Win - Win Situation

The Cardz for Kidz! staff frequently interact with kids and bond with staff at local hospitals. Even with the hundreds of volunteered hours we have NO where near the potential interaction experience as pediatric doctors. In order to learn more about a different kind of connection we reached out to a pediatric neurologist in northern Ohio, Dr. Chinasa Nwankwo. Here are some of her stories about some of her favorite patients!

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Resilient Relationship.

“While thinking about the hundreds of patients, I’d have to say one that I’ll always remember is Lora.* Her mom originally brought her to the hospital because she noticed her eyes were bouncing around and she was irritable. She was later admitted and diagnosed with an acute attack of the substance that covers her nerves. We didn’t know what sparked it, but we had to figure out how to stop it and bring back any lost function. She was in the hospital for a couple weeks. During that time she received multiple “scary” treatments. We tried our best to effectively communicate with her mother since there was a language barrier; she strictly spoke Spanish (that’s why we ask for cards in Spanish too!). The only thing they would say in English is ‘hello’. I saw her in follow up over the next six months. Each time I walked in the room, her mother was so grateful and would jump up and provide a hug and kiss. She recovered completely. Working in medicine allows you to make long lasting relationships that are both personal and professional.”

Consistent Connection.

“I remember another one of my favorite patients named Gina*; she was about 16 years old. When I originally met her she came to the hospital for migraines.  She was always sweet, funny, and shy and soon started to open up. Her headaches were easy to control so we spent the majority of time chatting and comparing our nail colors. One time she came a bit before our scheduled visit and it was clear that she was down and depressed. Her mom told me she just failed her national exams, was worried about her. I asked her mom why she brought her to me specifically and she said ‘because I know she can talk to you’. I tried to explain that I wasn’t a counselor and could only do so much. But we had a heart to heart, and it was encouraging to chat and bond with them.”

“Every patient that comes into your life comes in for a special purpose. Most often people think it’s for you to do something for them, but more often than not, the patient is the one helping the doctor. “

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Everyone knows that patients go to hospitals to get help from doctors. When we think about that “relationship” it seems that clearly it’s more beneficial for the patients. But after hearing how some of the patients can impact the doctors’ lives, we now understand it’s a Win – Win Situation.

#upliftingspirits #winwinsituation

To see more pictures and stories please check out our website www.cardzforkidz.org, like us on Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page!

*Names changed due to HIPAA privacy regulations.

Worth the Wait AND Weight

Tough call. What’s more important, official government paperwork OR a website?

To this day we’re REAL THANKFUL for ALL the hard work our buddies put in to help us fill out the IL Secretary of State documents, IL Attorney General files, and IRS 501(c)(3) paperwork; all together a total of 43 pages!! Even with all those hours, when we talk to folks (outside of large corporations who are looking to make formal partnerships), they usually ask to see our website.

Here’s what a lot of hospitals and/or groups consider before they ask to see our site:

• Groups Think. Wait! Here’s a non-profit we can “work” with that’s 100% free AND we can do it from our office AND we can impact disheartened children across the globe. Also, we can write about it on our blogs and put our logo up on their site……and yes it’s free. I don’t believe it, I need more information. “Can I see your website?”
• Hospitals Wonder. Hold on there’s a mythical organization that did A LOT of searching to find our small hospital. Then they’re claiming they’ll send us a card for EVERY one of our patients at least once a quarter and try to get us any language we want. All we have to do is ‘pinky promise’ that we’ll deliver the cards room to room. I don’t understand. “Do you have more information on your website?”
• Side note. Even with his unlimited mobile to mobile minutes, one of our team members STILL went over his monthly minutes since he was on hold and switched from desk to desk at small hospitals because they’d never heard of this type group. J

Due to those requests, we’ve been trying to get the site live for AWHILE. Here are some of the steps:

1. March 2013. Met someone who loved what we did and told us they’d build a custom site 100% for free. They got started and here’s a screenshot of the where we left off:
   
2. May 2013. Personal connection reached out to let us know they loved what we did and would help. They let us know they’d do the designing for free. Unfortunately we were unable to get things finalized.
3. June 2013. During a workshop about ‘Search Engine Optimization’ we met someone who led a company who creates renowned websites. We told them about our goal….they told us we were too small.
4. October 2013. We knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone who may be able to help us. Unfortunately that fell through. L
5. November 2013. After a presentation at an event, a company reached out to us via Twitter saying they would give us a good rate to build our site. After reaching out a couple times we got an estimate. They updated us that they couldn’t give us a flat amount. They gave us a range of what they expected it to be, but told us we’d get an hourly rate with a max price. We originally expected the site to be live in December 2013. Then March 2014. Finally, and thankfully, it went live at the end of April. Turns out it was more expensive than we hoped.

