Update on Hope for BraveHEARTs

Front of shirt $10

Back of shirt

Close up of back of shirt

Chd Magnets $5

HOPE for BraveHEARTS
Raising Awareness*Supporting Research*Spreading HOPE
www.hopeforbravehearts.org
PO Box 2924
Irmo,SC 29063

We are now a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping fund research for Congenital Heart Defects, supporting those affected by CHDs and raising awareness. Along with funding research, Hope for BraveHEARTS, provides BraveHEART Baskets for children from ages 1 to 10 who are recovering from heart surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina.

My good friend, Shannon, and I decided to start this organization after we both had children who were born with CHDs. Congenital Heart Defects are the most common birth defect and the number one cause of birth defect related deaths. This year alone, approximately 4000 children will not live to celebrate their first birthday. The children that do survive will face a lifetime of procedures, tests, heart surgeries and cardiologist visits. It is our goal to raise money for CHD research to assist in non-invasive surgical alternatives, better surgical options and finding a cure for CHDs.

We have a few things going on that we need your help with. First, we are getting a calendar together with our CHD warriors pictures. If you know of anyone who is a CHD warrior and would like them to be in our calendar (any age including Angels) , please send the picture with their name and diagnoses to jessaro77@yahoo.com. We will be producing this calendar for the 2012 year.

Second, we are collecting recipes to gather in a cookbook. We will be joining forces with a group in Michigan called Ethin’s Heart Still Beats to sell these cookbooks to raise money for our cause! If you would like to contribute please send recipe, name, if you are related to or know of a CHD warrior, and if you have any nutritional info on the recipe that would be great! Also, many of our warriors have to be on a fat free diet for 6 weeks or so after surgery so if you have or know of any fat free recipes that would be appreciated just send them to jessaro77@yahoo.com.

We are also selling t-shirts for $10 a piece. The proceeds from those go to fund out BraveHEART Baskets. We also accept donations for the BraveHEART baskets. Shannon and I try to get as much fun in them as we can. Currently this is what we are putting in the baskets:
Stuffed animals
Books
Coloring books/Activity books
Note pads
Fun pens and pencils
Crayons/markers
Small toys
Socks
Cups
Fun toothbrushes (it is very important for your heart to have good dental hygiene)
“beauty “ items girls
Balls
Matchbox cars
Cards (playing/activity/game)
Crafts
Puzzles
Games
We make these baskets for boys and girls ages 1-10 and do age appropriate baskets.

We just had our first Golf Tournament on Saturday September 25,2010 and it was a great success. We had 103 golfers come support us. It was a great day! Some other things we have coming up are a breakfast at Fatz Café on October 23rd and at Christmas time we plan on going down to the Ronald McDonald House in Charleston, SC to feed the people who are staying there.

We plan on bringing special Christmas baskets to the children and a little something for the parents. We are also giving the nurses and staff at the PCICU and 7C (those are the heart floors) a little treat too because they are tremendous caregivers and take care of the patient AND families! We are planning on doing a coffee sale too but I will let you know more about that later.

Some ideas that we have been tossing around for the future is making Parent Care Packages, doing some different things at the AHA Heart walk in Columbia and Charleston and some fun things during CHD week in Feburary.

I also have CHD car magnets for sale at $5 a piece. Please contact me at jessaro77@yahoo.com if you would like one.
We are very excited about this venture and bringing HOPE to our BraveHEARTS! Thank you for all of your support!

Jess