived in Purdys, were driving 110 miles a day to see her.
Karen wanted to spend her remaining time surrounded by those she loved.
Despite the overwhelming challenges they faced in caring for her, the MacInneses brought Karen home.
Petersen rallied the community to help pay for the teen’s round-the-clock care.
Karen spent the last 11 months of her life at home in Purdys. Her family expressed the wish that Petersen continue to help others in similar situations.
After Petersen was tragically killed in a car accident in 1990, the then-small organization vowed to carry on her efforts.
In 1995, Friends of Karen moved into a little white house at 118 Titicus Road where it continues to pursue its mission of helping families in crisis.
GOOD TO KNOW
To apply for help from Friends of Karen, the parent or guardian of a child with a life-threatening illness can call FOK’s Family Support Team at (914) 617-4057.
For more information, visit www.friendsofkaren.org.
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