2011 Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Cherubs Video

2011 Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Cherubs

900 photos of children and adults born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), a birth defect that affects over 1600 babies every year in the United States. CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. 50% of babies born with CDH do not survive. The cause is not known.

"Cherub" by Matt Panetta, in honor of his brother, cherub Jonathan Panetta.

"I'll Never Let You Go" by The Jammies. Written by Chad Knudsen in honor of his son, a CDH survivor.

For more information, you can visit CHERUBS - The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support at http://www.cdhsupport.org/

Write your Congressman in favor of the CDH Research Bill - http://www.cdhbills.org/

Participate in "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Daily" / CDH Prevention Day on April 19 by raising awareness and / or research funds.

2011 Save the Cherubs Video

Save the Cherubs

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Campaign

http://www.savethecherubs.org/

Cherubs are everywhere. They are your next door neighbor's new baby. The little girl on the swingset at the park. The teenager that sits behind your son in high school geometry class. The person behind you in the grocery store line. Their scars are hidden under clothes, their stories a bit sad and taboo to talk about - so the miracles are not seen with the naked eye and you have probably mistaken a cherub for a "normal" person many times. But they are there; walking miracles with invisible wings. And missing babies that belong to the grieving parents who you don't see grieve; your local bank teller, the man who held a door for you at the gas station, the old woman who drove the car in front of you at the stop light this morning. Cherubs are everywhere.

Unless you have been affected personally by CDH, you probably have never heard of it. The mission of "Save the Cherubs" is to make Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia a phrase everyone knows how to say and everyone knows what it means. By raising awareness, we hope to raise research funds to save these babies - Save the Cherubs.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. Babies born with CDH often endure long hospitalizations and other complications such as pulmonary hypertension, infections, feeding issues, asthma and temporary developmental delay. Some babies develop worse complications and sadly, 50% of babies born with CDH do not survive. The cause of CDH is not known.

Cherubs are people who were born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a severe and often fatal birth defect that occurs as often as Cystic Fibrosis and Spina Bifida. Every 10 minutes a baby is born with CDH - adding up to over half a million babies since 2000. Yet, CDH is given very little media attention, virtually no research money and until CHERUBS came along in 1995 there was no information and no support for families of babies diagnosed with CDH. We have no national telethons, no large corporate sponsorships. We have been struggling for years to bring attention to CDH and now, we are going to do so on a national level.

For 16 years, cherubs have been the awareness symbol of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). Through this project, families around the world are working with CHERUBS, photographers and the media to raise CDH awareness in a unique and striking photo and marketing campaign, which we hope will take your breath away and make you want to learn more about CDH and how you can help save these children.

CHERUBS - The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support was founded in 1995 to give hope and information to families of children affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). We are a 501(c)III non-profit global CDH organization with members in 38 countries. CHERUBS strives to allow families to have free access to information materials, support services, awareness projects and to make a CDH connection with other families going through the same ordeal. We are just a grassroots organization of families working hard to make a difference and trying to give Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness wings to take flight.
CHERUBS is fighting hard to search for the cause, prevention and best treatments of CDH. We invite you to help us to help these families and to help Save The Cherubs.
http://www.savethecherubs.org/

Join The Angel Club!

Our new fundraising campaign gives everyone the opportunity to be a part of an elite group - angels helping babies who are fighting Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia!

How do you join?  Just donate at least $1.00 to CHERUBS every month through our new Automatted Donation system through PayPal.   We know times are tough but every dollar helps and this is a great opportunity to help these babies by donating mere pennies each month without having to remember to send in a donation every 30 days.

About this campaign:

• Donate as little as $1.00 per month
• If you want to donate more, please do so!  You can set up monthly donations in any amount.
• It's completely automated, you just sign up once!
• It's through PayPal, the internets safest on-line payment software.
• Donate through your own PayPal account or your credit card.
• Unsubscribe payments at any time.
• Donate in honor of in memory of your cherub!
• Donations go to the CDH Support Fund

Join the Angel Club!

Enter the amount you want to donate each month

$ USD

Every dollar helps babies affected by CDH!

Sign up for



$25,000 Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Family Assistance Fund

Dear Members,

CHERUBS is in our last month in Pepsi Refresh before we take a much needed voting break.   We have 1 last chance to win some money to help families and we are pushing just 1 project - $25,000 for the CDH Family Assistance Fund.


