We All Are!

Who’s in first? It seems like it is always changing! One quarter College Students are the top participants (Q3 2013 – 375 cards). Then, out of nowhere, the next quarter is dominated by B to B companies (i.e. Q4 2013 – 449 cards).  One consistent trait is that independent contributors have always been pretty stable!

As of February 2014, here’s the breakout for the different segments:

Among those participants here are the top producers (as of 2/18/14):

• Grade School:
• Mayfield Junior School – 250 Quality Cards
•  College or Above:
• DePaul – 628 Quality Cards
• Community Group:
• Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly – 100 Quality Cards
• B to B Company:
• Ogilvy Chicago – 395 Quality Cards
• B to C Company:
• Quicken Loans – 163 Quality Cards
• Independent:
• One family who wished to remain anonymous – 175 Quality Cards

In a previous post we were trying to see who benefits the most from all these cards. It was a tossup, but it seems that everyone involved is happy. Thankfully the children who received cards or “artists” who made cards have enjoyed the experience. What we’re excited about is that sooo many people have participated!

Now if someone looks over the statistics and says, “wow over 6,000 delivered. That’s a lot of cards! Who’s responsible for all those?” Our response can be “We All Are”!

#upliftingspirits #weallare

To see more pictures and stories please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!

Both Inside and Out

“You’re beautiful both inside and out.” That’s definitely one of the most uplifting compliments of all time. Gentlemen, if you’re trying to uplift the spirits of a longtime girlfriend or possibly attract a new crush, that’s a phrase to remember.

We agree. We use that phrase all the time but we say “You’re valuable both inside and out.” And by that we’re referring to the children both inside and outside of the United States. But let’s be honest, clearly we are focused on the US. 97% of our cards have been delivered within the United States and since Cardz for Kidz! originally started in Illinois the majority of our hospitals are located in this state.  69% of cards were delivered to hospitals in IL.

But now we’re growing. Not including the United States, we've sent cards to 5 separate countries in 4 different languages and we’re looking to expand. As of 2/10/2014 we've sent 192 cards globally. We understand that these children are truly excited to receive these gifts from their “friends” in the United States. 

Children in Benin

Patient in Haiti

Children in Ghana

We definitely want to make sure that each hospital here in the US has more than enough cards to impact all of their patients, we would love for your help to reach even more children. We want to want to make sure kids Both Inside and Out of the US feel loved!

#upliftingspirits #bothinsideandout

To see more pictures and stories please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!

They're Thankful!

Thanks for your help! On a consistent basis we've asked for your help in order to deliver cards to pediatric patients.

Thankfully we've received increased participation when we've made "special" deliveries. Even though these locations often get a bunch of donations, your cards make an impact. 

Here are two quotes from the recipients:

• Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut: "Thank you so much for all those beautifully decorated cards and snowflakes! They were absolutely gorgeous and the most wonderful spirit-lifters for all these children at Sandy Hook."
• Berrendo Middle School, New Mexico: "The cards were amazing - thank you!"

Those schools received A LOT of donations, but they definitely appreciate YOUR help....THEY'RE THANKFUL!

#upliftingspirits #theyrethankful

To see more pictures and stories please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!

Please Help!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

As many of you heard, there was a school shooting at Berrendo Middle School in New Mexico. Since our overall goal is to uplift the spirits of hospitalized and/or TRAUMATIZED children we're going to send a shipment of cards.

On January 30th, we'll send our package to that school. The tough part is that so far we still need 1,000+ cards to deliver to the hospitals we currently partner with this quarter. If you could partner with coworkers, friends, classmates and/or group members to make a couple of cards that would be TRULY appreciated. 

Don't worry even if you can't get the cards by 1/30/2014 we DEFINITELY still need a bunch throughout the quarter.

We Agree

“No! I disagree!”

That was the first part of our conversation with one of our trusted advisers. This was sparked when we highlighted our first “big” donation to a hospital….a standard DVD player. They highlighted how they still have all their old school Disney movies AND some of their overall favorite movies on VHS. So when it came time to consider getting a DVD player, they disagreed. Later we asked if they had DVD player.  Turns out they had a DVD/Blue Ray player. And owned the majority of those movies on DVD and/or blue ray.

“I just think that money should go to hospital supplies!” We definitely agree that gloves, gowns, medication, etc are all essential. The only thing is that our overall goal is to uplift the spirits of these children. We strive to take their mind off their condition by doing fun things such as opening a card or watching a DVD; able to simply tap one button and automatically skip a “scary” scene in a movie.

We’re thankful that some of the hospitals we partner with have the latest systems in their playroom and independent TVs for each room. That’s soooo important. But it’s a shame, that although there are multiple patients in a room, some hospitals don’t have a TV in any of the patients’ rooms. So we’re going to focus on partnering with some of the smaller hospitals we send cards and provide them with “fun activities”. Here are pictures from one of the playrooms:  

           

At that hospital they only have a VCR in their playroom with VHS tapes. We learned they have a partnership with Disney. Based on that they have some DVDs, but those can only be played on the two “mobile” TVs with video game systems that can play discs.

So although a trusted adviser doesn't think that we should spend money uplifting spirits with electronics, We Agree that we can continue to find ways to brighten these kids’ day. Here’s a pic of the staff holding the brand new DVD player, as well as, posing with some cards.

 

Now we just need to make sure they have the best movie of all time, The Lion King!....yeah we're a bit biased.... but the adviser who disagreed has it too!!

#upliftingspirits #weagree

To see more pictures and stories please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!

Guaranteed Good Time

We only have about a couple weeks left. Please make sure you pick your favorite three cards!

How it works is that everyone selects their favorite three cards. Then we invite the artists who made the TOP 5 cards to come play games and make crafts with pediatric patients and their families. Based on the continual excitement from the past events it's clear that meeting up with these patients is a Guaranteed Good Time. 

Click here to vote: Top 5

To see more pictures and stories please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , or visit our LinkedIn page!

#upliftingspirits #guaranteedgoodtime

They Are Special

ART BOXES!!

Now that we started fundraising we decided to dedicate some of our funds to purchasing art supplies and little boxes for some of our hospitals. How it’ll work is that when kids get admitted, they can immediately get a little plastic box that will have glue sticks, construction paper, markers, and supplies to make necklaces. Our goal is to help these kids feel special, even if we’re unable to deliver a card at that time. Also, in the future we’ll work to raise funds to help update some of the fun equipment in hospitals.

Our volunteer work has shown that children are DEFINITELY happier in playful settings that keep them active and interested.  Our hope is to eventually meet that need for hospitals by identifying their specific needs for art supplies and to secure fun equipment to make the hospital stay kid friendly.  We will work to make sure the child's needs for fun are met.

In summary, our overall goal is to make sure the children know that THEY ARE SPECIAL no matter the size of their hospital.

If you would like to participate in helping please feel free to make a tax deductible donation. 

Here’s a link to make your donation:

Art Supplies Donations

#theyarespecial #upliftingspirits

To see more pictures and stories please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , or visit our LinkedIn page!