It is said that it can take 3-5 years to know if a business is going to be a long-term success.
Hayden's Heart is celebrating THREE YEARS this month and I am proud and excited to say that we are one of the lucky ones- we are a success- we continue to grow each month- and we have no plans on slowing down.
Three years ago I sat across from Rob on my couch and I can remember it so vividly. Telling him I wanted to start some foundation for Hayden- I needed something to do with my time that would be more beneficial than walking around my house crying all day. I remember asking him what we should call it- and him immediately responding 'Hayden's Heart'. It was so simple, so obvious- yet now that name is a household fixture for so many people around the world. It's overwhelming to try and process how far we've come.
I remember our first event- slightly thrown together in less than two months (very typical of most of the first run-through of our events- even the retreat we put on this past month). Hayden never made it to my hometown in Williamsport, PA so it just felt right to host our first official event there. With the help of a friend who managed a well-known restaurant, and the help of my sister and best friends, we pulled off a successful auction to honor Weston Keeton and his special family. I knew at the close of that event we were meant to do this in honor of Hayden- this was my new calling in life. Honoring Hayden and helping as many heart families as we could along the way.
Fast forward a few months and taken from an idea from our neighbor, the three of us hosted our first annual 5K Birthday Bash. Looking at how far we have come in the second and third years for that event is honestly so breathtakingly amazing. I can't help but tear up when I see the progression we have made the past few years. And this coming March we will be celebrating Hayden's fourth birthday with our 4th Annual 5K. It still doesn't seem real that he would soon be 4.
We also host two golf tournaments annually and are excited to add two new events to our calendar this coming year! Pennsylvania will be hosting a formal silent auction with a Historical Baseball theme in the spring, and in just under a year we will host our first inaugural Heart of Gold Gala! This event will honor a pediatric cardiologist and will also be a formal silent auction. Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more information on these exciting events!
We started out with four board members- two of which were Rob and I, and the other two we asked to be on the board just to sign the federal documents. We are now ELEVEN board members strong and I am beyond thrilled and honored to have each one of them a part of our team. They have all been inspired by Hayden and by what we are doing in his memory and honor and I know I can speak for both Rob and myself when I say we know how blessed we are. Along with our dedicated board, we also have several committees working on events and other parts of the foundation. Each member of our team, both the board and the members of our committees play a large role in our success and I cannot stress enough how grateful we are to have each and every one of them! Big things are happening for Hayden's Heart, which means big things are happening for our heart community!!
In the past three years, we have significantly helped 18 families financially through our events, as well as several other families throughout the year. We've sent almost 100 Grieving Hearts care packages- a number I am not happy with or proud of- being that means all of those families are grieving, just like us- but I am honored to have our foundation send them some comfort and love in their tragic time. We have and continue to extend our hospital care packages to other cardiac floors on the east coast and are starting to prepare our holiday packages going to four different pediatric hospitals in just over a month!
And...something BIG is coming very SOON for Hayden's Heart- I can't share it just yet- but it won't be long and I promise you it is well worth the wait. Its been in the works for over 2 years- and finally everything is falling into place just perfectly. I truly cannot wait to share it with all of his supporters- with all of you. So hang tight...
This post isn't written to toot my own horn- it is to toot all of yours. Hayden's Heart is run by my family and our board and committees- but truth be told, we would be nothing without all of your support. Without you, we wouldn't have a reason to host events, wouldn't have the funds to send care packages or financial relief. I share this success with all of you, because it is YOU who have helped us get to where we are.
(we recently updated several sections of our website- please take a minute and read all about our new board members, as well as other sections on our website)
No comments :
Post a Comment