Today is all about Philly!!! I’m reaching out to several businesses in the greater Philadelphia area to help make our Holiday of Hope party super special. We are heading north in December (bbrrrr…) to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia to host a party for a special group of kids. A very LARGE special group of kids. We are expecting more than 250 kids!! I am so excited!! So far we have some really great entertainment lined up. Home Depot is hosting their infamous arts and crafts table and the Philadelphia Football Cheerleaders will make an appearance too! Today I am focusing on the clowns, face painters and balloon artists. Left a couple of messages, but so far no bites. Keep your fingers crossed. We want to make this the best Holiday of Hope party ever…at least until next time!

Margo
HOTM Facility Coordinator

A teen from Amarillo, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while crossing the street to get his father a birthday card, is being awarded October’s Hero of the Month for The Children’s Hospital at NWTHS. The award is presented by national charity Kids Wish Network.

On Oct. 10, 2007, John was crossing the street to get his father a birthday card when he was hit by two cars. The accident left him almost completely paralyzed on his right side. It took away his hearing in his right ear, left him unable to walk and also took a heavy toll on his speaking abilities.

“The first car bumped him and the second car slammed him into the asphalt. He spent 29 days in the ICU at NW Texas,” said John’s father, John. “He was given a less than 5 percent chance to make it through the night.”

Although the odds were against him, John pulled through and is slowly making a recovery. With the help of music therapy, John is beginning to put words together. One night, his family was watching TV when John started singing along with the words to the opening song.

“Who Are You, by The Who is one of the first things he sang while watching the opening credits of CSI and that really started his talking again,” John’s dad said. “Music is everything to him. Even when he was in a coma we would put his iPod on him and let him listen to his music. Music is a great way for him to express himself and form his words because he is having trouble with his talking.”

John was nominated for Hero of the Month by his child life specialist, Becky. She said that the family was excited to be given such a great award.

“They were extremely excited. They thought it was very sweet and endearing to be able to recognize all he has done for his recovery,” she said.

Kids Wish Network works with facilities across the country to find children who otherwise would be missed. Heroes are children between the ages of 3 and 18 who do not have a life-threatening illness, but have experienced something traumatic or have gone through some tough times. Each facility nominates one child each month, and that child is given a medal of honor, a certificate, a Hero t-shirt and a gift card to Wal-Mart or Target valued between $200 and $500 depending on their age.

Becky said that her facility has been using the Hero of the Month program for about two years. She said the program is very helpful.

“I think it is a great way to give patients who wouldn’t get a wish a chance to boost their spirits and give them recognition,” she said. “I really think the program is probably one of the most beneficial wish organizations because it recognizes children without life threatening illnesses and gives them something to look forward to.”

John’s dad said that today, doctors are “flabbergasted” that John is alive and making a recovery.

“He is a miracle,” Becky said.

Kids Wish Network is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to infusing hope, creating happy memories, and improving the quality of life for children. Aside from granting wishes, Kids Wish Network also has several other programs which benefit children’s care facilities. If you know a child between the ages of 3 and 18 who may be in need of its wish granting services, please call 727-937-3600 or toll free 888-918-9004. For more information on Kids Wish Network, visit their website at www.kidswishnetwork.org

Once a month, my colleague and I dedicate a portion of our day to bundling up gift packages which are then shipped to our participating HERO OF THE MONTH facilities. Today was one of “those days” and we managed to keep very busy thanks to the many facilities that sent in their HERO nominations this month. For us, it’s worth all the folding, stuffing, sorting and taping (and paper cuts!) because it means that ONE HUNDRED children will receive their t-shirt, certificate, medal and gift card within the next 24-48 hours. Happy Shopping to all our little HEROES – it’s been our honor to award you with this well-deserved token!