Even with the long wait we’re VERY EXCITED. Now when we call and chat with hospitals or connect with new organizations we can say, “Yes. You can find more information on the ‘How To’ section of our website.”

So although the cost was slightly ‘heavier’ than we had hoped and it took A LONG time to get finalized, getting the website up was Worth the Wait & Weight!

#upliftingspirits #worththewaitandweight

To see more pictures and stories please check out our website www.cardzforkidz.org, like us on Facebook page, follow us on Twitter , visit our Google+ page, or visit our LinkedIn page! 

Long Lasting Impact

Here’s an outline of Cardz for Kidz!.

1.       Inside Scoop!!! The founder did NOT think of the name, Cards for Kids! The first event was set up for a conference in 2010. He decided to simply get attendees to partner with kids from church to make cards for patients at the hospital he volunteered at, Lurie (at the time known as Children’s Memorial). The people from church said he needed to create a title. Interesting. But the founder wasn’t creative enough to think of a good name. Some other participants decided to call it Cards for Kids.

Unfortunately, neither of the groups at the first event decided to ever hold another event! L We tried to orchestrate more events with either of those groups, but to no avail.

2.       Then in 2011 he took it to work. These events started to pick up around the agency. First, one sister company, located in the same building, joined in. Then another company from upstairs, Mindshare, made cards on their floor. Of the 3 companies, Mindshare was the only one who held another event.

As often happens in the advertising industry the two Mindshare employees who led the first events moved on to other companies. Cardz for Kidz! was over, right? WRONG!  Not sure exactly how she learned about it, but soon after another Mindshare employee started hosting events. She created office wide events which led to the production of over 45 cards!! Another transition followed and she left the agency as well. That’s the end right? WRONG. Within a quarter another TEAM reached out stating they started a new committee and wanted to host events again. This team was able to quickly host an event and produced 70+ cards. In addition, several of them attended the ‘Pledge Allegiance’ event! #thanks

Amazing how with some groups if one person does not take the lead and plan it for everyone, nothing happens. Some folks may say ‘wow it’s just an amazing company culture’ OR ‘they clearly just hire plenty of nice people’. No matter what sparked the successful transitions, we’re thankful! 

As of April 15, 2014 well over 50 groups have hosted Cardz for Kidz! parties. No matter how many more groups join in, Mindshare will always be the 4^th group to ever host an event. And since so many people have stepped up to help, we’re sure Mindshare will continue to have a long lasting impact on our kids!

Currently Mindshare has produced 293 cards!

#upliftingspirits #passthebaton #longlastingimpact

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! Also, the websites coming soon, www.cardzforkidz.org!!

Too Consistent

“Okay now I’m just confused.”

“Here’s this group I’ve never heard of making all these name changes!”

People are still trying to learn the spelling of Cardz for Kidz!  (Z rather than S) and we’re adding on more elements! Yes…we understand it’s confusing because we’re adding so much before we even launched a website. But even with those questions we’re still making sure we have all THREE Cardz __ Kidz!:

• Cardz FOR Kidz!: This is our #1 focus. The goal is to get homemade/custom cards into children’s hands while they’re going through difficult periods or events. This can range from children battling cancer to students impacted by a school shooting. Also, one of the locations we have sent cards to on a quarterly basis, Orangewood Foundation, is a safe haven for kids who have been physically or sexually abused. So no matter how many more services we add (i.e. art boxes or even scholarships in the future) our title will not change.

• Cardz FROM Kidz!: We’re partnering with a couple of locations where we can reach “solemn seniors”. We’ve sent a total of 93 cards to elder residents of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly and Salvation Army Booth Manor. Thankfully they’ve replied with a total of 162 cards. So we’re making sure child participants have the option to reach seniors or other children.

