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Cards for Hospitalized Kids (CFHK) is an internationally recognized nonprofit charity that distributes uplifting, handmade cards to Children’s Hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in all 50 states. Doctors provide the medicine and CFHK aims to provide hope, joy & magic through cards. CFHK was founded in 2011 by a high school student named Jen Rubino whose own experiences a "hospitalized kid", undergoing 20+ surgeries, inspired her to start CFHK to help others. Founder Jen worked to build CFHK from the ground up into the national charity it is today.
While CFHK began as a local endeavor, it quickly expanded. CFHK is now national and receives cards from all over the United States as well as countries abroad such as France, Australia, China, etc. Using CFHK’s card-making guidelines, individuals and groups (schools, companies, churches, teams, extra-curricular groups, families, Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts troops, retirement homes, etc) donate their time + creativity to make cards and send them to CFHK for distribution. Anyone can make cards regardless of their age, artistic skills, or location. People of all ages and walks of life have come together under this common cause of spreading strength and smiles to sick kids. In addition to cards, CFHK also provides autographs from celebrity and athlete supporters. CFHK distributes general cards monthly as well as holiday cards for major holidays. Each card is unique, just like the child who receives it. Over 500,000 cards have been distributed since CFHK’s inception but this is just the beginning. Individuals and groups can also host their own card-making event for CFHK. In particular, card-making events are a great option for companies looking to do a service activity. Companies such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, UBS, Google, Sephora, Apple, and others have hosted card-making events for CFHK at various locations in the US. CFHK is verified on the Benevity platform, and volunteer hours can easily be logged there for time spent making cards. Many companies will match employees' time spent volunteering with a donation to CFHK via Benevity, CyberGrants or similar platforms. For example, Microsoft donated over $1,000 to CFHK via Benevity by matching time employees' at the San Francisco office spent making cards for CFHK last November. CFHK is incredibly grateful for the support as donations like this help continue our mission and further expand. Students can also earn service hours for their time spent making cards for CFHK, and can form their own CFHK chapter / club at their high school or college. While a card may seem simple, it is truly impactful for the hospitalized kids who receive them. Hospitalized kids often feel lonely, isolated, afraid, etc. and often miss out on normal joys of childhood taken for granted. Receiving a card helps brighten their day and shows them someone is thinking of them. The cards are particularly impactful for kids, battling chronic or serious health issues, who receive cards from CFHK regularly. The CFHK team has exciting plans to expand to more hospitals, and looks forward to continuing to spread strength & smiles to as many hospitalized kids as possible. |
Olympic Champ Aly Raisman Supports CFHK
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Students in France make cards for CFHK
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Plibrico Company makes cards for CFHK
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