Beyond the Moon

FREQUENtLY ASKED QUESTIons

When was BEYOND THE MOON established?

What type of organisation is BEYOND THE MOON?

What is the organisational structure of the office?

Is BEYOND THE MOON connected to or part of another organisation?

Does BEYOND THE MOON work in association with other organisations?

What kind of wishes does BEYOND THE MOON fulfil?

How many wishes does BEYOND THE MOON fulfil annually?

How are the wish fulfilments funded?

How much does a wish fulfilment cost?

Why is it the same cost for all destinations?

Who can participate in the wish fulfilment?

How does BEYOND THE MOON find sick children and families?

Can families themselves put forward a request for a wish fulfilment?

Can families themselves choose the travel destination?

Does a family have to pay for the vacation?

Can one child be granted several wishes?

How can doctors or social workers be of help in the wish fulfilment?

What children are eligible for a wish fulfilment?

What are the selection criteria?

The selection process

Does BEYOND THE MOON carry out telemarketing?

ANSWERS

When was BEYOND THE MOON established?
BEYOND THE MOON was established in Belgium in 2005 by a group of dynamic entrepreneurs from various businesses and diverse nationalities, who support the association on a voluntary basis. BEYOND THE MOON was created following the re-organisation of a similar entity, which operated under a different name from 1998 till 2005. During the past 10 years, BEYOND THE MOON has therefore built up the needed know-how and knowledge, to efficiently run and professionally manage all the operations within this association.

What type of organisation is BEYOND THE MOON ?
BEYOND THE MOON is a non-profit association (v.z.w.- vereniging zonder winstoogmerk) whose mission is to offer children, from financially deprived families, suffering from a life-threatening disease and their families, the opportunity to spend valuable quality time together and to enjoy a memorable, cost-free and carefree vacation in a child-friendly environment far away from hospitals and daily treatments. It is incorporated under the Belgian law and is registered in Belgium at the address: Zandstraat 27k, 2223 Schriek. BEYOND THE MOON is in compliance with the Belgian law; its statutes have been published in the 'Belgisch Staatsblad' (official journal). Despite its international outreach, it can act as a LOCAL charity, whose continuity depends on the funding of sponsors.

What is the organisational structure of the office?
The daily operations are handled by a small team. They get the support of members (Executives from various companies and businesses), of whom some are working members who with the President make up the Board of Directors. Together with the other non-working members, they have an advisory role and/or assist in fundraising and networking. Several members fulfil an important task within the organisation in a professional way and on a voluntary basis. Together with the team, they are responsible for all fundraising activities, communications, wish fulfilment and corporate alliances for the organisation. For cost saving reasons, there is currently no location with an office - all staff members are home-based and meet regularly for evaluations and meetings. All correspondence for the office should be sent to: BEYOND THE MOON, Zandstraat 27k, 2223 Schriek, Belgium.

Is BEYOND THE MOON connected to or part of another organisation?
BEYOND THE MOON was created following the re-organisation of a similar entity, which operated under a different name from 1998 till 2005. During the past 10 years, BEYOND THE MOON has therefore built up the needed know-how and knowledge, to efficiently run and professionally manage all the operations within this association. Founded in 2005, BEYOND THE MOON operates as an independent entity and is solely responsible for its own legal, financial, managerial and strategic decisions. Because some companies sponsoring us operate throughout and/or outside Europe, with volunteers raising funds to be used for local children, the families we serve come from various countries. The Belgian office is the only contact point for everyone who would like to support the organisation and help make wishes come true for a child and family from his/her local community, whatever country they operate in (except the US).

Does BEYOND THE MOON work in association with other organisations?
It is our objective to fulfil the wishes of as many sick children from indigent families as possible. Therefore, we may work with other associations or foundations, whose objectives are medical research and/or disease prevention and whose mission is not to fulfil wishes. For instance, we could work with an Aids-fund prepared to sponsor wish fulfilments for children with HIV or with a cancer association helping cancer patients.
BEYOND THE MOON redirects spontaneous requests for wish fulfilments from other wish-granting organisations who can fund and organise similar wishes themselves to the reservations offices of our travel destinations so as to ensure no sick child is denied his/her wish.

