CHILDRENS HEART FOUNDATION

Direct beneficiaries per year: We touch at least 350 children and families each year.

Geographic areas served: We serve children treated for congenital heart defects in the State of Nevada.

Programs: The Foundation has four main goals: 1) to provide a carefree camp experience for children with heart conditions… Camp Mend-a-Heart 2013 Camp Dates: TBD Camp Mend-a-Heart is a cost-free, medically supervised camp for children living in Nevada who are born with or develop heart problems. Camp Mend-a-Heart is dedicated to providing programs for our heart kids that include a ropes course, trust building exercises, arts and crafts, water games and many other recreational activities associated with traditional summer camp. Children who attend Camp Mend-a-Heart are usually not eligible for the summer camping experience offered by other entities due to the fact that they require round-the-clock medical supervision and care. Camp Mend-a-Heart is a place where children with heart conditions are able to forge friendships, attain hope, and create great memories with one another. Camp Mend-a-Heart is the only medically supervised camp offered to Nevada’s children with heart conditions. >Click here to go to the Camp Mend-a-Heart site for MORE INFORMATION Camp Canyon (formerly Camp Success) 2013 Camp Dates: TBD Camp Canyon is a cost-free, medically supervised camp for children who are participating in the Healthy Hearts program offered at Children’s Heart Center in order to reduce their cardiac risk factor. This fun-filled camp emphasizes healthy eating and lifestyle choices and allows these kids to form positive friendships. Camp Success is dedicated to modifying behaviors, improving eating habits, and increasing physical activity. This camp also provides fun activities for children, including hiking, canoeing and swimming, along with arts and crafts. For children who attend Camp Canyon, it may be the only time in their lives where a little motivation, education, support, and will power will encourage them to make important changes now that can lead them to success later in life. >Contact us if you would like MORE INFORMATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) to educate health-care professionals and the general public on pediatric cardiology issues… Heart Conference – Las Vegas & Reno Saturday, October 19, 2013 at the MGM Grand Conference Center. This cost-free conference is held annually, and includes a wide-range of topics related to pediatric cardiology presented by internationally renowned experts. The day-long conference is free to health care professionals. This event is attended by hundreds of Nevada medical professionals. Up to 7.5 CMEs are awarded and includes lunch and access to numerous vendors. The Las Vegas conference is held at MGM Grand. A modified version of the conference is being offered in Reno. Event Details: Location: MGM Grand Hotel Conference Center ~ 3799 Las Vegas, Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109 MAP IT! Date: Saturday, October 19th, 2013 Check-in: 7:30am Conference: 7:50am – 5:00pm Registration is not yet open. Walk with the Heart of a Child Saturday, February 23, 2013 at Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas. Walk with the Heart of a Child is a 3K fun filled event designed to raise money to help Children’s Heart Foundation assist families in Nevada whose children have been touched by heart conditions. Area families and businesses are encouraged to form Teams and host friendly competitions to raise money and awareness. Walk with the Heart of a Child is a high-energy celebration with a Kids Zone and access to numerous vendors. During this event, teams gather at the Fashion Show Mall to walk in celebration and remember all of the children who fight heart conditions, and to unite the community through awareness. This event is held the last Saturday of February at the Fashion Show Mall. >Click here for MORE INFORMATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) to lend support to families as they deal with the emotional and financial toll exacted by a child’s heart problems… Maggie’s Garden Maggie’s Garden is a whimsical room full of toys, butterflies, flowers and a tall Oak tree. A child who is about to undergo a heart procedure is encouraged to visit Maggie’s Garden and choose a toy to help them through their procedure. It is intended to provide a positive experience to heart children and families during particularly difficult times related to a child’s heart condition. $mart Heart $cholarships Children’s Heart Foundation offers two $2,500 scholarships for graduating high school seniors about to enter a four-year college. The applicant needs to have been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and must be curently under the care of a Nevada Pediatric Cardiologist. Fall Festival / Picnic – Las Vegas and Reno Las Vegas – Hosted in conjunction with Southern Highlands Fall Festival, our Fall Family Picnic is a free, fun day in the park with lots of activities including trick or treating, costume contest, pumpkin patch, dance contest, raffle and prizes. Heart families are invited to visit us at our booth and receive a free t-shirt, lunch and crafts for the kids. This event is held each year at the Goett Family Park in Southern Highlands in October. Reno – Free, fun day in the park with activities such as badminton, volleyball and crafts. Heart families are invited to attend and feel connected to others in the community. Food for the Heart Food for the Heart provides baskets of comfort food to the families of children in the NICU and PICU at Sunrise Hospital. The baskets contain items such as soup, oatmeal, hot chocolate, tea, breakfast bars, and other snack items. All the items can be prepared and eaten in the family waiting rooms of the NICU and PICU so that family members have some food available without having to take time away from their child. Izzy’s Clothing Donations Izzy gathers season appropriate clothing for heart kids whose family is financially needy. The clothing is cleaned, sorted into sizes and delivered to Children’s Heart Center. The clothing is given to needy families through Children’s Heart Center’s social worker. This programs provides assistance in an immediate and meaningful way, at the very moment a family is in crisis and needs the simplest of necessities. Family Assistance Children’s Heart Foundation is fortunate to have the assistance of the medical social worker on staff with the Children’s Heart Center to help us use our family assistance resources in the most efficient and beneficial way, to maximize our assistance to heart families in need. She is an integral part of our Family Assistance and administers the following services and products to our families. Hospital Meal Tickets – Meal tickets for the hospital cafeteria are provided to families with hospitalized children, this assistance is provided to any heart family regardless of their financial situation. Financial Assistance – Financial assistance is provided by Children’s Heart Foundation in a new diagnosis or crisis situation by helping families with food, medical travel expenses, and prescriptions. This assistance is provided to heart families who demonstrates great financial hardship. Social Services Assistance - Our Social Worker from Children’s Heart Center has gathered a wealth of resources that she utilizes for heart families. Based on the particular needs of the family, she connects families to areas of support that may fall outside of Children’s Heart Foundation’s perimeters. Backpack Program When a child is admitted to the hospital due to an emergency, families do not have time to prepare. This program provides backpacks to families upon hospital/emergency admission. These backpacks are filled with necessities such as a blanket, t-shirt, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, gum, a notepad and a pen, a pocket calendar, shampoo, bodywash, playing cards and a puzzle book to help pass the time. A backpack from the heart and full of love to help make a difference… Heart & Soul Support Group Children’s Heart Foundation hosts a Heart and Soul Discussion group which is a cost-free support discussion group for families who have children with congenital heart issues. Diagnosis of a heart condition can be shocking and it is important for families to gather together to share their experiences and talk. Food and drinks are provided. Under the direction of Dr. Beth Creel, the discussion group meets the second Friday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Children’s Heart Center, 3006 South Maryland Parkway, Suite 455, Las Vegas, NV 89109. >Please CONTACT US if you are interested in participating b Holiday Family Adoption During the holiday season, families may be struggling financially due to the hardships of having a child with a cardiology diagnosis. These families are matched with donors who provide gifts for the children in the family plus a gift certificate to provide a special holiday meal for the family. This fun event is held each December. >Click here to REGISTER to Adopt-a-Heart Family 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) to support research in the area of pediatric cardiology… Research Support ~ Pediatric Cardiology Children’s Heart Foundation is proud to support research in the area of pediatric cardiology. We have granted funding to the following programs: ♥ Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Long-term Single Ventricle Follow-up Program ♥ Harvard Medical School & Boston Children’s Hospital: A program focused on the study of pulmonary hypertension If you have any questions, please contact us at 702-967-3522 or at info@chfn.