Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Giving from the Heart Gala
Our third Annual “Giving from The Heart Gala” was a tremendous success and we raised over
$33,000 for our great cause.
Over 130 people came out to show their support for the amazing work that we have been doing!
The night kicked off with Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums and their powerful rendition of “Amazing
Grace”. Honorees for the evening included Bryce Schopfer and Bernadette Schopfer, Martha Osborn
and Cathy Davidson.
One of the most moving parts of the evening occurred when guest of honor Kristine Brite Mc
Cormick (www.corasstory.com) shared her emotional story about her daughter Cora who only lived 5
days because of an undetected Congenital Heart Defect. Kristine was a strong advocate in her home
state of Indiana (Indiana was the first state to pass legislation mandating pulse oximetry screening)
and has been an amazing resource to advocates in many states including Matthew’s Hearts of Hope
in the states of Connecticut and New York.
Following Kristine, the audience had the great honor of hearing Michael Grabell’s story. As the
father to a baby boy born at Greenwich Hospital on July 10th, Mr. Grabell’s son was diagnosed with
CHD using the now mandated Pulse Oximetry Screening, that was made law by the efforts of Senator
Michael Mc Lachlan and Matthew’s Hearts of Hope. Although Michael and his wife Laura live in New
York, they delivered at Greenwich Hospital where the screening law was in place! New York now has
a similar law which will be enacted starting January 2014. These laws save lives!! There are three
other babies that we know of in Connecticut that have been saved using mandated Pulse Oximetry
Screening.
The audience also enjoyed emcee Joe Moravsky, Finalist in American Ninja warrior in Las Vegas
who did an amazing job at keeping the crowd engaged and entertained.
A special thank you to everyone who supported our event, especially our Platinum Sponsors,
Masimo and Silver Heart Sponsors, Bank Street Theater and Westchester Modular Homes.
Thank you to all our donors and Friends to Matthew’s Hearts of Hope, your contributions are greatly
appreciated! Thank you also to our incredible fundraising committee, our success year after year is a
testament to all your hard work!
We have started to receive some grant applications and the deadline of December 1st is fast
approaching. Matthew also recently saw Dr. Snyder, his pulse oximetry reading was a little low 91%
to 92% so we did some bloodwork, a CBC and Liver Function Tests and all is the same as a year ago.
Two days later his pulse oximetry readings were back up to 94% to 95%. He’s just keeping me on my
toes!
I have begun to reach out to Senator Benjamin Downing and Representative Denise Garlick in
Massachusetts to ensure that mandated pulse oximetry screening becomes a reality there. I am also
checking into Rhode Island. I will keep you all posted.
Matthew’s Hearts of Hope is also the charity of choice for the Festival of Tables sponsored by the
Ladies Philoptochos Society at the Amber Room on November 9th from 12:00 to 4:00pm. For more
information or tickets please contact Rose Koulouris at (203) 417 8450
As thanksgiving approaches I am always grateful for the many people who support us on our great
journey. We are truly blessed, thank you from the bottom of my heart and Matthew’s half a heart!
Please feel proud of all that you are a part of, I know I do!!
The "Heart" of Matthew's Hearts of Hope
Kristine Brite Mc Cormick with Marie Hatcher
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Matthew turned 5 on August 6th and prior to his birthday on the morning of August 1st we got an
email confirming that Governor Cuomo had signed Bill # 2316 into law in New York. This was the
perfect early birthday gift for Matthew. Mandated Pulse Oximetry Screening will be enacted in 180
days and newborns in NY will be saved because of this simple test! There were many advocates
involved in NY, we were happy and honored to be amongst them!
Matthew and his brothers have had a busy summer, with trips to The Land of Make Believe with
Aunt Ginny, Lake George and Lake Compounce. We also had a Fresh Air Fund child Giovanni visit for
a week in July. He taught Matthew and his brothers how to wrestle, this could be good or bad, we
shall see!!
A few weeks ago on a quiet Friday morning, I got a phone call from someone whose life and baby’s
life was directly impacted by “Matthew and Faith’s Law”. I had goosebumps as he shared his story. It
turns out he is a journalist and he is writing his own story, he can share it much better than I ever
could and it should be in THE NEW YORK TIMES in the coming weeks. This is the kind of publicity one
could only hope for! He has been doing some research and it turns there are two other babies caught
in the State of Connecticut using a Pulse Oximetry Screening!