What kind of wishes does BEYOND THE MOON fulfil?
BEYOND THE MOON only fulfils one kind of wish, i.e. offering children sufferring from a life-threatening disease, and their indigent families, the opportunity to spend valuable quality time together and to enjoy a memorable, cost-free and carefree vacation in a child-friendly environment far away from hospitals and daily treatments.
Everyone has the right to some enjoyment and relaxation in life to forget the daily stress and strains. Because like any other child, also children suffering from a life-threatening disease express the wish to enjoy life and spend precious time together with their family, BEYOND THE MOON endeavours to make this happen. We offer these special children, and their families, an all-in cost-free vacation to holiday destinations appealing to the children’s imagination, filled with beautiful and joyful experiences that reach "beyond the Moon".

How many wishes does BEYOND THE MOON fulfil annually?
The number of wishes that BEYOND THE MOON fulfils per country depends on the funding it receives on a yearly basis out of that respective country and varies annually. It is not realistic to have a long waiting list of children suffering from a life-threatening illness. Although the annual number of wishes is growing, BEYOND THE MOON still has limited financial means and can use everyone's support. So far, it has fulfilled wishes of families from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

How are the wish fulfilments funded?
Without the support and belief of sponsors and partners in our mission we would not be able to achieve our main objective, which is to fulfil as many wishes as possible of children from indigent families across Europe with a growing number every year. Our existence and continuity entirely depend on corporate companies (national, multinational, large, medium or small sized), benefactors, (sports and service) clubs, etc. which give us their support and raise funds for us. Read the section 'how you can help' for more details. In addition, we are looking for in kind donations of any non-cash product, tool or service that can help us save on costs in our every day work and will allow us to invest our energy and funds in wish granting.

How much does a wish fulfilment cost?
A fee of 4.000 EUR (average cost for 5 persons) is requested for the sponsoring of a family vacation regardless of the number of family members and the destination. This amount covers the travel and transportation costs from their home to the vacation resort and back, charges for a travel and medical insurance for all the family members, medical services and facilities, pocket money, accommodation and meals, car rental, rental car insurance, petrol, medical assistance or interpreter (if required) and any other related costs (visa/passport, etc). In addition, the families get free entrance tickets to visit the local curiosities and amusement parks nearby.

Why is it the same cost for all destinations?
The vacation packages offered by BEYOND THE MOON are exclusive and especially put together by BEYOND THE MOON; they must meet specific standards. Once the amount of 4.000 EUR (*) for the sponsoring of a family vacation is available and before we start the selection process, we do not know whether this child wants or can travel to a family resort (such as Center Parcs) or to an amusement park resort (such as Disneyland Resort Paris). The choice of the destination is first discussed with the primary care physician of the sick child. The latter helps in deciding where the child will travel according to the child’s condition. Sometimes, we need to make last-minute changes to the destination because of the deteriorating health condition of the child.
Depending on the number of family members, airline fares to/from the country of origin, medical requirements of the child, as well as the individual travel and medical insurance, the vacation will cost the same, more or less per family than the allocated 4.000 EUR (*). Any differences are brought into balance for larger families or for additional medical and travel expenses from other families.

(*) average budget for 5 persons

Who can participate in the wish fulfilment?
The participants to the wish fulfilment are the selected sick child with his/her immediate family, i.e. the parent(s) (or guardian(s)/tutor(s)) and siblings living within the same household.

How does BEYOND THE MOON find sick children and families?
From the moment we have raised on behalf of a sponsor (or various sponsors) the amount of 4.000 EUR, BEYOND THE MOON gives the sponsor(s) the opportunity to refer a family. When the sponsor does not know a family, BEYOND THE MOON can find one via its network and contacts with local hospitals and doctors. When BEYOND THE MOON has to find a sick child, it is our aim to find a family who meets our criteria and lives preferably in the region and/or country of the sponsor(s). This makes the support of the sponsor(s) very tangible. We endeavour to accomplish this within 2-4 months from the moment the funds have been transferred to our bank account. This timeframe usually depends on the child's condition, the travel requirements or other specific needs of the family and the availability at the travel destination.

