CHERUBS H.O.P.E Totebag Project - ITEMS NEEDED

CHERUBS H.O.P.E Totebag Project

(Helping Other Parents Expecting)

CHERUBS H.O.P.E. (Helping Other Parents Expecting) Totebag Program assists families expecting babies born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia by providing them with much needed free information and support items through a community project in which all CDH families can participate and honor their children while helping new families affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Donated items are collected by our members, CDH families and friends and put together into totebags by volunteers. Totebags are then mailed to families who are expecting babies born with CDH or who have newborns still hospitalized and battling Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. 

We are running low on the following:

• Baby Blankets
• Booties
• Cloth Baby Eye Masks
• Soft Picture Frames
• CDH Baby Books
• Disposable Cameras
• Children's Books
• Teddy Bears
• Lock of Hair Holders
• Journals
• Preemie Pacifiers
• Newborn Pillows
• Baby Angel Wings
• Pens

 

Click here to learn more and to donate items!

 

CDH HOPE Baby Shower in honor of Aaron Younce

 Aaron and NC Representative Shirley Randleman, who took time out of her busy schedule to attend and learn about CDH!

On October 16, 2010 a fundraising baby shower was held for our CDH HOPE Totebag Project in honor of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia survivor, Aaron Younce!!!   Thank you so much to Julie Younce and Diane Caudill for putting this together and raising tons of items for the babies!!!

Projects, Webpages, FB and Blogs

We have been BUSY at CHERUBS!  Aren't we always?  :)    We always have tons of projects going on and going in a million directions at once!  But it's all worth it to provide all the services that we do!  :)

To keep everyone updated on what's going on at CHERUBS with various projects, we have several different blogs and FB pages, plus forums on our site as well!   Not to mention web sites too!   We are slowing growing and going through each project or service and updating the web with news.  Bear with us as do this, while also updating our sites.   So far, we have the following up:


CHERUBS - If you haven't seen the new site, you must go check it out.  There are 1000's of pages of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Information, Awareness and SUPPORT!   It's a one-stop shop for all things CDH.

• Site - http://www.cdhsupport.org
• Forums -  http://www.cdhforums.org
• Blog - http://cdhsupport.blogspot.com
• FB Page -  http://www.facebook.com/cdhsupport
• Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/cherubs
• Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/diaphragmatichernia 

International CDH Conference - Our first Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Conference happened in 2000 in Orlando.  This year, we're back to Orlando on May 13-15, 2010!   Come meet other CDH families, talk to researchers, learn about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, participate in round table discussions and have FUN!   We have something for all CDH families - survivors and grieving!!!   This year we welcome Mass General, DHREAMS CDH Study and Sick Kids Toronto as guest speakers!   And we happen to be near the happiest place on earth - Disney World!!  :)

• Site - http://www.cherubsconference.org
  
• Forum -  http://www.cdhsupport.org/members/viewforum.php?f=236
• FB Page -  http://www.facebook.com/cdhconference
• FB Event Page -  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=274488979498

Save the Cherubs Campaign - Our new 2010 CDH Awareness Campaign!   We have over 20 models currently taking shoots and plan to have over 100 CDH families participating by the end of the year.  With flyers, posters, billboards and newspaper articles and tv interviews, that's A LOT of awareness!!!!   Our goal is to Save the Cherubs and spread awareness to promote resesearch to save the lives of babies born with CDH!

• Site - http://www.savethecherubs.org
• Forum -  http://www.cdhsupport.org/members/viewforum.php?f=238
• Blog - http://savethecdhcherubs.blogspot.com
• FB Page -  http://www.facebook.com/savethecherubs

CDH HOPE Totebag Project - Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia H.O.P.E. (Helping Other Parents Expecting) Tote Bag Project.   Our project has reached over 100 CDH families since September!   This national project includes donations from CDH families to CDH families, making it truly a joint effort helping Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia families.

• Site - http://www.cdhhope.org
  
• Forum -  http://www.cdhsupport.org/members/viewforum.php?f=237
  
• Blog - http://cdhhope.blogspot.com/
• FB Page -  http://www.facebook.com/cdhhope

CHERUBS Angel Ball - October 30, 2010 at the Hilton Durham in Durham, North Carolina.  Celebrity guests, local radio star MC, live band, casino, silent auction and more at this year's "Masquerading Angels" Ball!