• Cardz WITH Kidz!: This is our way of “rewarding” hard work. Since we’re still in the growth phase we can’t provide any type of special/expensive “gift” for amazing art projects. As our reward we invite the top artists (if we can get a hold of them) to come make cards with patients and their families at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

Two consistent themes throughout the names are Cardz and Kidz. Our overall goal is to impact children. This can range from them feeling encouraged knowing their helping someone’s grandma, all the way to them believing they received a gift from a friend. We’ll always associate with two things, Cards and Kids, because we believe there’s no such thing as Too Consistent!

#upliftingspirits #tooconsistent

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! Also, the websites coming soon, www.cardzforkidz.org!!

When We Grow Up

What do you want to be when you grow up?

                          A Doctor                                                    A Teacher   

        A Lawyer              an astronaut                  A Football Player   

                      A Ballerina            A Derivatives Analyst for a Global Investment Bank[i]

Do you remember those days? When you used to ANNOUNCE to teachers, classmates, or family members exactly what we wanted to do in the future. Okay since Cardz for Kidz! is about to celebrate its 4^th birthday we can start making proclamations. We want to provide a scholarship. Here’s a story that fueled our desire:

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In high school I had a 3.8 GPA and since I was a part of several extracurricular activities, I actually got into the University of Michigan on a full tuition scholarship. I remember being sooo excited when I got the letter!! I later got admitted into the Ross School of Business after my sophomore year!! On top of that, I was invited to be in some of the business school brochures!! My world was so perfect.  #AMAZING

THEN EVERYTHING CRASHED.

July 12, 2004 (yeah still got the date memorized) was the first time I was rushed to the Emergency Room. After the first set of testing I was told that I had a BRAIN TUMOR. In tears I immediately went to my academic advisor and told her that I was going to take a year off. After a slew of tests including every letter in the alphabet (PET, MRI, WADA, EEG, etc), I was told that I needed to have Brain Surgery (BS). The part that was operated on is the area effecting short term memory and/or speech. After all the testing and disputes with insurance, the actual surgery took place on August 5, 2005. Because of the scholarship and fear of falling even farther behind, I decided to return to school in September 2005. However, there was a tiny bit of difficulty getting the scholarship reinstated. Thankfully I knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone that was able to expedite the process. Within a couple weeks everything was all set (to this day I’ll never forget receiving the call from school when the administrator guaranteed that he personally would look into my situation and make sure the scholarship was settled ASAP).

Studying, taking notes and doing homework less than 30 days after having the portion of the brain operated on that controls short term memory was a wee bit difficult. One thing that I’ll always remember is trying to remember the 4 P’s of marketing.

“Product, Place, Price”…..can’t remember the last one. I would read through my notes “PROMOTION”! Then I would try again. “Promotion, Place, Product”….once again couldn’t remember the final P. It took a LONG time before I was able to get all 4. That was before I tried holding on to S.T.P., Multiple/Combined targeting approach, Primary/Secondary target and a couple other distinctive characteristics. I still remember looking down at my first post-surgery exam and immediately getting disheartened. As expected my grades plummeted after the surgery; out of the 20 post surgery classes, I only got 2 A’s – both in Communications courses. Nearly half were a B- or below.

But let’s think about it. What if the surgery would have happened in high school? Then I wouldn’t have been able to play sports, while doing extracurricular activities and retaining a strong GPA. Thinking about it, I’m lucky that my scholarship and everything was ALL set before the whole brain ordeal began! I know there would’ve been no way to get any financial assistance with the grades I would’ve been able to make after my BS.

Participants name was removed due to HIPAA regulations.

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It is these types of stories that inspire us to start a grant/stipend/scholarship for youth who have been hospitalized for a week or more. Grades will not be the determining factor for eligibility; rather it’s the students’ desire and diligence to succeed or continue despite their hardship that will be considered.

Don't worry we're not getting our priorities mixed up:

1. We want to get more Cardz for more Kidz!. That’s our name and always our #1 goal!
2. Purchase art supplies and DVD players for small hospitals!

In summary, uplifting the spirits of current disheartened children will always be our goal, but WHEN WE GROW UP we’d love to reach kids/former patients in more than one way.

#upliftingspirits #whenwegrowup

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! Also, the websites coming soon, www.cardzforkidz.org!!