Can families themselves put forward a request for a wish fulfilment?
The office of BEYOND THE MOON is in a development stage and has limited financial means. The more funds we receive, the more wishes can be fulfilled and the more sick children and families we can make truly happy. But, because we can only fulfil wishes in relation to the number of donations - which together add up to 4.000 EUR per family, it is only possible for a family to put forward a request for a wish fulfilment through a sponsor or a doctor. When a potential child and family meet all our criteria, BEYOND THE MOON checks whether there are enough funds available to meet this request. However, no guarantee can be given as long as there are insufficient funds.

Can families themselves choose the travel destination?
The vacation packages offered by BEYOND THE MOON are exclusive and especially put together by BEYOND THE MOON; they must meet specific standards. The travel destination depends in the first place on the physical condition of the sick child, which is first assessed with the child's primary care physician who eventually delivers the final authorisation for the trip. Should the child be fit for all the destinations, the pro's and con's discussed and all the needed medical requirements and insurances can be organised, then the choice is given to the family. We are fully dedicated to make each family vacation - often the first and last one together - as comfortable and carefree as possible. Therefore, we propose a travel destination to a child-friendly environment meeting the special needs of the child and family. A lot of families prefer to remain close to home because the travel journey is less demanding on the sick child.

Does a family have to pay for the vacation?
No. The families we serve and select do not have the financial means to pay themselves the expenses of such a family vacation.

Can one child be granted several wishes?
No. We fulfil the wish of one child only once. It is clearly stated in our criteria that the child cannot previously have had a wish granted through BEYOND THE MOON, nor has the child been granted a similar wish (family vacation) by another wish-granting organisation.
As we only fulfil one kind of wish, i.e. a family vacation to travel destinations selected by BEYOND THE MOON, when sick children express another wish, we pass them on to another wish-granting organisation in order for them to also have their wish be fulfilled.

How can doctors or social workers be of help in the wish fulfilment?
We work together with professors, doctors and social workers from several hospitals and hospices throughout Europe, who help us identify and find children and families that meet our criteria. We are very thankful to them for the time and energy that they put into this delicate task. However, we are constantly looking for more medical professionals to team up with. So, if you think you can help us find children and families that meet our criteria, please send your details to info@beyondthemoon.org or complete the form.

What children are eligible for a wish fulfilment?
We fulfil the wish of children between 3 and 18 years old suffering from a life-threatening illness with limited life expectancy. It is the primary care physician of the child who determines whether or not the child has a life-threatening illness and who delivers his/her written medical authorisation for a wish fulfilment.

What are the selection criteria?

The child must be between 3 and 18 years old.
The child suffers from a life-threatening illness with limited life expectancy (e.g. Leukaemia, Cancer, Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, Heart Disease, Cerebral Palsy ...)
It must be the child's primary wish to spend a holiday together with his immediate family (parents and siblings).
The child cannot previously have had a similar wish (family vacation) granted by BEYOND THE MOON or another wish-granting organisation.
The physical condition of the child must be good enough to allow him/her to consciously enjoy the holiday and be able to travel. A medical authorisation is necessary.
A local and reliable insurance company warrants arranging an insurance policy to cover all travel and medical expenses, if any, for all family members – especially for the seriously ill child.
The parents cannot financially afford such a family vacation themselves.

The selection process
BEYOND THE MOON does not spend funds on just any wish request. Before a sick child - and family - is found eligible for a wish fulfilment, we discuss this request and our criteria with medical professionals, such as nurses, social workers, doctors and professors. BEYOND THE MOON handles every wish application following a well-considered list of criteria and with the necessary diplomacy.
The information we receive must be handled carefully and skilfully so as to meet the specific needs of each and every child. The timeframe between the selection process and the actual wish fulfilment can therefore vary from 14 days to 2 months or longer depending on the child's condition, the destination, the medical and travel requirements or other specific needs. We find it is of far greater importance to spend sufficient time and research on each wish to avoid any possible disappointments and risks.

Does BEYOND THE MOON carry out telemarketing?
BEYOND THE MOON does not work with telemarketeers to raise funds. We advise you to be careful whenever you are approached for giving money and to carefully investigate the case before you give out anything.