As a CF center social worker, I have referred multiple patients to Claire's Place and have had success in obtaining crucial resources to families in need. The process to apply for grant funding is simple and fast ! Thank you for all you do
Gracias ala organización clarie’s place por apoyarme ya que 2 semanas hospitalizada con mi bebé y en ese tiempo no pude trabajar y ellos me apoyaron a pagar mi renta se los agradezco mucho son Ángeles que nos apoyan y acompañan en este duro camino que es la fibrosis quistica …
They are very good at keeping communications open. When you ask for help navigating the site, they have no issues calling to help you. They are compassionate and knowledgeable about what they do and why they do it.
Muchas gracias a la fundacion Claires por ayudarnos con el pago total de la renta por un mes por concepto de estadia prolongada en el hospital, gracias muchas gracias!!!!!! ha sido muy valioso su apoyo...es muy importante contar con este tipo de apoyo en momentos dificiles y complejos. Mil gracias....
With in two month this year two of my kids with cystic fibrosis were put in the hospital and it put me in a very bad situation with being able to go back and forth to the hospital to be with them and see them and to pay the bills that were due and I won’t to say thanks to the extended hospital stay grant for the help I needed to keep my home for me and my kids
I am a 19-year-old with CF and had recently experienced my very first hospitalization. I am a college student at NAU and work to pay for my living situation, tuition, etc. My mom had spent a great deal of time and money to support me while I was hospitalized, including staying with me 24/7 while I was sick. Being hospitalized took me out of work and caused a great financial gap to occur for me. Claire's Place had provided funds for my rent to help bridge this gap and allow me to return to 'normal' life without fear of missing a month of rent. I am truly so thankful for Claire's Place and all that they do for CFers, especially after being hospitalized! Thank you from the bottom of my heart and wishing all CFers to breathe easy!
I have a 21 year old Cystic Fibrosis child. He got a simple rhinovirus infection at the beginning of April. With CF anything can blow up into a major infection this is what occurred. He was admitted to the hospital at Boston Children's Hospital ICU department on April 5 with severe pneumonia, CF exacerbation and critical respiratory distress. He was in the ICU department for 45 days. He is still currently in the hospital because of his increased 02 needs. I do not get paid when he is in the hospital because he is my patient for the Comple Care Associate program of Massachusetts. If it was not for the help of the Claires Place Foundation to cover my rent for a month I would be in desperate situation. Thank you so much and place donate to this wonderful program.
I was born with CF and at 28 years old, I was at home one night and suddenly was unable to breathe. I was quickly rushed out of my house to the local hospital where two days later I was being air lifted to a NYC (7 hours from my home) to be listed for a life saving lung transplant. After receiving my lungs and now having to move myself and my parents out of their homes and to NYC for the next few months, we are all facing the financial burden of food, uber rides, hotels, medical bills, etc. Having Claire's place help take away one of the bigger financial burdens of my bills from home was so amazing. I will be forever grateful for this foundation stepping up during one of the biggest and scariest moment of my life.
Absolute life saver for my family.
Helped us focus on what was really important instead of other life stresses.
My son was diagnosed with CF soon after birth. Recently, at 18 months old, we experienced his first hospitalization. Unlike the ones he had prior, this exacerbation was extremely frightening and very eye opening. At this time, my husband and I gained a deeper understanding of what the true effects of CF will be on our son, our family, and our daily responsibilities. Theoretically, dropping everything to be at the hospital with our son did not require a second thought. However, we have two other small children and jobs that are needed to pay bills that had to be considered. Not having enough paid time off accrued and not having FMLA paid time off benefits through his employer, meant that my husband had no money to contribute during his time away from work. Travel to and from the hospital, cost of food, childcare, etc. added up quickly. We are definitely feeling the financial hardship. Claire’s Place Foundation has provided us the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief and has delivered a reminder that we are not on our journey alone; that there is an entire CF community available for support. We are so blessed and grateful! Thank you so much Claire’s Place!

Clairesplace 05/06/2024
Thank you for sharing your story! We hope you know you are not alone in this journey. Melissa
I have a 15 year old who we are currently looking at for transplant. She has not been listed yet but we are beginning the process. She had a 24 day stay starting the day after Christmas, and we were still recuperating from her last stay a month before that and fell behind in our mortgage. The main issue that I have is the drive. The hospital is an hour and 45 minutes away and the bouncing back and forth is exhausting and we spend a lot of money. When they first approached me about Claire's Place I was skeptical. I was sitting at work wondering what I was going to do when the email came in. I thought to myself 'why not'? The whole process took a very short amount of time keeping us in the loop. In such a dark time Claire's Place was a beacon of light. A blessing!! From the research I have done on Claire she was a light to many... It is really amazing to know that the ones that run the foundation are keeping her light shining for many of us that need that beacon.