You can vote 5 ways:

1. at Pepsi's site - http://www.refresheverything.com/cdhfamilies

2. by text - text 101202 to 73774 (pepsi)

3. by Facebook Application - http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=263136462520

4. by iphone - http://ax.itunes.apple.com/us/app/pepsi-refresh-everything/id398265175?mt=8#ls=1

5. by android - http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/lifestyle/pepsi-refresh-project_nfii.html


http://www.voteforcdh.org will take you directly to the Pepsi page also.

Don't forget to vote for our friends at Vote for Kids Health - 9 other great charities who need your votes and who are voting for us - http://www.voteforkidshealth.org


What will this grant do?

The CDH Family Assistance Fund helps families with the expenses incurred traveling for medical care for very high-risk pregnancies and critically ill newborns. Often families have to travel 100's of miles to hospitals that are equipped to handle babies born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and that provide ECMO, a heart and lung bypass machine, if needed. Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. 50% of babies born with CDH do not survive. The cause of CDH is not known, but it is as common as Cystic Fibrosis and Spina Bifida. Every 10 minutes a baby is born with CDH - adding up to over half a million babies since 2000. The hospital stay for a severely affected baby can be as long as 1 year. With the medical bills and emotional stress that these families go through, we want to offer a little help with making travel easier and affordable.


How will the 25K be Used?

100% of the $25,000 will be used to help CDH families in need.  100%.

$ 10,000 500 $20 gas cards
$ 5,000 10 $500 airline grants
$ 5,000 250 $20 grocery store gift cards
$ 2,500 125 $20 restaurant gift cards
$ 2,500 50 $50 hotel gift cards

Budget Notes: Most pediatric hospitals are affiliated with the Ronald McDonald House, which provides lodging for many of our families. Our request for hotel gift cards are for those traveling long distances overnight to reach a hospital or those rare times when a Ronald McDonald House does not have an empty room.

How else can you help?

- Vote.
- Post on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Blogs, etc
- Forward this e-mail and ask others to vote in honor / memory of your cherub





Thank you for your continued support in helping CDH families!

--
Dawn M. Torrence Williamson
President & Founder

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

501(c)III non-profit organization serving over 3500 CDH families in 38 countries.  Searching for the cause, prevention and best treatments of CDH since 1995.

http://www.cdhsupport.org
http://www.cdhresearch.org
http://cdhsupport.blogspot.com
http://www.cdhconference.org

Phone - 919-610-0129
Fax - 815-425-9155
Mailing Address - 3650 Rogers Rd #290, Wake Forest, NC 27587, USA

CHERUBS 2010 Year In Review

What a year at CHERUBS!  Full of highs of accomplishing so much for the CDH community, yet full of lows of losing so many babies.   2010 has been a very eventful year (more links to details coming soon!):

January:

• Our 2009 Financials show that our operating costs for last year were just 19%!  81% of our funds went to directly helping CDH families!
• New Social Media CDH Awareness campaign begun
• First Save the Cherubs Photo Shoot
• Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Baby Books go to print
• Site redesign begun

February:

• CHERUBS celebrated 15 years as a non-profit organization, helping over 3200 families.
• Valentine's Day Fundraiser

March:

• Save the Cherubs Campaign started 
• "I'll Never Let You Go" song and CDH Awareness Video Released
• Work begun on the CDH Research Bill, with immediate support of 2 Senators.  2 more would pledge their support in the next few months. 
• CHERUBS walks in the Great Human Race
• New CDH Awareness Shop Opened
• 831 Photography Fundraiser in memory of Drew Lewallen

April:

• After 2 years, CHERUBS defeats the trademark on "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness" with the help of 4 pro bono lawyers, several other CDH non-profits and groups and the support of 1000's of CDH families.
• Save the Cherubs & Sroka family on ABC News
• CDH Awareness Road Rally in SC
• Addison's Lemonade Stand Fundraiser
• Special Needs Conference in Ohio
• CHERUBS in Triangle March for Babies
• Annual Pennsylvania Member Picnic
• Green Family in Triangle March for Babies in Maryland
• "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Daily" slogan created.
• More Save the Cherubs photo shoots

May:

• 2010 International CDH Conference held in Orlando, FL
• CHERUBS represents the CDH Community at the American Pediatric Surgical Association Conference
• CHERUBS represents the CDH Community at the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association Conference
• First "Parade of Cherubs"
• More Save the Cherubs photo shoots
• Avon Fundraiser
• Scentsy Fundraiser
• Myers Family in Triangle March for Babies in Texas
• Tupperware Fundraiser 
• Miche Bag Fundraiser
• New CDH Fundraiser site created for families wanting to hold events in honor / memory of their cherubs

