The devastation of dealing day-to-day with a child’s cancer is a sentence we wish no one had to bear. Entire families are traumatized and a darkness appears from which it is hard to escape.

Santa Clarita families dealing with pediatric cancer receive a helping hand from the Michael Hoefflin Foundation which, among other things, provides financial assistance (grocery and gasoline cards), scholarships, counseling and tutoring, monthly support groups, information and referrals, and educational resources.

Michael Hoefflin in front of his namesake speedway at Mountasia.

Through a partnership with Mountasia Family Fun Center, MHF families also receive a special night, once a year, hosted by Mountasia Family Fun Center. MHF parents, patient children, and siblings all receive a night of unlimited miniature golf, go carts and bumper boats. It’s a time to just enjoy, to forget about the constant pain and grief of dealing with cancer.

“It’s our way of giving these families a little sunshine and care,” explained Courtney Bourdas Henn, executive director of Mountasia Family Fun Center. Although the organization donates to a multitude of charities, it has a more personal relationship with MHF.

This relationship dates back to when Mountasia Family Fun Center was being built and just opened, in 1995. A McDonald’s restaurant used to be inside of the Center, and the franchisees knew the Hoefflin family.

“We got to meet the Hoefflins when Michael was still alive, probably 8 or 9 years old,” Bourdas Henn recalled. “We got to see this little boy, so full of energy and life. His spirit of giving, at such a young age, was remarkable. He wanted for other kids to be well.”

Michael Hofflin checks out the controls during the construction of Mountasia in 1995.

At the grand opening of Mountasia Family Fun Center in 1995, helicopter traffic reporter Commander Chuck Street flew Michael, along with Ronald McDonald, into the Center. Michael got to test out the video games.

“He was a special boy; he wanted everybody to care for people,” Bourdas Henn said. The speedway at Mountasia Family Fun Center was named after Michael Hoefflin.

The partnership between Mountasia Family Fun Center and MHF grew over the years. Bourdas Henn has served as a co-chair of MHF’s annual gala, Evening Under the Stars, in the past. The Family Fun Night at Mountasia is an event that has a strong impact upon the entire community.

“For a family dealing with pediatric cancer, it takes a toll on everyone,” Bourdas Henn said. “Parents and other siblings are affected. At the Family Fun Night, you see parents sitting together, connecting. They get to be with other people who truly get it for a few hours. To see those kids, parents, and siblings, all enjoying themselves—it takes your breath away.”

Mountasia photo by Rob Comeau

MHF founder Chris Hoefflin appreciates the lengths to which Mountasia Family Fun Center goes in order to provide families dealing with childhood cancer something they can look forward to.

“Unless you have experienced the trauma and ordeal of your child having cancer, it is difficult to understand how these parents and families feel, and what they need,” Hoefflin said. “They really need a ray of hope, even if it’s just for a few hours. Our meaningful partnership with Mountasia Family Fun Center provides this ray of hope at a time when families need it most, and for this we are truly thankful.”

According to Bourdas Henn, her organization benefits from the annual event just as much as the families that attend.

“Our staff members are so humbled by the experience of serving these families,” she said. “It is very important for the youth of today to be mindful of what’s going on with other people. I see that this event has a lasting impact on them.”

Mountasia photo by Rob Comeau