~Susan
HOTM Facility Coordinator

Today I received an email from one of our facilities regarding our Hero of the Month program:

“While we haven’t been able to send any photos of kids we have made Heroes of the Month because of their situation, I just want to say that we have been able to make several children’s lives brighter with the gifts you have provided. One little boy was so thrilled with his medal. He couldn’t wait to share it at school because he had never gotten a medal before. Another young girl in foster care was going to be able to get the sports equipment she needed. She had literally nothing when she went into care. She was so happy and couldn’t believe someone would do such a thing for her.”

Thank you so much for making that possible for these young children.

While we LOVE to see pictures of all the children who receive wishes and Hero awards, we understand they are not always able to send them. But to know that we are helping to make things a little easier is all the thanks we need!

-Margo
HOTM Facility Coordinator

A wonderful email was waiting in my ‘in box’ when I booted my computer up this morning. My Supervisor had informed the team that my colleague and I had received one hundred HERO OF THE MONTH Nominations for the month of October, surpassing last month’s total of 93. For us, it’s more than just a numbers game. Sure, everyone likes to break records and surpass quotas, but receiving – and fulfilling – these nominations means that 100 brave children will have the opportunity to be recognized and honored for overcoming difficult personal and/or physical obstacles in their young lives.

Our hopes are that these HOTM gift packages – which includes a personalized certificate, medal, t-shirt and gift card, will distract them – even for a brief period of time – and show them that they are special, unique, strong and heroic despite their illness(es) or circumstance(s).

A special thanks to all the facilities that participated and help us reach this milestone. We’ve said it before and we’ll keep repeating ourselves… we couldn’t do this without you! You are more than a liaison between us and the children – you are the lifeline that keeps the HOTM Program ticking. We realize there are times when you get sidetracked, but please know that it is always appreciated when you take the time to submit your paperwork so we can do our part. It is truly an honor to work our facilities’ counterparts each & every month in making wishes come true!

If you are interested in participating in the HERO OF THE MONTH Program and/or have any questions, please call 888.918.9004.

Susan
HOTM Facility Coordinator

Today I received a short, but sweet email from one of our families regarding their daughter receiving the Hero of the Month award:

“My name is Berta and I am the proud parent of Lauren. Lauren was chosen as HERO of the MONTH … in September. I would like to personally thank the Kids Wish Network because she was so excited when she received the gift card and the t-shirt. This child has been through so much in her 7 years of living but expresses her gratitude for even the smaller things.

Again, thank you from the Foster family. Your organization has made a small child smile again after such a major surgery.”

It’s responses like these that makes the long days worth while! Good job KWN!!

Margo
HOTM Facility Coordinator

I’ve spent my entire career in sports & entertainment marketing. My daily responsibilities would touch upon areas such as: advertising, branding, writing, special events, and promotions. Selling was never my “thing”; I’ve never been assertive/aggressive in that sense. My thoughts… If you don’t want it, no worries – don’t buy it!

Needless to say, I was nervous when I started at KWN and was informed that one of my duties was to contact children’s/pediatric facilities nationwide in an effort to have them join our HERO OF THE MONTH program. (“Do I have to actually pitch these people? Do I have to maintain a quota each month? What if they reject me???”)

After eavesdropping on my colleague – who seamlessly & smoothly delivers the parameters of the program to her respective contacts like a pro each and every time – I began reaching out to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, burn units and shelters to inform them of HOTM. There are days when I simply have to “step away from the phone”, tired of hearing the sound of my own voice, but when I do manage to get a facility representative on the phone, it is with great pleasure that I get to introduce them to the rewards of HOTM. I’ve had a few facilities sign with us since I’ve started (Welcome!) and have many others who have expressed interest. In communicating with these people who dedicate their lives to children in need, I no longer look at these phone calls as “selling”, but “sharing” because that is exactly what we are doing! There is never a cost to the facility to participate, so it’s a win-win situation for all involved!

If you would like to honor some brave children that walk through your doors every month, please call us at 888.918.9004 so you can join our roster of esteemed facilities who participate in KIDS WISH NETWORK’s HERO OF THE MONTH Program!

Susan
HOTM Facility Coordinator