LITTLE HEARTS INAUGURAL GOLF TOURNAMENT - MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2010 - SAVE THE DATE!

Where: The Apawamis Club, 2 Club Road, Rye, NY 10580
When: Monday, June 21, 2010 at 11:00am
Fees: $375.00 per person or $1,460 for a foursome. Includes lunch, greens fees, cart rental, cocktail hour, dinner, prizes and refreshments.

Little Hearts Golf Outing Registration Form and Sponsorship Form now online! If you can't join us, share with your friends and family! Work for a company that may like to be a sponsor? Share our Sponsorship Presentation form with them.

LITTLE HEARTS 14TH ANNUAL PICNIC - SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2010

Visit our PICNIC page to see photos of those that joined us in 2009! We have a slideshow as well as the "Heart Kid Video". Enjoy the Pictures of HOPE/CHD and HOPE/HLHS taken this year!

SUPPORTING LITTLE HEARTS THROUGH DONATIONS IN HONOR OF OR IN MEMORY OF A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER. Does your child have an upcoming birthday or did you recently lose a loved one? Ask friends and family to make donations to Little Hearts, Inc. in their honor or memory. They can be made online through our online secure website or with our letter. Each donor will receive a thank you letter from us and the individual in whose honor or memory the donation was made in, will be added to our website. Visit the DONORS page of our website to see what members did in 2008! LOOKING TO ORGANIZE A FUNDRAISER FOR LITTLE HEARTS?

Here are a few suggestions that members have done for us over the years -

1- Do you work? Organize a dressdown fundraiser.
2- Are your children in school? Organize a loose change fundraiser or contact your local high school and share Little Hearts with the students and their clubS.
3- Are you a golfer? Organize a golf outing
4- Are you a runner? Organize a 5 mile run.
5- Are you or a friend part of a band? Organize a concert to benefit Little Hearts.

SUPPORT LITTLE HEARTS THROUGH PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS THROUGH UNITED WAY OR YOUR EMPLOYER

BIRDIES FOR CHARITY PROGRAM

The TPC River Highlands of Cromwell held their annual Golf Tournament, June 22-28. They are sponsored by The Travelers Championship who have also created fundraising programs for charity groups in Connecticut. Little Hearts, Inc. for the first time, will be participed in their Birdies for Charity Program. How did the Birdies for Charity Program work? A birdie is a score of one stroke better than par for any golf hole. PGA TOUR professionals anticipated to make an average 1500-2000 birdies Wednesday through Sunday of the Travelers Championship. Little Hearts members, friends and family simply make pledges online - being as low as one penny! If 1500 birdies are made, 1 penny would equal $15.00, ten cents would equal $150.00 and $1.00 would equal $1500.00.

Thank you for your support and bringing awareness to the #1 Birth Defect!

NETWORKING MORE PRACTICAL THAN SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS In the 1990's, we had established support group meetings in various states. We had members from CT, FL, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA and RI running meetings in these states. Some took off well and continued for a few years while others fizzled out.

Why were some successful in having monthly meetings while others weren't? Not only have we seen this with our own meetings but have seen this occur with many throughout the United States. Our experience has shown it comes down to having the time to commit. Running meetings can be time consuming and for the parents who have their hands full with their children, it can be very challenging. Rather than to continue to establish new sites for meetings, we decided to go back to what we originally set out to do and that was networking families.Now, whenever we have a new member or family who is looking for meetings or looking to talk with another parent, we provide them with contact information of several members living closest to them. Once they receive that information, they can phone that parent and set up their own little meeting and sit down and talk. They no longer have to wait for a scheduled meeting!

Our organization has over 1,800 members. At one time, the only members we did have were those here on the East Coast but now we have a membership throughout the United States!

So why not use our network of many in providing support to the new families facing the same questions and feelings we had when we learned of our child's heart defect!

PR TOOLKIT FOR CHD AWARENESS WEEK

Looking to bring awareness by contacting the media? Use our PR Toolkit to help in getting your story out there. Remember, once your story has been published, share your accomplishment with us!

CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT AWARENESS WEEK - FEBRUARY 7-14, 2010

An international coalition of families, individuals, non-proft organizations, support groups, and health professionals participate in a campaign to increase public awareness of Congenital Heart Defects and Childhood Heart Disease. It's time to request a proclamation from the Governor of your state declaring February 7-14th as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.

Feel free use our sample letter to your Governor requesting a proclamation attaching our rough draft of what a proclamation should look like. Once you have received it from your Governor, please share the news with us!

For additional information about CHD Awareness week participants and activities, please visit www.tchin.org/aware.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS ON HOW YOU CAN BRING AWARENESS TO THE #1 BIRTH DEFECT We have flyers and promotional items to help you. Feel free to print off our flyer for your pediatric cardiologists office. For fundraisers, we have or our Loose Change Fundraiser for school - our Loose Change Fundraiser for work and our "Jeans Day" dressdown fundraiser for work. For a display, use our CHD Awareness Flyer or our CHD Fact Sheet or contact us for brochures.

Does your Pediatric Cardiologist display our brochures at their office? If not, contact us with their mailing information and we'll send them a supply! CHD Day can be whatever you'd like it to be! Do whatever works for you. The above suggestions are just a few that members have done and have been successful. Some members have written a Letter to the Editor of their local newspaper about their heart child and experience. Read in our October 2009 newsletter to see what one member wrote!

Bring awareness year round with our wristbands, awareness t-shirts, car ribbon magnet, window clings and more. Visit our online store for more ideas.

Whatever you do - let us know and share it with us! Take photos and we'll share in our newsletter or our website! EXPECTING A BABY WITH A CHD? HERE'S SOMETHING TO RESEARCH - CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS MAY HELP REPAIR BABIES' HEART DEFECTS

"Umbilical cord blood, rich in stem cells, may provide raw material to repair the hearts of thousands of babies born each year with defective heart valves, according to researchers. Cardiologists at the University Hospital of Munich say they are 5 years to 7 years away from transplanting new heart valves into children with faulty hearts, derived from the children's own cord blood". Read entire article online.

COLUMBIA HARLEY OWNERS GROUP (CHOG) FUNDRAISER SEPTEMBER 13, 2009.CHOG held their their 3rd annual bike run, called "Daena's Run 09" for Little Hearts on Sunday, September 13th and it was another success!

Lenore was invited to ride in the 90 mile Poker Run and traveled with more than 200 bikers through many rural towns in Connecticut with a beautiful skyline view of Rhode Island. There were three stops where the riders pulled a card for the “poker run”. The first card was pulled at registration and the last card was pulled when we arrived at the Franco American Club.

Our first stop was www.ekonkhillturkeyfarm.com – our second was North Stonington Ambulance and our third at Milanos Pizza in Jewett City . Little Hearts member, Nick Duva rode, and the Camerons & Parmenters attended the picnic after the Poker Run. There were clowns for balloon making and face painting as well as a raffle, a 50/50 draw and a Chinese Raffle. This year's band was www.rockedandloaded.net with Angelo, CHOG member on the drums. T-shirts were designed and printed by www.casualmoose.com. Daena, her dad and Chip Bean from CHOG were on Fox61 News and Dave Parmenter of www.daenasrun.com, Chip Bean and Lenore Cameron had an interview with Charter Communication which will aired 10/6, 8 & 10th on Channel 14. Little Hearts member, Megan McDonnell did wonderful press releases with The Hartford Courant sharing Daena's Run and bringing awareness to CHDs!


AWARENESS RIBBON MAGNETS- New! New to Little Hearts is our Car Ribbon Magnet. Available at our online store.