5k and kids fun run results!!!

We had a fabulous fundraiser yesterday! There were over 160 participants and we raised nearly $10k!!!! Pictures are coming soon. The results are posted on http://www.littlehandsmakeabigdifference.com

A congratulations to our winners....Tom Lichty and Laura Witek-Jones!!!

5k fundraiser, October 23rd!

Last year we hosted a 5k race to raise money to donate Build A Bear stuffed animals at Christmas time. Well, our fundraiser was so successful, we were able to donate Build A Bear stuffed animals at Christmas time...and keep donating until this past July! So, this year we decided we must do another 5k...and we must do it bigger and better than last years! So, here's the details....

Thanks to our FABULOUS, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, AND SUPPORTIVE sponsors...Rockford Health System is our Platinum level sponsor, and our bronze sponsors are Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, Sargento Cheese, Rock Road, Inc, and onlinefitness.com....we are planning a really fun event:

5k run/walk* race and kids fun run (*all skill levels are welcome)
October 23rd, 9am, kids fun run following 5k
Rock Cut State Park, Olson Lake
$25 for pre-entry before October 16th, (register by October 8th to guarantee proper tshirt size)
$30 after October 16th
$20 kids fun run

Every participant gets a tshirt. Medals for the first 3 male and first 3 female finishers.

PLEASE JOIN US!!! It will be a fun, rewarding experience.

You can register online at http://www.active.com/running/loves-park-il/little-hands-make-a-big-difference-5k-2011

Or, please email me at littlehandsmakeabigdifference@heuerman.com and I can send you a registration form!

See you in October!

HUGE UPDATE!!!

Oh. My. Goodness. It's been ages since we have updated and it is not because we forgot about the blog....or about all our dedicated readers. It's because we forgot our email/password combination. Blogger has incredible security, I could not get on for months. Then tonight, in a moment of sheer brilliance, the email/password came to me....and here we are!!!! Lots to update on!

This summer we had two big fundraisers. One was a garage sale/lemonade stand. We had several families donate items or a percentage of their garage sale profits to us and we held a lemonade stand at the garage sale. It was a lovely day, and a successful fundraiser, what more could we ask for? We got visits from some special friends that we hadn't seen in a while and of course, our loyal supporters stopped by too! The lemonade was delicious and Jack was thrilled. The brilliant idea of the fundraiser was given to us by an amazing friend, and we have plans to make it even bigger next year!

Last weekend we hosted a lemonade stand at Rockford Memorial Hospital. And, when I say lemonade stand....I mean LEMONADE STAND!!!! They had this amazing stand that they loaned us and we sold lemonade for 2 straight hours....10 GALLONS worth! The Rockford Memorial Hospital community came out in droves and their generosity was overwhelming. We raised over $630 in just 2 hours!!! Incredible!!!

President and CEO of RHS, Gary Kaatz stops by for some lemonade.

Look at this lemonade stand, it's fabulous! Jack worked really hard selling his product to his customers, but he couldn't have done it without his loyal staff....Max, Abbie, Izzie, and Mia!



What a fabulous summer of fundraising! We can't wait to make a donation, any suggestions of where you'd like to see us donate?

Easter!!!!

We are so happy to be donating Build A Bear stuffed animals to 60 hospitalized kids! We are going with an Easter/spring theme this time! Lucky recipients are at Rush University Children's Hospital, American Family Children's Hospital in Madison, and Children's Memorial Hospital.

40 of the 60 stuffed animals!


Here are some of our springtime Build A Bear animals....we tried something different this time and are putting the nurses and doctors scrubs in the box with the animal. Jack thought the kids may enjoy dressing their animals themselves!

Working in their pajamas. What more could you ask for in a job?

We may not have invented the assembly line, but we sure did add a "cuteness factor."

These stuffed animals get the royal treatment....special "get well soon" hugs.

The Easter stuffed animals....peacocks, lambs, and bunnies.

Holiday Update.

Oh my, it's been a while since I have updated! We have been so busy, I haven't had a chance to sit down and let everyone know what we have been up to!

In early December, we called the child life specialist at Rush University Children's Hospital to see if they would be interested in accepting another donation from us. The CLS I talked to was giddy, and said "yes, we want them!" as soon as I stated my reason for calling. So, we packed up 25 of these adorable Build a Bear Stuffed animals for Rush! We figured, while we were in Chicago, we may as well bring a delivery to the amazing kids at Children's Memorial....so we packed up 25 more for them!

