Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Charity Recruits Voters to Win $375000 to Help Critically Ill Babies

Oct. 3, 2010 - PRLog -- CHERUBS, a non-profit organization founded to help families of children born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) has climbed an uphill battle for 15 years to raise awareness and research fund and to continue to finance support services.  Now, they battle alongside other charities to fight for funding in the Pepsi Refresh contest.

On the first of each month, for 6 months, up to a dozen volunteers stayed awake until midnight when Pepsi Refresh opened the application process for new projects.  Feverishly clicking their computer keys to be one of the 1000 application accepted in the 2 minutes the system was open each month before the application limit was reached.  Finally, in July two applications made it through and they were in the August contest;  $25,000 to provide financial assistance for families hospital travel expenses and $25,000 to provide easy-to-understand information for hospitals.  For CHERUBS, the contest now began.

Coming off the all-summer long APX Gives Back contest, in which they they won 2nd place nationally for a prize of $30,000, CHERUBS members and voters were tired but diligently went back to work to try to win a Pepsi grant.   "Never did we expect to be in 2 huge contest back-to-back, nor have this incredible opportunity to try to win funds of this size.  But here we are and we are so excited for the chance to be able to fund so many greatly needed projects” said CHERUBS President, Dawn Williamson.

The contest grew even bigger for CHERUBS when 3 more projects made it into the September contest;  $250,000 for research funds, $50,000 for an awareness campaign and $25,000 for care packages for families.  With their previous 2 projects making the top 100 and rolling over to another month's voting, CHERUBS now has 5 projects in Pepsi Refresh.contest, an unheardof accomplishment.  "5 projects are a lot, but we didn't plan this and this is 5 opportunities, not 5 sure wins.  We have a lot of work to do to win even 1 of these project grants" says Williamson.  "These projects are laid out, every cent won has plans attached to it to help babies and families affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.  All 5 of these projects could help 1000's. 30,000 babies are born with CDH every year and 15,000 of those babies don't survive.  There are 100's of thousands of CDH families who need help.  This is the largest grant possibility for these families that has been ever available.  We are excited about this opportunity to do so much good!"

CHERUBS members are excited too. The charity's web site shows photos of children holding up signs and asking for votes, while wearing wings and holding cans of Pepsi.  Facebook is littered with adorable profile photographs of more children asking for votes.  There are videos, bumper stickers, flyers, banners, signs in yards, school projects and 1000's of posts on-line to raise awareness and votes.  "The excitement is contagious.  Our members are so happy to be able to do something to help other CDH families.  CDH makes you feel so helpless, we don't often get opportunties like this to really make a difference by doing something as simple as voting.  And to be able to use our own children's photos and stories to raise awareness on such a huge level is thrilling for so many of us!" says Williamson.

CHERUBS not only raising awareness and voting for cash for their cause but an added bonus is networking with other causes. “We are so excited to be in this contest and to be in the company of so many other wonderful charities and projects! We have learned so much about other causes and became friends with many. No matter who wins this contest each month, we will all come out as winners. This has been a wonderful platform to raise awareness for all of our causes”.

Founded in 1995 by Mrs. Williamson, CHERUBS is the world’s first and largest CDH organization with over 3400 members in 38 different countries and all 50 states. Dawn is the mother of Shane Torrence (1/28/93-9/11/99), born with left-sided CDH and multiple birth defects. Shane spent his first 10 months in the pediatric intensive care unit of Duke University and had many other hospitalizations and surgeries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“I miss my son every single day; CDH took him from me and robbed him of any type of normalcy during his short life,” said Williamson. “No mother’s arms should ever ache for a child she can no longer hold.”

Williamson made it her life’s mission to help other families affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. If there is any doubt of faithfulness to this mission you need only to read the glowing reviews families around the world have posted all over the internet about how CHERUBS has helped them through their darkest days, see all the services listed on their web sites or count the over 12,000 fans they have on Facebook.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. It affects 1 in every 2500 babies, representing approximately 1600 babies in the United States each year, half of which do not survive. Some of the other half, like Williamson’s son, who only lived until the age of 6, end up suffering through life with lasting health problems such as feeding aversions, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, allergies, scoliosis, or long-term pulmonary problems.

“This contest has not only allowed us to dramatically raise awareness about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia but it has offered us the opportunity to raise more money for our charity than we ever have before. $375,000 can do so many things for the CDH community and we are so grateful to Pepsi Refresh and to everyone who is voting for us.” For a small charity powered by volunteers, donations and fundraisers and run in a spare room of Williamson’s home to save funds, $375,000 could indeed go a long way. “We have over 3300 members and all of our services are free to CDH families. We run a very large web site with forums for families to gain information and support 24 hours a day, an annual international Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia conference, the world’s largest CDH research database, we send care packages to new and expectant parents and so many, many other services on less than $35,000 a year. Our budget averages about $10 of assistance per family, which is ridiculous but we somehow pull it off. Winning this contest could do so much for our ability to help more CDH families!” says Williamson.

CHERUBS welcomes the community’s support and votes in this contest. If you would like to help this organization you can vote through their web site at http://www.voteforcdh.org or through Facebook or text.

Proceeds from the contest will benefit CHERUBS Research, Awareness and Support Funds, and Williamson is hoping that the contest will bring out many supporters and media to help gain recognition for both CDH and the organization’s efforts.

“There is still so much research that needs to be done. In 2010 this birth defect should not still exist, much less still have so many unanswered questions and so little research,” said Williamson. “CHERUBS wants to be able to help as many families as possible, because we understand the hurt and confusion that comes along with having a child with CDH. We want to spare other families from the devastating effects of CDH and we will keep fighting, keep researching and keep raising awareness until the cause and prevention of CDH is found.”

http://www.voteforcdh.org

http://www.cdhsupport.org

http://www.cherubsangelball.org

# # #

CHERUBS - The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support CHERUBS was founded in 1995 to help families of children born with CDH. CDH is a severe birth defect that occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. CDH occurs in 1 in ever 2500 babies and has a 50% mortality rate. The cause is not known. CDH occurs as often as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis, affecting 1000's of babies a year in the United States, yet there is little research and virtually no media attention given to this devastating birth defect. Please help CDH to raise public awareness of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

CHERUBS offers free membership to families and medical care providers of children born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. As of 2010 our membership includes over 3400 members in 38 countries and all 50 states.

CHERUBS is 501(c)III organization.