June:

• NC CHERUBS Zoo Trip took place at the Greensboro, Zoo
• More Save the Cherubs photo shoots
• Save the Cherubs & Aaron Younce in the news
• CHERUBS support CDH charities Real Hope for CDH & the Olivia Raine Foundation in Chase Giving contest
  

July:

• Work on new CDH Research Database begun
  
• The World's First CDH Awareness Billboard
• Oz Kidd-Ward CDH Scholarship Fund created
• More Save the Cherubs photo shoots
• Larrison family CDH Hope Totebag item drive in memory of Hanna Rae Rose Larrison
• Navy sailors at Norfolk put together 100 handprint kits for CDH Hope Totebags in memory of Hanna Rae Rose Larrison
• CHERUBS members take "Vote for Cherubs" photos

August:

• CHERUBS wins $30,000 in the national APX Gives Back charity competition, coming in 2nd place and gathering 1000's of votes.
• Soap Star Patsy Pease appeals for votes for CHERUBS
• Newspaper Interviews 
• 10 annual CHERUBS Ohio Member Picnic
• More Save the Cherubs photo shoots
• CHERUBS made public Non-Profit retroactive to 2007

September:

• Our APX check award ceremony press conference raised more CDH Awareness
• APX Contest Within Contest
• 31 Party Fundraiser for Oz Kidd-Ward Scholarship Fund 
• Work on new CDH Forums begun
• Multiple newspaper interviews on APX contest
• CDH Research Committee works over time on research article
• CHERUBS & CDH represented in Fetal Hope March in NC in memory of Zoe Fisher

October:

• 2010 Masquerading Angels Ball
• Trick-or-Treat for CHERUBS
• TV interviews for Angel Ball raise awareness
• Multiple newspaper interviews for Angel Ball
• Radio Awareness on 96Rock
• Roller Derby Fundraisesr for Oz-Kidd Ward Scholarship Fund
• Blowing Rock Fundraiser for Oz-Kidd Ward Scholarship Fund
• Vote for CDH Video created featuring videos submitted by members
• Baby Shower in honor of Aaron Younce
• Fosythe Hospital Walk to Remember
• Tastefully Simple Fundraiser
• Hot Air Balloon Ride Raffle Fundraiser

November:

• CHERUBS raises CDH Awareness to over half a million people Raleigh Christmas Parade
• 2nd Annual Christmas With Kasey Fundraiser
• CHERUBS Holiday Shopping Ebay Fundraiser
• CHERUBS in Televised Parade Video on 2 TV Stations
• Angel Ball Committee Chuck E. Cheese Family Get-Together
• Enamel CDH Awareness Ribbons created
• Over 200 personalized CDH Awareness Ribbons created

December:

• CHERUBS represented by Floyd family in Mississippi Christmas parade
• CHERUBS work with 9 other charities in Pepsi Refresh
• Over 35 celebrities Tweet for CHERUBS in Pepsi Refresh
• CHERUBS Press Release picked up on over 4000 news outlets
• 2011 CDH Cherubs Calendar
• 2011 Save the Cherubs Calendar 
• 2010 National Children's Memorial Day Tribute
• Breaths for Brielle Cha Cha for CHOP Zumbathon
• Over 250 CDH Hope Totebags mailed out over the year
• Over 75 Save the Cherubs CDH Awareness poster photographs created
• Board of Directors adds 2 new members
• CHERUBS reaches 3500 members

We know we haven't listed everything - please e-mail us your events, photos, etc to membership@cdhsupport.org

It's been a great year for CHERUBS!   Thank you to all of our donors, sponsors, volunteers, members and supporters for helping us to make this the best, most productive year yet!

If you'd like to make a tax-deductible end-of-year donation to CHERUBS, it would be much appreciated and put to very good use.  On-line donations can be given at http://www.cdhdonations.org   Our IRS and financial information can be found at http://www.cherubs-cdh.org/financial.php

Everyone at CHERUBS wishes you a happy, healthy and blessed New Year!!!

Green Family Represents CDH Awareness in March of Dimes Walk in Marylandd

On April 25, 2010 the Green family walked in memory of their cherub, Kylee Freedom Green, in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies walk!   They were able to in the Memory Mile, raising more Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness!

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!!!

Breaths for Brielle Cha Cha for CHOP Fundraiser Zumbathon

On December 4th the Santos family held a wonderful fundraiser for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia research t CHOP in memory of Brielle.  Thank you to everyone who put this together and participated in memory of such a special little cherub!