Shine On! Kids celebrates its 20th Anniversary!
This July, we launched our 20th anniversary celebration of the founding of The Tyler Foundation, which later became the certified nonprofit organization Shine On! Kids. Inspired by our personal experience and the cancer journey of our son, Tyler, who died just before his second birthday, my husband and I founded an organization to help children and families going through what we had gone through. Today, I look back with immense gratitude and joy at what Tyler’s short life has created.
Twenty years ago, our dream was simple: to bring smiles and hope to children facing serious illness and their families at one hospital in Tokyo. Today, that dream has grown into programs reaching children and families at hospitals and medical facilities across Japan. Perhaps the greatest lesson we have learned over the years is that children don’t stop needing support when treatment ends. They need encouragement, connection, and opportunities to rebuild their lives as they return to school, reconnect with friends, and rediscover their place in society.
Looking ahead, our vision is for every child and family in Japan, regardless of where they receive treatment, to have access to evidence-based psychosocial support that inspires hope and builds resilience. Achieving this vision will require close collaboration across hospitals, healthcare, business, government and local communities. Shine On! Kids is committed to leading this effort by bringing our partners together to create a future where every child and family knows they will never have to face serious illness alone.
Throughout this anniversary year, we will be expressing our appreciation and preparing a variety of programs as we look ahead to the future we will build together.
Check out the press release in PR Times here. (You’ll need to ask your browser to translate to English).
And join us for our 20th Anniversary Gala – Friday, November 6th at the Tokyo American Club!
Kim Forsythe
President, Shine On! Kids
Hospital Facility Dog® Program
“Shine On! Art Exhibition — Beyond Our 20th Anniversary: Our Journey with Hospital Facility Dogs®”
On July 29, the Shine On! Art Exhibition, one of our 20th-anniversary projects, opened for a 4-day show. The exhibition featured works created by Shine On! Members and their families, as well as charity artworks contributed by 10 emerging artists through the generosity of the gallery.
At the opening-day workshop, Shine On! Members worked alongside instructors from Artbar to create a collaborative artwork. The children each drew stars, the symbol of Shine On! Kids, in their own unique way. Standing out clearly against the stars is “Ivy,” created by Tomi-kun, who has been drawing Hospital Facility Dogs® for many years.
This vibrant artwork, filled with the children’s smiles and energy, stretches across an impressive canvas measuring 120 cm high by 100 cm wide.
Mana to Become the 2nd Hospital Facility Dog® at NCCHD
Mana, a beautiful 2-year-old Golden Retriever, recently passed all of her exams and is undergoing her final 6-month working trial to become the second full-time Hospital Facility Dog® at the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) alongside Masa. As this program continues to gain momentum in Japan, it’s becoming clear to the children’s hospitals that one dog is not enough to keep up with the needs of their kids. Mana was supported generously by one of our private donors whose family also gave Mana her beautiful name. If you are interested in supporting one of our puppies-in-training this way, please get in touch: kim@sokids.org.
Read the press release about Mana here.
Sneak Peek of Our New Training Base!
Shine On! Kids purchased a new training base in April this year to increase the number of Hospital Facility Dogs® in training and develop a sustainable system for providing new teams to hospitals.
We viewed so many properties over months and months, but it was really hard to find one that met all our requirements. So when we finally found this property, we were filled with relief: “We’ve finally found it!”
Stay tuned for more updates! We’re looking forward to sharing the final photos post-renovation and celebrating the grand opening soon.
Beads of Courage® Program
62nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Session of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
From July 9 – 11, we hosted an exhibition booth at the 62nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Session of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.
We explained the Beads of Courage® program to people who stopped by and expressed an interest in our work. We also introduced our independence-support program for children with congenital heart disease, which is currently being trialled.
Our team members met directly with healthcare professionals from hospitals that already offer our programs and heard first-hand about the current situation and needs at each hospital. It was an extremely productive three days.
Executive Fight Night XIV – Fighting for Fighters
We had another fabulous night of excitement, bravery, and inspiration at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo for Executive Fight Night XIV. In addition to the glamour and amazing fights, we had some of our program participants join the evening to really bring home the “Fighting for Fighters” theme.
Check out the Fighters Meet Fighters pre-event video where some of our kids get to meet the EFN fighters here.
Thank you to all of our brave boxers, our generous sponsors, and all of the guests!
Save the date for next year – EFN XV – Friday, May 28th, 2027! Questions about sponsoring or fighting?
Contact kim@sokids.org.
