The Elle Foundation Kicks Off 'RUN FOR THEIR HEARTS' Initiative

Posted August, 2012

 

The Elle Foundation is kicking off an exciting new fundraising initiative: RUN FOR THEIR HEARTS! Beginning October of this 2014 if you are running a race - ANY race, ANY distance - and would like to run for Congenital Heart Defects and support the Elle Foundation, you just make a minimum donation of $100 to the Elle Foundation, and we will send you a super cool dri-fit t-shirt to wear during your race. We are excited to use the great sport of running to help bring awareness to our important cause. Whether you are an experienced runner or have just been considering running, this is a great way to show your support for those who may not be able to run. (What better motivation to keep running than feeling thankful that you are able to do so?!)

We will be kicking off RUN FOR THEIR HEARTS at the Nationwide Children's Marathon and Half Marathon on October 19, 2014. This seemed like a very appropriate inaugural race because Elle had her first surgery and received subsequent treatment at Nationwide Children's. If you'd like to join us for this race or if you are running any other race after October 19th, just make your donation online at http://www.theellefoundation.org/make_a_donation.html or via check to The Elle Foundation, P.O. Box 53, Bridgeport, WV 26330. Please be sure to include your name, address and shirt size along with the name and date of the race you are running.  Please note, it may take up to two weeks for your shirt to arrive.

We are anxiously working hard on the shirt design and will reveal it when it's ready! (UPDATE:  Shirts are ready.  See below.)  We thank you in advance for your amazing support to provide hope for little hearts! We hope that in the coming months we can share photos on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theellefoundation) of runners from all over the country - even the world - running in support of Congenital Heart Defects.

The Elle Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Donations are tax deductible, and because shirts are being donated, the full amount of your donation will go to support Congenital Heart Defects and will be tax deductible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Elle Foundation Awards Funding to Three Hospitals to Benefit Children with Congenital Heart Defects

Posted November 15, 2012

 

The Elle Foundation announced today that they are awarding nearly $25,000 to three hospitals to establish or expand home monitoring programs to benefit babies with Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs).

 

The Elle Foundation released a Request for Proposal in August to provide funding to one or more hospitals in need of financial assistance in support of home monitoring for infants born with complex heart defects that will require multiple surgeries.  The money awarded will be used by the hospitals for equipment and support necessary to implement a new or further expand an existing home monitoring program. 

 

“The interstage period, the time between the first surgery when a baby is only hours or days old and their next surgery when they are four to six months old, is a very critical time.  Studies have shown that when these children are sent home with scales to monitor weight gain and pulse oximeters to measure oxygen saturation levels, the outcomes for these babies are significantly improved,” said Krista Arnold, President and co-Founder of the Elle Foundation.

 

However, insurance generally won’t cover these costs and hospitals often don’t have the funding to provide them.  “The equipment purchased with this donated money will literally touch hundreds of children, maybe more,” stated Arnold.  Bottom line?  Lives will be saved.

 

The equipment will be loaned out to the parents during the interstage period.  The parents will be educated on how to use the equipment and will follow up with a nurse on a regular basis to provide him or her with the information they’ve gathered.  The parents will be instructed on what type of findings would be considered a “red flag” at which time they would preemptively call the hospital to determine whether it may be necessary to bring the baby in to admit.  Once the baby has completed the second surgery, the home monitoring equipment is returned to the hospital to provide to the next family.

 

The hospitals that are receiving funding include; UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland.  The proposals were evaluated on criteria such as demonstration of financial need and commitment to program success. 

 

 

 

Members of the Elle Foundation attend National Pediatric Quality Improvement Collaborative

Posted April 2010

 

Members of the Elle Foundation traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio this April to take part in the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC).  The mission of the NPC-QIC is to improve dramatically the outcomes of care for children with cardiovascular disease.

 

The two day collaborative was made up of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from the top pediatric cardiology hospitals across the nation. 

 

Zack and Krista Arnold attended the two day collaborative as two of only a few parent representatives to learn more about advancement in quality improvement initiatives in pediatric cardiology.  In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold were part of a parent panel that expressed views and concerns in the area of quality improvement and answered questions from those in the healthcare industry in an effort to gain insight into the parents perspective on quality.

 

"This was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about pediatric cardiology and gain insight into the areas of that are in the greatest need of funding," stated Krista.  "The information we gained this week will be invaluable as we plan to distribute funds from the Elle Foundation later this year."

 

 

 

The Elle Foundation is Recognized as a 501(c)(3), Tax-Exempt Organization by the IRS

Posted June 2009

 

The Elle Foundation has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.  This means donations made to The Elle Foundation are tax-deductible to donors.

 

In order to  claim a charitable contribution deduction, your gift must meet certain criteria in order to be tax-deductible.

 

• You must actually donate cash or property. A pledge or promise to donate is not deductible until you actually pay.

• You must meet record keeping requirements. This includes saving canceled checks, acknowledgment letters from the the organization,

• You must be able to itemize.  Giving to a charity is a great tax planning strategy, but it only works for people who are able to itemize their deductions.

• You must meet record keeping requirements.  This includes saving cancelled checks and/or acknowledgement letters from the organization.

 

 

Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, you must keep written records of all cash donations. Donations of $250 or more will not be allowed as a tax deduction unless you have supporting documentation. Your records must indicate the name of the charitable organization, the date of your contribution, and the amount your contribution. The Elle Foundation will send you a receipt for your donation if your donation is $250 or greater or for a smaller donation upon request.  If you haven't received a receipt from us by January 15th of the year following your donation, please contact us.

 

 

The Elle Foundation Celebrates CHD Awareness Week with our Create Hope Campaign

Posted January 2009

 

The Elle Foundation is celebrating Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, February 7 – 14, 2009, with several events and fundraisers as part of our Create Hope Campaign.

 

Throughout the month of February, The Elle Foundation will hold two major fundraisers:

 

• For “Denim Day”, hospitals and businesses will show their support for CHDs and The Elle Foundation by allowing their employees to donate $5 to wear jeans to work on one or more designated days during the month.

• For the “Paper Heart” fundraiser, business can sell paper hearts for $1 or $5 donations in support of our Create Hope Campaign.  The hearts are provided by The Elle Foundation and can be displayed with the patrons’ names in the business establishment throughout the month of February.

 

In addition to our fundraisers, members of The Elle Foundation will be traveling to Washington, D.C. on February 10th to meet with members of Congress as part of Congenital Heart Defect Lobby Day.  We will be joined by those affected by CHDs as well as their family members, doctors, and other medical professionals.  Our goal in Washington, D.C. is to obtain support of a national CHD registry and CHD research and education.

 

Also on February 10th, The Elle Foundation will be the feature charity of the day on GoodSearch.com.  Good Search is an internet search engine powered by Yahoo that donates approximately one cent of every search performed to charity.  Good Search also provides online shopping with hundreds of major retailers donating a percentage of purchases to your favorite charitable causes.  With over 74,000 non-profit organizations registered on Good Search, we are especially excited that The Elle Foundation has been chosen to be featured during CHD Awareness Week.