• Site - http://www.cherubsconference.org
  
• Forum -  http://www.cdhsupport.org/members/viewtopic.php?p=58277
  
• Blog - http://cdhangelball.blogspot.com/
• FB Page -  http://www.facebook.com/cherubsangelball
• FB Event Page - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=308757910449&ref=ts

CDH Fundraisers, Research, Grants and the future of CHERUBS

Note from Dawn:

Dear Members and Friends,

We'd like to welcome to our Fundraising and Grant Committees, Gina Cappola Della Porta!   Gina is an experienced grant writer currently working for a local university's research department.  She is now heading up our  Fundraising and Grant Committees and working on several events and grants.   She is a volunteer but our goal is to hire her full time in the near future to secure funding for CHERUBS and all of our services.  In the month she has volunteered for us, she has secured the Angel Ball, helped us find funding for the Save the Cherubs Campaign and started an NIH grant collaboration with Mass General for CDH research.   Gina has no personal connection to CDH - she saw a post about our charity and felt guided to join our cause through the goodness of her heart.  She is an angel!  Such an angel that I hesitate to post her last name because we know she'd be targeted by other charities and who could blame them?!   But Gina has worked with us and we know she's dedicated to helping CHERUBS and cannot be swayed!   We are so very excited and grateful to have her on board!  :)


CHERUBS has done a lot over the past 15 years with limited donations and only volunteers who are busy working other jobs and/or taking care of their cherubs or grieving their cherubs.   I, myself, have donated over 25,000 hours to CHERUBS through all sorts of life's hurdles including taking care of a very handicapped cherub and then losing him at 6 yrs old and during my own grief - and while working another job and running my own company.   CHERUBS deserves 100% undivided attention by people dedicated to our services and research for 8 hours every day!   We can only do so much with a volunteer staff.  It's time to move forward and to expand!    It is time for a full-time staff.  Let me make this very clear - donations will NEVER pay for salaries at CHERUBS, even though that is common practice at most charities.   Salaries will be paid for by grants or designated funds.  

Our goal, through our various projects, fundraisers, donations, Congressional Bills and grants, is to have an office, 3 full-time employees, and all 5 CDH funds full by the end of year, with a focus on more support services, financial assistance to families and $100,000's to CDH Research.   It's a big goal, but we've done more and gone farther than anyone thought a group of CDH parents could!   We won't stop helping CDH families and searching for the cause, prevention and best treatments of CDH and with a full-time staff, we can do so much more!!!!!   

Our dream (shared no doubt by all CDH families) is that by 2025, we hope to fund the nation's first CDH hospital complete with surgery, ECMO, in utero treatments, research, long-term care clinincs, genetic research, feeding clinics, support systems, financial aid and rooming for parents and siblings at the hospital so they remain together - staffed by the country's CDH leading experts.   CHERUBS wants to do for CDH what St. Judes does for Pediatric Cancer.   How much will that cost?  An astronomical amount of money!    Yes, we dream BIG, but we're determined and focused and I believe that we have the volunteers, members and CDH researchers to make this dream come true!

That's the BIG focus - the 25 year plan - but we still have our current services, CDH support, CDH research and CDH awareness to focus on too!   We need help to do all that we want to do and to do so much more!   We are working on MANY projects and fundraisers to fund all of our services and are always on the lookout for more CDH fundraising ideas and volunteers! Any ideas?

We have an on-line store, sell bracelets, books, CDH Awareness kits, cookbooks, calendars, 1000's of items through Cafepress and Zazzle. We've had events, formal balls, golf tournaments, car washes, 5k's, car shows, road rallies, raffles, etc. 

What else can we do? Ideas?

We like to be ORIGINAL at CHERUBS! :) We like to be respectful and we don't like to infringe on other charity's ideas (CDH charities or local charities), we like to lead the way! We're creative here and love watching other charities learn from our ideas. But it's hard always coming up with new ideas!

We are in an area in NC that has A LOT of charities who all have a lot of events! Repeating or holding the same event or fundraiser = competing for donations... we won't do that. And we have 2 Ronald McDonald Houses that have many events that we are very respectful of (selling shirts for nights, dinners, walks, games, etc). We also don't like to do events or fundraisers that could mislead people or not sell enough tickets so the prize isn't so big, etc... that's hard in this economy! Plus, we're in the Bible Belt, we have a lot of laws and rules on fundraisers in NC that a lot of states don't, which makes it harder. And with the economy as it is, we don't like to sell expensive stuff... our $50 Angel Ball tickets are as high as we go... and attendees get A LOT for their money! Like I said, it's HARD coming up with new ideas!!!!

We also have programs and events that are NOT fundraisers... just services to help families and raise awareness, such as our CDH HOPE totebag project, Adopt a Hospital project, Save the Cherubs Project and our CDH Conferences.

If anyone has ideas, please let us know! And PLEASE join the fundraising committee!!!! :) 


Thank you everyone for supporting CHERUBS and CDH Families!


Sincerely,
Dawn Williamson
CHERUBS President & Founder
CDH Mom

CHERUBS HOPE Totebag Project Delivers 1st Totebag to CDH Family

Our CHERUBS HOPE (Helping Other Parents Expecting) Totebag Project delivered our first tote bag in person on October 19th.