There is cute, and there is cuuuuuuute. Can I just say, these are cuuuuuuute. Everyone who saw them, wanted them!

Holly and Hal Moose. Hal's antlers light up. Holly is just adorable sporting that little red bow!



Snowflake bear. If you could touch him through the screen, you would want him. Snuggliest bear we've made yet!

Rudolph and Clarice. They both talk and have a nose/heart that lights up. We also had the abominable snowman, but forgot to take a photo of him. How could that happen?!?!?

Here is my car, all packed up with 50 stuffed animals.

Jack was asked to be the honorary co-chair of the RMH toy drive. By that, I mean, he got to sign his name a few hundred times and be charming and cute on demand. He did a great job! We donated video game controllers, PS3 video games, dolls, arts and crafts books, and of course....Build A Bear stuffed animals (40 of them!)

Jack and I were asked to give a speech, and give a face to the "hospitalized child" that would benefit from the toy drive. It is always an honor to represent all the amazing children and families that RMH serves every year.

**on a personal note, this was the Santa that told my boys that the reindeer prefer bacon over carrots, and the reason my entire house smelled of bacon on Christmas Eve :)

We took a few weeks off, but are now looking forward to 2011!! Jack has big visions for what he wants his charity to do, so stay tuned!!!!

5k Fundraiser

I am SO happy to update about our latest fundraiser! On October 16th, we had a beautiful day to host a 5k run and kids fun run. The day was perfect, the weather was georgous, the racers were amazing....an absolute success! There were 70 participants and we are PROUD to say that we raised $4700!!!!! That is nearly 200 hospitalized children that we will be able to give a a Build A Bear stuffed animal to this holiday season.

A HUGE thank you to our sponsors, we could not have done it without you! Rockford Health Systems, Rock Road Companies, and Sargento cheese....we appreciate their support in our organization and our mission to lift the spirits of hospitalized children!

Jack O'Neil, founder of Little Hands Make A Big Difference, with 2 very special girls that were recipients of donated Build A Bear animals. The BEST part of our fundraiser was having Kailee and Shelby there to help him distribute prizes to the racers.

The kids fun run! Look at them GO!!!!!

The first racer to cross the finish line, 5k in under 19 minutes. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need YOUR HELP!!!!!

Please watch our new you tube video. This was just made for us by someone who heard Jack's story and wanted to help us out! All you have to do is watch the video, and give it a thumbs up or comment on the video.



Thanks SO MUCH, we are so blessed to watch Jack's vision of spreading comfort and love to hospitalized children come true!



http://www.youtube.com/my_favorites?feature=mhum



Please join us October 16th, at Rock Cut State Park, Olson Lake, 9am. We are having a 3 mile run/walk and a 1/4 mile kids fun run. Every registration fee will donate a stuffed Build A Bear to a hospitalized child this holiday season. Every racer gets a gift from us, just because we love you for joining us!

Race, join us!!!!!

October 16th, 9am
Rock Cut State Park, Olson Lake
3 mile run/walk and 1/4 mile kids fun run

Grassy trail run/walk with the beautiful lake and forest scenery.
$30-3 mile run/walk
$20-1/4 mile kids fun run
$35 after October 7th

14 age divisions, male and female....1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes
1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes in kids fun run

EVERY RACE PARTICIPANT'S REGISTRATION FEE WILL DONATE A GIFT TO A LOCAL HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

To register, email littlehandsmakeabigdifference@heuerman.com or call (815)885-8071
Race registration forms can also be found on our website http://www.littlehandsmakeabigdifference.com

Click on Race Flyer Form.

A special thank you to our sponsors, Rockford Health System and Sargento cheese.

Donation!!!

We recently had the pleasure of donating 24 stuffed animals to the Shriner's Hospital in Chicago. It was an honor to donate to such an amazing organization and their hospital!

http://www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/Main

Twenty-four animals ready to go...bears, puppies, kittens, bunnies, panda bears, and owls.

Packaged up and waiting for delivery.

Standing outside the hospital by the Shriner's statue.

Very proud kids carrying in their donation.

A full circle moment, as Jack was a patient at the Shriners hospital 3.5 years ago. The Shriners flew us from North Carolina to Chicago for his appointments.