Clairesplace 05/06/2024
Thank you for sharing your story..we do work hard to keep her legacy alive here. Sending you and your family lots of love and support. Melissa
Receiving this grant from Claire’s Place Foundation means so much at this time of need! Especially when I had to go into the hospital for iv treatments for 2 weeks and be away from my family and out of work. When I had got home, I received great news that Claire’s Place Foundation was going to help pay my mortgage for the month.Having a foundation like this, is what the CF community needs now more than ever.
Previous Stories
I recently just got out of the hospital after spending 15 days in. While I was admitted I reached out to Claire's Place Foundation and they offered to help pay my monthly mortgage! It has been hard because I had a lot of financial burdens at home. Me and my family are so grateful there is an great Foundation that is still around to help Cystic Fibrosis families in a time of need with there financial burdens! I'm so glad and thankful that Claire's Place could be there for me and my family this time!
My daughter Skye was born with an intestinal blockage commonly found in baby's with CF called meconium ileus. At that time, we were unaware that she actually had CF (my husband is a carrier of an extremely rare variant that is not screened for) however, we both knew it was a possibility. Upon finding out her diagnosis we were both devastated - in addition to this, she has been in the NICU for 4 weeks due to the surgery for the blockage. Needless to say, it was a very low point for us as parents. After some processing time, we finally were able to come to peace with her diagnosis and haven't looked back since. She is an amazingly strong, happy, and loving little baby- and we could not ask for more. She just had her second surgery and we cannot wait to get her home! The grant takes a large bill off our plate so we can spend our time focusing on her, and loving her. My husband left his out of state college coaching job permanently due to the care she requires at this time (he was originally planning to return for the end of season but with her diagnosis he could not leave). He will definitely get another coaching job however, at the time he needs to be with her as I needed to return to work. We are so grateful for Claire's Place and the support it has given us during this time!!!
Words can't describe how grateful our family is to have financial help during such a difficult time for our family. Finances are so tight with Esme’s dad being laid off and myself on medical leave undergoing breast cancer treatment. Having Esme in hospital for a prolonged period during this time was an added stress and financial burden. Having this support means that we have a few weeks to enjoy some needed family time to recover before having to find another job. It also means the stress level has decreased considerably. This could not come at a better time. Hearing Claire’s story was so inspiring and we plan on fundraising during Esme’s upcoming ‘swim a thon ‘ for Claire’s place. We hope that Esme can help inspire other CF kids with her love of synchronized swimming and fearless pursuit of such a difficult sport for kids with CF.
I have a 19 month old with CF. We were admitted to John Hopkins to monitor weight gain for 5 days but turned into 20. We live paycheck to paycheck being down one income is very overwhelming to say the least. Regardless of those responsibilities my 1st and most important job is to my children. Being here every day to advocate and making sure he gets the best care. Claire’s place allowed us some peace not worrying about making our mortgage payment due to his hospital stay. There are no words to describe our gratitude for their kindness and generosity. There are several CF families struggling with hospital stays and in need of some peace of mind. I hope one day to pay it forward.
Claire's Place has helped my family more than we could have hoped for. We found out about our son's cystic fibrosis the same time that I lost my job. The stress in our house was already high, so when our son was hospitalized for 3 weeks, we were not sure how we were going to manage. Then our social worker told us about Claire's Place. When we got the approval email that Claire's Place was going to pay our rent, I was close to tears. I will never forget the feeling of relief that washed over me. My family wasn't going to be evicted from our house. Thank you so much to the amazing people of Claire's Place. They will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
I am single mother and caregiver to a 20 month old with cystic fibrosis. He was recently hospitalized for 2 weeks because he had bacteria in his lungs. A social worker from the CF clinic recommended Claires place Foundation program to me, because I was very concerned on how I would be able to pay for my rent. Once I filled out the requested forms, I was approved a week later! Claires Place Foundation is a blessing to CF families when they need the emergency assistance! Thank you For the much needed help!
I have Cystic Fibrosis. This lung disease has many factors that make daily jobs, daily tasks at times very difficult to accomplish. The Claire's Place Foundation has always been a godsend to myself and my family. They are dedicated to always making surw the CF community is heard and seen and that we always know there is someone looking out for us. They have helped my family countless times when I haven't been able to pay my bills or my rent and made it so I always had a roof over my head at times I thought I was about to loose it. My lights on so my kids were not in the dark. They are an amazing foundation that show so much love and dedication to the cause of helping people with CF and the family members.
