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!