The number of children in need of critical health care increased in recent years and so have the costs of medical treatment.  Fortunately there are a growing number of nonprofits to help those who are not yet capable of helping themselves…

 

 

The HEARTest Yard was started by Carolina Panther Tight End Greg Olsen, whose son is living with a congenital heart condition. Greg and his wife Kara formed The HEARTest Yard, an initiative with Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC as part of their Foundation, Receptions For Research.  In addition to improving the interstage mortality rate, increasing life expectancy and long term prognosis for pediatric heart patients, they provide the families of children affected by congenital heart disease with a variety of healthcare services, including in-home, private nursing care, physical therapy and speech therapy.

 

The Children’s Health Fund is a New York based nonprofit that provides free pediatric care to the estimated one million homeless children across the nation and has helped more than twice that number to date. The Children’s Health Fund envisions a future where all children in America get the care they need to be healthy and ready to reach their potential in learning and in life. Specifically they develop innovative and comprehensive models, reduce health barriers to learning, address the needs of vulnerable children in times of public health crisis and advocate for the health and well-being of children. Since their founding 25 years ago, they have had an incredible impact developing public health systems as well as lobbying for public policy to give America’s most disadvantaged children a bright and healthy outlook on life.

 

Shriners opened their first Hospital for Children in 1922.  Since then, Shiner’s has not only treated over 700,000 free of charge to their families but has continued to pioneer new methods of treatment for children in the areas of orthopaedics, burn care, cleft lip/palate and spinal cord injury.  Their vision is to become the best at transforming children’s lives by providing exceptional healthcare through innovative research, in a patient and family centered environment.  While we believe they are realizing their vision we hope our community can help deliver their work to those children who need it most.

 

The last organization we’d like to highlight is also the most well-known, St. Jude Children’s Hospital. St. Jude is leading the charge to treat and defeat childhood cancer. Each year, an estimated 175,000 children age 14 or younger are newly diagnosed with cancer. Thanks to St Jude’s improved therapies, more than 80 percent of U.S. children with cancer have now become long-term survivors. An estimated 420,000 childhood cancer survivors live in the U.S. alone, with many more around the world. They strive not just to end childhood cancer-related deaths worldwide but share their research with the world to lead a global effort to defeat cancer.