Previous Stories
My name is Carly Hartley,
I was born with Cystic Fibrosis, I didn't get diagnosed till I was 16. I couldn't hold a job because I was sick all the time. This program helped my family more then once with paying my rent when I couldn't pay for it myself. I met my husband who changed my life and we have 2 beautiful kids. This program accepted me into there Work Proudly Program which helps caregivers and people with CF go to school an a specific trade that you could aquire a job from home. They pay for your schooling, equipement and give you the tools and support you need to complete school and land a job from home so that you could take care of yourself still but also provide a better life for you and your family. This has been life changing for me as I just started the program. I am so grateful for this foundation and everything they do to help our community and help shed light on a rare disease most the world doesn't know about.
I am a social worker in Phoenix, AZ at a clinic where we treat patients with CF. I recently referred a young adult patient to Claires Place for rental assistance. He had missed almost a month of work due to 2 consecutive hospitalizations in Dec. and January. The Foundation agreed to assist him with his rent. This was such a big help to him and he is truly thankful . I appreciate all that Claires Place does to assist persons dealing with cystic fibrosis. I am grateful there are agencies like yours that are willing to help those going through rough times.
Thank you!
Claire’s Place helped me and my three children stay in our home during a difficult couple of months in and out of the hospital. Recovery is possible, and a stable place helps us all stay focused on what really matters. Here’s to Claire’s Place!
Claires Place is amazing! Everyone who I have had the pleasure of speaking with has been so kind and helpful! I contacted them when I needed assistance because I was on IVs and unable to work. They also helped me work from home with their Work Proudly program! I was diagnosed with CF when I was 5 and am hospitalized about 3 times a year. I have a husband and kids so when I get sick I worry about how I will pay for those bills and bring money home to support my family. We are a two income household and need both incomes. It is such a blessing to have an organization like this one to help when patients need it most. Many patients like myself avoid going into the hospital when they need to because they have family to support and live paycheck to paycheck.
It is such an honor to give to Claire’s Place Foundation. It’s like a real time shot of hope to see so many families being supported in the same ways that Claire came to realize were so important to her ability to heal and fight for her life )WITH her family by her side). Claire’s light and legacy is brighter than ever.
Since it's conception, I have followed Claire's Place and watched it grow from a beautiful idea to a wealth of resources and hope for so many families. I appreciate the way they have created different programs within their non-profit to meet different needs over time - truly listening to families and coming up with supportive programs that not only provide aide, but skills and resources that will stay with the family forever. Such a creative and loving foundation that truly tapped into an unmet need in the CF community.
An Amazing foundation helping people and families living with Cystic Fibrosis. I had the privilege of working with them on an event,The Crossing. A+++
Our daughter Aurora was admitted for a 2.5 week admission and our family fell behind a little due to having to miss work. Claire’s place helped us in such a way that we can never thank them enough. The CF community is o e big family and we are so blessed to have such angels among us!
Claire's Place Foundation has been such a life saver for multiple of our families who have faced financial struggles due to multiple hospitalizations. We as an organization as well as the patients are forever grateful. Thank you for everything you do! :)
Masiel, Social Worker
Due to being hospitalized with pneumonia, and oral antibiotics do not help since my bug is resistance to it. I have to be hospitalized more frequent. Claires Place Foundation has helped me get back on my feet after being out of work for a month and a half. I feel a since of relief being able to use the donation to pay part of my bills. Beyond blessed to have such a caring foundation and donors. Even though I fight an every day battle I still get to manage to coach my soccer team. U10 Mount Vernon United, Alexandria Virginia. Thank you all for such a great foundation!.
Yesterday we had to say good bye to our beloved dog Teddy. We have had many pets that have left us before but never had the opportunity to say good bye at home. Dr. Dorothy came to our home and from the very start was full of compassion, respect and gentility for us and Teddy. She explained every detail about what was going to happen, how it would affect Teddy in ways we never would have thought of ourselves. Teddy was always thought of through every step and he passed with us patting and talking to him. After all was done he was swaddled and carried out like a baby. We can't thank Dr. Dorothy enough for all that she gave us and taught us as well. The compassion you showed to both us and Teddy really reduced the anxiety for us all. We discovered a lit candle on the mantle after she was gone. It made us both think of Teddy and the light he brought to us every day. We both recommend this service to everyone.
Thank you for giving us some breathing room in regards to bills due as we navigate this new experience with CF and our daughter's health post-hospital stay! There is so much to do since getting back home, including 4x a day treatments, and having financial aid is such a huge blessing! Thank you for making the process simple, as well, since there is already enough to do!