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[i] (yeah you remember that kid? We intentionally didn’t give’em pretty font or bright colors J)

New Definition

Andrew: “Hmmmm I don’t know what that is Ashley. Adam do you know?”

Adam: “I think I’ve heard of it before, but I’m not really sure. Angie?”

Angie: “Yeah...don’t know. Just GOOGLE it!”

“Google it.” That’s a phrase that most of us have used at least once! According to Merriam-Webster it means:

Google (v) (googled googling)- to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web.

We’re not sure how Google became a verb, BUT we have a verb of our own; ArrowStream or Stream.

Thankfully there have been 50+ groups who have held a Cardz for Kidz! event. This ranges from world renowned universities to small community groups. One reason folks like to participate is that, EVERY CARD COUNTS. So whether it’s a HUGE event that produces 300+ cards (thanks CervantesKids!) to a small ‘Girls Night in Party’ that produces 21 (yup we still remember Ms Lavers!), we appreciate all cards. Also, we’ve learned that people have heard about Cardz for Kidz! in all different types of ways. This has ranged hearing about us in class (looking forward to seeing those cards USG) to seeing a sign we posted in a Starbucks (still remember the email from Harley Davidson!).  We definitely understand that groups get busy at different times. Also, there are some folks who simply prefer to make cards around special holidays.

But one thing that’s clear is that ArrowStream is the only group who’s ArrowStreamed or Streamed it.

Arrowstream (v)- (Streamed, Streaming). Independently host Cardz for Kidz! events without any member of the organization checking in to see if they are still interested and/or requesting cards for a special event.

Sorry we’re number guys so we gotta show some stats! 

In total, as of March 28, 2014 we’ve received cards from 101 different events. Among those, only 28% of participants held an event the following quarter. To narrow it down even more, ArrowStream is the ONLY group who’s held an event 4 quarters in a row!!! Shocking right? It’s clear everyone enjoys the excuse to use glitter glue while uplifting spirits, but based on time constraints they’re often unable to host another event.

What’s even more surprising is that every quarter they reach out to update us that they had an event! No need for us to remind or request any cards. 

So yes...we haven’t forgotten:

• No, they’re not our #1 producer of cards (just 11 cards away from being a Gold level contributor).
• No, they have not cracked the overall Top 10…yet.

But YES. They have consistently uplifted spirits without us requesting. Currently at four quarters and that can still increase!

Now we understand there are time constraints, but it would be AMAZING if more groups would create a new definition and ArrowStream/Stream it! 

And sorry guys, but now we’re spoiled and expecting it to continue! :)

Top 10 cards from Q1 2014

#upliftingspirits #newdefinition

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! Website coming soon, www.cardzforkidz.org!

Who You're Telling

Here’s a brief story about a “special” taxi ride:

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One day back in April 2013, I left work and tried to catch a cab to the Bulls game.  As many of you know, it can be tough finding a cab downtown, during rush hour.   After about 10-15 minutes a cab pulls up, but by this time there was also a young lady waiting for a cab as well.  Trying to be a nice guy, I told her that she can have the cab and that I’ll just catch the next one.  She was so appreciative of the gesture that she offered to share the cab.   It turns out that she was going to the Bulls game as well! Because of her kindness, I told her that I would expense the cab ride.

During the ride, we chatted about our jobs and what we enjoyed doing in our free time.  As I began to talk about my interest and position with Cardz for Kidz!  she mentioned that her company, Roundarch Isobar, would love to participate.  That quarter they held a simultaneous event with their Chicago, Boston and New York offices.

Now here’s the most interesting part. In Q4 2013, participants produced a total of 1,390 cards.  At the end of the quarter it turned out that Roundarch produced 4 of the overall Top 10 cards.  It’s wild to think that if I didn’t mention the organization, there would have been 164 children who wouldn’t have received a card to brighten their day.  A perfect mix of quality and quantity!

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Now we just ask you to spread the word. Okay- maybe your cab ride results may not be as powerful, but you never know WHO YOU'RE TELLING. Maybe they’ll be responsible for creating more world renowned cards! :)

Overall Top 10

Top 10 from Isobar's Offices

We're actually not 100% sure there's a Detroit office. We just noticed the return address on one of the packages was from Detroit and there were a BUNCH of quality cards! :)

#whoyouretelling #upliftingspirits

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!