We are full steam ahead in the preparations for the upcoming 3rd Annual “Giving from the Heart”
Gala on Sunday, October 6th at Anthony’s Lake Club in Danbury. Our guest of honor is Kristine Brite
McCormick of Corasstory.org and we are also honoring Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and Senator
William Larkin. The donations for the silent and live auction have started to come in and I promise
you all another amazing night! The proceeds from The Gala are going directly to Pediatric Cardiac
Fellows for CHD Research in the form of multiple $2500 and $5000 grants. The recipients will be
announced in January 2014.
As always, thank you for your prayers and support and I look forward to seeing many of you at The
Gala!
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
April and May have been very busy months for Matthew’s Hearts of Hope. On April 29th, we received confirmation that Matthew’s Hearts of Hope is an official Nonprofit 501(c)(3) retroactive to November, 2011. On April 30th Dr. Richard Berning, Matthew and I travelled to Albany, New York to meet with Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Senator Kemp Hannon the co-chairs of the Public Health Committee to discuss the importance of passing legislation that would mandate Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Defects using a simple, non-invasive, cost effective pulse oximetry test. We were invited back by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther who we have been working with very closely on Bill # A 2316 since January, on May 30th to witness the passing of the bill unanimously in the assembly. Matthew was introduced to the New York Assembly and received a standing ovation and was presented with a Resolution also! It was a proud Mama moment for sure! See below for videos of our visit and also some photos. The bill passed the senate on June 12th and currently awaits Governor Cuomo’s signature which should be in the next week or two!
A Picture speaks a thousand words! The passing of Bill # A 2316 unanimously!
Meeting with Assembly Majority Leader Hon. Joseph D Morelle.
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther presenting Matthew with a Resolution on May 30th
The Fundraising Committee chaired by Susan Seeger is full steam ahead with our planning for the 3rd Annual “Giving from the Heart” Gala on Sunday, October 6th at 5pm at Anthony’s Lake Club in Danbury. Last week the Board of Directors voted to award multiple $5000 grants directly to Pediatric Cardiology Fellows for the purpose of CHD Research. We are currently seeking sponsors for our event so please email us at matthewsheartsofhope@hotmail .com if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor! As always thank for your support and prayers. We are looking forward to a fun summer with some planning for the Gala in between!!
Monday, February 11, 2013
February is Congenital Heart Defect awareness month but for those of us that are CHD parents every
day is CHD awareness day! Matthew continues to do well! We took a trip to Ireland over Christmas
and New Year’s where the highlight of the trip for all the boys was a visit to Bunratty Castle, a REAL
castle! We were treated to a private tour of the castle by our cousin Donie who works there. We also
had a great time visiting family in County Meath and the Clare cousins in County Clare.
2012 was a big year for Matthew’s Hearts of Hope. When I reflect on where we were a year ago I am
feel very blessed at how far we have come. Every newborn in the State of Connecticut is now
screened for Critical Congenital Heart Defects as of January 1st , thanks to “Matthew and Faith’s Law”.
I have reached out to the states of New York and Maine to offer assistance with their bills. In January
Guideposts featured our inspiring story, it reached over five million people. I have gotten many
messages of gratitude and people sharing their stories of Hope. We delivered 500+ “Hug a Heart”
Pillows to children like Matthew who have to undergo open heart surgery at Columbia Presbyterian
Hospital in New York.
At our Gala in September, we honored the many people that have helped on our journey. We also
raised over $15,000 for our great cause. In November I was both flattered and humbled to receive
the coveted “Women of Heart” Award for 2012 for my efforts in raising awareness to the #1 birth
defect, Congenital Heart Defects and for “Matthew and Faith’s Law”. I was quoted on the program as
saying “I am blessed every day to have a four year old in my life that inspires me to work hard and
make a difference”. Those words are words I hope I can stay true to for a long time!
Last Tuesday, February 5th, the children at the Sherman School stuffed 313 “Hug a Heart” Pillows full
of polyfill, love and a few ounces of hope. They were featured in a segment called “Making a
Difference” on NBC Connecticut 6pm News that night for their efforts. Many volunteers make this
project possible, thank you from the bottom of my heart and Matthew’s half a heart for your efforts,
you all know who you are! A special thank you to Fairfield Processing, Clothing labels4U, JoAnn
Fabric and One Stop Cleaners for their contributions to this great endeavor!
Lastly our NFP status is still pending but we should have it very soon. We are in the early stages of
planning our third annual “Giving from the Heart “Gala which will be in October. As always, thank
you for your support and prayers on this great journey, Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
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