Claire's place foundation ; You have helped give us hope when we struggle to keep our focus on caring for our son. A parent shouldn't be torn between paying bills and giving attention to their children. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to be there for our son through his multiple Cystic Fibrosis lung and liver disease tune-ups. It seems that we spend more time in the hospital than we do at home sometimes. With all the stress we have, your organization helped lift just a bit of that weight off our shoulders. Nothing can express our gratitude for that.
If it weren't for Claires Place Foundation, Inc. for assisting with our bills after a two-week hospitalization with my daughter, Brooklyn, who has Cystic Fibrosis, I honestly don't know how my family would have gotten by. We are a 1 family income with 3 children because we just simply cannot afford child-care so when I was out of work for 2 weeks we had no income at all. Putting our daughter's health first was most important and nothing but her health and getting her better was on our minds entering that hospital. The day we left the hospital, I had parent-teacher conferences, I was barely able to sit down for 10 mins in my home without having to run right back out of the door. Needless to say, it was very stressful and we wanted so badly to be thankful for Brooklyn's health improving over the two-week stay but unfortunately, the harsh reality of our unpaid bills hit us right in the face. With the Claire's Place Foundation, Inc. we were able to put down a tremendous amount of weight off our shoulders and we were able to enjoy our beautiful healthy little girl without any worries of our financial burden. We are so incredibly grateful for this help.
Claires Place Foundation has been such a blessing to our family for some years now. We lived in Rochester Ny, and recently relocated to Ocala Fl. Anytime we got referred to Claires Place, they were very helpful in ways that a person can only dream about. To know that there is a foundation that can help take the financial burden off while going through such a tough time with our children being in the hospital, is definitely a dream come true. We are so grateful to have the help of this foundation, I believe this foundation has saved many parents that is battling with children with CF from having mental breakdowns, with all of the support they provide
Claire's Place Foundation has been a wonderful resource and support to our UCLA CF Center. The team is caring, thoughtful, and very receptive to referrals. The pandemic was such a difficult time for many individuals and families living with cystic fibrosis and to see how Claires Place Foundation took the lead in developing grants that were readily available was amazing. Additionally, the extended hospital stay grant has been such a tremendous resource as well. Thank you, Claire's Place Foundation for all of your care and support!!
I am a Cystic Fibrosis patient who has very recently recieved a life saving double lung transplant. That transplant would not have been possible if not for the generous grants I recieved from Claire's Place. They kept me financially stable and able to remain in my home when I otherwise would have been homeless. Cf patients simply cannot be homeless. We rely on electricity in order to do our hour or two (maybe more) of breathing treatments every day. I would have died before even getting listed for transplant. But Melissa has been a complete angel for me and I can never repay her enough.
Hola le quiero dar gracias a Claire’s fundation por ayudarme con las utilidades y comprar comida para mi y mi hijo q tiene cystic fibrosis es muchas gracias con organizaciones cómo está q siempre están dispuestas ayudar a los más necesitados dios los bendiga gracias
CPF helped assist me through Covid, just out of lung transplant, assisting me with food nutrition support when I couldn’t work and needed the extra help .
Thank you Claire’s Place Foundation.
I am a single mom, living with cystic fibrosis. Like so many others, I was impacted by COVID this last year, losing both my job and my housing. I have struggled to keep my head above water since then. After spending the last year home with my little one, I began to experience insurmountable dread at the thought of returning to work and leaving him in daycare. I also worried constantly about returning to my career in education, where I stayed sick often with consecutive lung infections. Claire’s Place offered me a lifeline, an opportunity to change my career, work from home, and have flexibility to spend time at home with my child. I am just beginning my studies to pursue a new career, and I feel a hopefulness and excitement for the future that I haven’t felt in such a long time.
Claire’s place had changed my life in more ways than one. I am so thankful for them and every dime they receive goes to doing wonderful work for our cystic fibrosis community.
La fundación claire place me ayudo cuando mas lo nesecitaba me ayudo con mi renta y mis billes ya que tengo una hija con fibrosis quistica. Su nombre es marjorie y gracias a ellos recibimos esa ayuda que tanto nesecitamos ya que somos una familia de bajos recursos
Claire's Place Foundation is an incredible non-profit working tirelessly to provide support, both financial and emotional, to patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Since August 2020, I have been working as a volunteer--assisting with jobs involving fundraising and social media. It has been a joy to work with some members of the Board of Directors (Melissa and Joyce) on these projects. Getting to hear the stories of many of the CF patients they support has been incredible. If you have time in your day, I would highly recommend reaching out and dedicating your time to helping Claire's Place and all of the work that they do. Everyone is extremely communicative and responsive and appreciates a wide variety of thoughts and ideas!