Shriner's are an amazing organization, starting a hospital to provide (free of charge) medical care to children that at the time were considered outcasts in society and most of them were instiutionalized. We are grateful that the times and attitudes towards disabled children have changed, and thankful for the Shriners for being part of that change.

Busy

Lots to update on!

Thanks to Crowe Horwath for chosing us to participate in their "jeans day" program. Employees were able to donate $5 in exchange for wearing jeans to work for the day. We were thrilled to receive a $1000 check in the mail. We quickly spent half of it at Build A Bear, and along with our National Lemonade Stand money we were able to make 25 stuffed animals (cats, dogs, pandas, and even an owl) to donate to the Shriner's hospital in Chicago!

Our BIGGEST fundraiser of the year is coming up! Mark your calendars!

3 mile run/walk and 1/4 mile kids fun run
October 16th, 9am
Olson Lake, Rock Cut State Park

$30 per entry before October 7th
$35 after October 7th
$20 kids fun run

EACH RUNNER'S ENTRY FEE WILL DONATE A STUFFED ANIMAL TO A HOSPITALIZED CHILD THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

It's going to be a great time, please join us.

Email me at littlehandsmakeabigdifference@heuerman.com or call (815)977-1544 for an entry form

Or you can always find us on facebook. Search for Little Hands

National Lemonade Stand.

This past weekend, Little Hands hosted a National lemonade stand. We had kids hosting lemonade stands nationwide and we combined all the profits to make a donation to Shriner's hospital.

Our total raised was $295!!!!

These are the pictures I have been emailed so far. Aren't these kids great?!?!!?

Ava and Maya in Ohio!




Mary Kate and Martha Kae in Texas.

Jack in Illinois.

5K

Grab your running shoes folks!!!! Little Hands Make A Big Difference is hosting a 5K race and kids fun run!!!!!


Details coming soon!!!

Going Nationwide!!!!

Ever since we've started Little Hands Make A Big Difference, we've had many offers of "if you ever need anything, let me know".....well, everyone.....we need YOU!

Little Hands Make A Big Difference is going NATIONWIDE!!! On Memorial Day weekend, we are asking for participants everywhere to join us in a nationwide-lemonade stand. Want to join us??? It's very easy! At some time on Memorial Day weekend, have a lemonade stand with your kids. You can do for an hour, you can do it for the entire weekend. Whip up a batch of your favorite lemonade, find the perfect location and sell, sell, sell! You have total freedom to do it your way, so have fun!

When the weekend is over, send us a check with your profits. We will combine all the profits and make a donation at a children's hospital that serves children nation-wide...at this point we are making contact with Shriner's hospital and St. Jude's hospital.

501(c)(3)

WOOHOO!!!!! We received notification today that we have been granted by the US government 501(c)(3) status!!! All contributions we receive are tax deductible and we are exempt from Federal income tax! Yeah!!!!!

Time to get fundraising.....

Happy Valentine's Day

Today was the the big Valentine's Day donation to RMH pediatric unit.

We had a large crowd of parents and RMH employees there for the assembly of all the bears into the boxes.

Little (and big) hands hard at work!

Here's the proud kids in front of their donation. Look at that! Three Playstation 3's, video games, and 50 Build A Bears.

We alllllll gathered in the pediatric unit for interviews with the local news and press conference. Representatives from RMH introduced Sarah, Hunter, Connor, and Jack and thanked them on behalf of the recipients of the bears and the peds department. The three older kids got the opportunity to talk about the project and where their inspiration came from.

Three patients came into the room, and the kids were able to give them each their own bear. This was the highlight of the donation! Seeing the excited looks on the kids' faces was the best feeling. As an adult, watching the faces of the Connor, Hunter, Sarah, and Jack was a "moment". You could tell they were overcome by their emotions of seeing what these kids are going through. I won't post pictures from that part, out of privacy for the patients....but I think this look on Hunter's face tells what everyone was feeling.

They got to deliver the rest of the bears to all the patients (it was a full unit).

One last photo with representatives from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.

We'd like to thank Spectrum School students Connor, Hunter, and Sarah....you guys are great kids, hard workers, and we look forward to partnering with you soon. Thanks to their teacher, Shannon, for providing them with support, enthusiasm, and encouragement. A HUGE thank you to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and their In Youth We Trust program. More importantly, thank you to RMH pediatric unit for accepting our donation so graciously! We may have been the ones bringing the gifts, but we definitely came home feeling like we had been given the greatest gift of all!