Dawn had the absolute pleasure of meeting the Hobbs family at Duke. Cherub Andrew is there fighting Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and on ECMO. He is absolutely adorable and such a little fighter moving his hands and feet and eyes while sedated! His wonderful parents, Gene and Becky, are so sweet and we hope to get to know them and watch Andrew grow. Thank you so much for letting us welcome your little guy into the world and welcome you into CHERUBS!

In all, we have delivered and mailed out 24 totebags to new and expectant CDH families so far! It's taken 2 years, a lot hard work, a lot of donations and a huge community effort by all CHERUBS members to get this project finally going and these bags finally mailed out and we are so very, very proud of how all of our members have worked together to help new CDH families!

So many CDH families have done so much to help this project without any desire for recognition, any need to put their own cherubs on pedastals or any other motives other that to help other CDH families. Their hearts only focused on giving and helping others.... there is no higher generousity than that!

"Everyone working as a team - together - CDH families helping other CDH families. That's the true spirit of the CDH community and I am so proud to know each one of you!! Your kindness and selflessness is so deeply appreciated and admired and all your work and love will pour out in this bags to help so many CDH families! Thank you!

THIS is why CHERUBS exist! This is what we're here for, why it was created, what our mission is. Days like today remind me of that. Just to see that beautiful little fellow fighting CDH and to try to let a family know that they aren't alone and to hopefully give them information and support. This is why we exist. I am so proud of our members" - Dawn Williamson, President & Founder of CHERUBS

We would like to thank the following who have either donated items for the bags** or helped to contribute to the CDH Baby Book:

- Alliance of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Organizations

- Amy Atkins - in honor of Faith Atkins

- Amy Miles - in memory of Faith Miles

- Amy Rademaker – in memory of Jonathan Rademaker

- Angie Finley - in honor of Tyler Finley

- Barbara Wagner – in honor of Logan Wagner

- Big Y Store

- BJ's Wholesale

- Boston Children’s Hospital

- Brenda Slavin – in memory of Amanda and Nicolas Slavin

- Brian Anthony

- Cathy Colvin - in memory of Kasey Colvin

- CHERUBS – The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support

- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

- Christie Brooks - in memory of Madison Brooks

- Chuck and Kara Hess – in honor of Adam Hess

- Cindy Collins - in honor of Jason Collins

- Corin Nava – in memory of Gabrial Nava

- Craig Williamson – in memory of Shane Torrence

- Danielle Kessner – in memory of Alyssa Kessner

- Darcy Miller

- Darlene Silverman – in honor of Emily Daly

- Dawn Williamson – in memory of Shane Torrence

- Denise Dunfee.- in memory of Ryan Mudderman

- Denise Richer

- Elaine Moats – in honor of Kristin Moats

- Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati

- Gail Hyziak – in honor of Michael Hyziak

- Garret Williamson – in memory of Shane Torrence

- Iris Adame – in memory of Aileen Adame

- International CDH Study Group

- Jay Wilson, MD

- Jeanne Nava - in memory of Gabriel Nava

- Judi Toth – in memory of Christopher Toth

- Karla Holt – in honor of Braden Holt

- Kate Crawford - in memory of Shannon Crawford

- Kathy Shelton - in honor of Logan Wagner

- Kevin and Nicolle Colvin - in memory of Kasey Colvin

- Kim Richards – in memory of Olivia Richards

- Kim Switzer – in memory of Asher Switzer-McCoy

- Leah Koehn - in honor of Jacob Koehn

- Lesli Taylor, MD

- Maria LaFond Visscher – Abiding Hearts

- Michael Harrison, MD

- Pam Lally, MD

- Rachel Holt - in honor of Braden Holt

- Shana Kelly – in honor of Landon Kelly

- Shandi & Paige Cox – in memory of Caleb Cox

- Shauna Curtis - in honor of Addison Curtis

- Stephanie Olivarez - in honor of Shelby Olivarez

- Tamara Klein

- Tammy Spohr – in honor of Bryston Spohr

- Tara Hall – in honor of Brandon Hall

- The International CDH Study Group

- Theresa Wellman – in memory of Donnie Wellman

- Tyler Welch - in memory of Jamie Welch

- Wal-Mart

- Willie & Megan Skaggs – in memory of Michael Joseph “MJ” Skaggs

Learn more about our totebag project here - http://www.cdhsupport.org/donate/hope.php

Learn more about needed donations here -
http://cdhsupport.org/members/viewforum.php?f=237


*** We took over this project from a member. A lot of donations have not been properly accounted for. If you donated an item or money and are not listed above, please let us know!