For patients and families of patients with CF, Claire's Place is an incredible resource! Through their many programs, Claire's Place has and continues to assist CFers with grants and job training resources. Support Families are also available to help newly diagnosed individuals and their families.
Thank you, Claire and Claire's Place!
CPF took the burden of rent and bills off my shoulders when I was ill- and for that I’ll forever be grateful! Claire lives on and continues to uplift forever ❤️
This is an amazing non-profit! They helped us when times were just too rough with finding a job and needing to have experience in the area. Melissa interviewed me and then sent me on my way to find a course in the job area I wanted to pursue. Working and being a single mom is hard, there is never time to take off. It wasn't possible to hold a normal 9-5 job and run to doctor's appts in between. They provide us guidance on the program and checked in when needed to make sure it was going well and all the needs were met. We can't thank them enough for all the help in between, I look forward to the future with great hope!
Claire's Place Foundation works tirelessly to uphold it's founder Claire Wineland's vision to ensure that no CF family has to choose between sitting hospital bedside with their loved one with CF and keeping a roof over their own head.
The foundation is small and grass roots. I know all of the board members and they are passionate about assisting families with CF. They strive to keep the foundation responsive to the CF community's needs.
The foundation has rolled out the COVID Relief Fund to grant grocery money to financially insecure CFers who have been hard hit by the COVID pandemic.
Thanks to advancements in treatments, many CFers are living longer than they ever dreamed. They know find they need assistance to live safely on their own. The Foundation has recently started the Work Proudly Program which gets CFers training for jobs they can do virtually from home or from the hospital.
Please visit ClairesPlaceFoundation.org to learn more.
Melissa Yaeger, Claire Wineland's mother, deserves a special shout out. Melissa is a force of nature. She is now the heart and soul of the foundation. Her leadership and her passion motivate all of us.
All of the Board Members also remain insprired by Claire, and we all vow:
Until there's a cure, there's Claire's Place.
Claire’s Place Foundation was a blessing to me when my baby was in patient almost a month I was like a revolving door having to switch off with her dad and while he was coming up I would go down to jump in car waiting in the pick up spot because I had to go to work there was a point where I couldn’t even eat at the hospital because it was so expensive and I had to pay bills Claire’s place foundation provided my family with security and cushion a chance to sit back and not worry to focus on my baby girl getting healthy again and able to take time off work and not worry if the lights would be cut off! The staff was extremely courteous and made me feel like it was ok to ask for help that I so desperately needed
I am a mother of 2 daughters. My oldest is 22 and my youngest is 18. My 18 year old has cystic fibrosis. Its been a battle I would never wish on my worst enemy. Allie(my 18 year old) health began declining in 2010. When she battled cdiff due to over use of antibiotics (but because of lung infections she needed those antibiotics.) At this time she was averaging hospital stays for her lungs about once a year. Then in 2015 her stays become more often. She was being hospitalized every 6 to 8 weeks for a two week stay. We were having a hard time keeping up with bills, putting food on the table and juggling hospital life along with raising my oldest. We found out about Claire's Place through another cf momma. The helped we recieved not only helped us with bills but also helped me to be able to concentrate on Allie and her health. Ill never be able to repay the kindness, compassion and love that was showed to our family. Claire's spirit lives on in the foundation. My Allie had never met Claire but she will tell you that Claire is and will forever be her hero. She prays she can live her life and help others like Claire did.
I feel that this program is very important to the CF community because there are several families who struggle with the additional costs to care for their loved ones with cystic fibrosis. As a mother of four children, two who have CF, I am so very thankful that Claire's Place Foundation exists and that it does offer the opportunity for children with CF and / or their families to receive financial assistance when needed. In addition, I am also very grateful that this is the first time that our family has needed to apply for assistance from Claire's Place. Thank you Claire for imagining and for putting together this wonderful foundation. Thank you for working SO hard to make it a success. In addition, thank you to her family and to everyone who works for the foundation in order to keep Claire’s Place Foundation going and growing. You are very much appreciated!! Thank you for your kindness and generosity!
Claire's Place Foundation helped us during such a challenging time. Life and bills don't stop during a long hospital trip. If it wasn't for the kindness. generosity and understanding from Claire's Place Foundation, it would have been so much harder. The vision that came from young Claire all those years ago helps so many. I never understood what it was like until I had a child diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and experienced the long stays. Being a single parent makes it that much harder. Thank you so much to Claire's Place Foundation. What a blessing to us.