It's Official

501c3. 401K. 403B. L5. ABC123. With all these number letter and combinations it’s often hard to tell which ones are real, let alone important. Okay…..now we’re officially bias, but we believe 501(c)(3) is the most important pairing! J

Originally we thought it’d be okay to have community groups make cards every now and then. Then once interest started to spread by company groups, more and more participants have been asking if we had the special letter number combination. Since every card counts we have a page dedicated to recognizing participants.  In order to get logos up there we have to receive permission from each group, their logo, and if people click on it the group’s desired landing page.

On the backend for our own tracking purposes we keep an excel chart that tracks EVERYTHING related to Cardz for Kidz!. This data ranges from how many cards each group has made to the total amount we’ve paid for shipping. It’s internal. No one sees it. Even with all the ‘privacy’ it still says “Anonymous Donor”.

This anonymous company made cards in Q4 2012, Q1 2013 and again in Q4 2013, but based on company policy they cannot directly associate themselves with non-certified groups. We marked it as “Anonymous Donor” so we’d be 100% SURE that we wouldn’t break their rules! Hopefully that’ll change with our newly acquired number letter combo!

Since we first started the paperwork we’ve learned that if we continued to buy DVD players for hospitals, we’d be able to get a large discount also due to that number letter combo. We could erase the fees associated with hosting a website with those letters and numbers connected to our name. But although all those benefits are great, the best part about this certification is that IT'S OFFICIAL, everyone can participate in Cardz for Kidz!.

#upliftingspirits #itsofficial

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! 

Cardz BY Kidz!

It’s the thought that counts…..right? We agree! When we chat with people about making new cards we often hear, “Oh I can’t! I’m definitely not creative at all!” Or for some people who are less hard on themselves when asked if they’re creative reply, “hmmm not so much!” All we have to say is don’t be so hard on yourself. We distinctly remember going into one child’s room and apologizing that the card didn’t turn out the way the designer thought and the young boy interrupted us and said “I can tell he tried really hard.” These kids truly appreciate ALMOST everything and anything….. Almost being the key word.

Now that we have Cardz FROM Kidz! we’re continually looking for ways to get more kids making more cards. It’s often real cute seeing how hard some kids try! During one of our recent shipments we asked for backup from specialists; a pediatric doctor and a woman who has worked with children for over 35 years. We worked together to “translate” a large stack of cards that were created by young students. Our favorite “translation” was sprize (surprise). Only took a second for that one.

So it’s not a problem if there are spelling or grammar issues. For example, we could tell Jaden tried hard on his card and the fact that he switched up the ‘A’ and ‘I’ makes the card even cuter!

         

        

Now the one thing that we need to be careful of is WHAT the kids write in their cards. If you check out any of our social media (including blogs) or our mission statement on our website, two words you’ll consistently see our UPLIFTING and SPIRITS. We want the kids and their families to feel special and to be more encouraged by our cards. Therefore, teachers, parents, counselors, group leaders, or anyone else working with kids, please please double check the cards to make sure the content is uplifting! Here’s an example of a card that we won’t be able to give to a child.

Although it does include “We are my best friend” and “I am your friend” we had to dispose of it. The spelling of tigers is not a problem either, it’s just the “or you skinny-No or you fat- Yes”. Then we’re not so sure we need to tell other children that this artists conveys that they “lik u to go to the bathroom”.

So yes, we agree it’s the thought that counts’, it's just we understand we have to be careful with what they’re thinking when it’s Cardz BY Kidz!.

#upliftingspirits #cardzbykidz

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!

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)