RR star

http://www.rrstar.com/updates/x1631825519/Students-plan-Valentine-s-delivery-to-pediatric-patients

Spectrum Students and In Youth We Trust

We have partnered with an amazing group of middle schoolers at Spectrum School for our latest donation! The students put in a lot of hard work applying for a grant through the In Youth We Trust program, through the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. http://www.cfnil.org/Grants/Youth.asp

All their hardwork paid off, as they were chosen to receive a $2500 grant. With that money, they are donating three playstation 3 video game systems, video games, and 50 Build A Bears to Rockford Memorial pediatric department on Valentine's Day.

We were lucky to take part in the "building" of all those teddy bears this past weekend. We had so much fun with Connor, Hunter, Sarah, and Shannon! Here's some pictures from the day.

Here the kids are, getting ready to get started.

Jack got to go first, and share his "expertise".

The assembly line to dress all the bears in doctor's scrubs.

Finished!!!!

We are all set to make the donation on Valentine's Day. Check out the local news this Sunday night, as word of this very special donation has gotten out!!!

Toy Drive

The toy drive was a huge success! Jack and I got there very early and were able to do a live tv interview. This was such an amazing marketing opportunity for the charity. I should be getting a video clip of it soon, and will post it when I get it! For those of you that saw it on tv, I hope you got a kick out of seeing Jack cruising around on a hospital-bed-turned-Santa's-sleigh with Aaron Wilson.

Jack and I were asked to give a speech to the ambassadors of the hospital and the other donors to the toy drive. It seemed a little daunting at first, to be giving a speech to 100+ people, but Jack was up for the challenge. Who was I to stop him? :) We were asked to share Jack's story of what he's been through and what it is like to be a family with a child in the hospital. We also got to share the story of the charity, how it started, and what we do. The repsonse we received was fabulous. People were truly touched by Jack's resilience and inspired by his desire to give back to others.

Here's a video of the speech. It's about 5 minutes long, Jack's part is shortly after 3:30.

Holiday Toy Drive

This Wednesday we are participating in the Rockford Memorial Holiday Toy Drive! We are THRILLED to be donating all of this to the deserving kids that will be spending their holidays in the hospital.

As a family that has been through a hospital stay, our hearts go out to those that are spending their holidays inpatient. It lifts our spirits to know that we can help those families out and hopefully provide them with some happiness during their tough times!

Jack and I have been asked to speak at the toy drive. We're thrilled for the opportunity to share Jack's story and introduce our charity. Wish us luck! We will be doing a short interview with Aaron Wilson at 6:43 that morning. If you have a chance, turn your tv on!

Busy, Busy!

Lots of updating to do! We had a spectacular fundraiser at the Holiday Bazaar. We raised over $500!!!! All of that money is going to the Rockford Memorial Holiday toy drive on December 16th. We are looking forward to delivering carloads of toys to all those kids. At the Holiday Bazaar, Jack was recognized by the Foreston Cardinals Boys Basketball team. They had heard his story and felt inspired to work a little harder because of him. What an honor for a 6 year old boy!!! They gave him a basketball, which they all signed, and he sleeps with it every night. They also gave him a tshirt with his name on it that he's going to proudly wear to one of their basketball games!


We received a letter from Rush University Children's hospital the other day thanking us for our donation of 30 bears. They are using the bears in their pre-surgical program to introduce the kids that are having surgery to doctors wearing scrubs. We were SO excited to hear this, as a family that's been through the pre-surgical program we know how important it is to ease those fears ahead of time.

We also got a surprise nine donation of Build A Bear stuffed animals from a mom's group from Chicago! They heard of our charity and wanted to help. So, they went to Build A Bear and had a blast making bears for us to donate. Thank you so much to Debbie Johansen for giving us this idea.....now is there any mom's groups out there that want to match their donation? Let me know if you're interested.

I got to meet this week with 3 middle schoolers from Spectrum School. They applied and received a $2500 grant through In Youth We Trust program through the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. The kids had applied for money to buy three video game systems, video games, and fifty teddy bears. All of these will be donated to the local hospital that they chose, RMH. And they aren't stopping there. They want to continue spreading the word of Little Hands Make A Big Difference, so they will be doing some advertising and marketing for us. They have ideas for more fundraisers they want to do...bake sales, candy grams....the sky is the limit with these kids! We are so proud of them and SO happy to have them on our team! Great job guys!