American Girl doll for Little Janet
We celebrated Sadie's life on her birthday (July 13th) by sending balloons with love notes attached up to Heaven. We asked that people who joined us bring a donation for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for cancer research. We collected $2,037.60 on her birthday in her memory.
The Sadie Smile Toy Drive
In 2013, hundreds of fridge and car magnets saying "Love Big, Spread Sunshine" were sold to people all over the country in memory of Sadie. 100% of the proceeds went to myLIFEspeaks to minister to special needs kids in the village of Neply, Haiti. Over $1,900 was given to this amazing ministry.
The idea of the Sadie Smile Toy Drive began while Sadie was still able to use the playroom in 6A at The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. We saw how happy it made her to have new and different toys to play with, and that was a blessing to us as her parents. It made perfect sense to put forth the effort to allow other parents the opportunity to see their son or daughter smile during a very difficult time in their life. The Toy Drive was a huge success in both 2013 and 2014, and is only expected to grow.
The little guy in a lot of these pictures is Sadie's older brother, Eli. He helped us a lot last year with the Toy Drive, and enjoyed doing something to help other kids that were not feeling good. During the Sadie Smile Toy Drive in 2013, approximately $4,000 in toys, books, etc., were donated to give kids a big reason to smile. In 2014, that donation grew to nearly $12,000.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
This is Janet--she is a sweet little girl that has walked a very tough road over the past several months, yet she shines like the sun. Thanks to the generosity and compassion of a pre-teen girl and her mommy in FL, a great idea was sparked. We decided that it would be so fantastic to bring a big smile to this sweet girl in Illinois. So the American Girl "Julie" showed up at her doorstep (along with some accessories, of course), and was waiting for Janet one evening when she got home from a hospital stay. Needless to say, Janet was thrilled, and the look on her face lights up the world. Best experience ever!
myLIFEspeaks
WORK IN PROGRESS--PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER THIS WEEK FOR MORE EVENT PICS!