A reminder of our mission

This week, I had the opportunity to give $4000 to families in need.  Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors and supporters, CJ's Thumbs Up Foundation has had a wonderful year.  At the December board meeting, our Board of Directors voted to award all eight families on the waiting list with Financial Assistance Grants.  

This means that, to date, CJSTUF has provided over 100 families with financial assistance, either through grants or emergency aid since its founding in January 2010.  These families face incredible challenges.  One child has a breathing tube and g-tube (feeding tube) and relies on round-the-clock care by her family and nursing support.  One girl is less than two years old and is facing multiple open-heart surgeries.  Half of the recipients are battling cancer, facing multiple hospitalizations with intensive medications and therapies.  

While $500 will not solve any family's financial woes, that amount of money can make such a substantial difference.  These grants are providing assistance to pay utility bills and rent. One grant will help a family place a deposit on a new apartment.  They have been living with other family members for over a year.  These grants also help provide assurance to our families: they are not alone.  The community cares about their needs.  We are here to help. 

On a selfish note, these grants give me a way to pay it forward.  We keep Charlotte's spirit alive through the work of the foundation.  Every time I write a check to these families and address their envelopes, I think of my own inspirational butterfly. 

Thank you for helping to make all of this possible. 

Rachel

Co-founder & Executive Director
CJSTUF

The Challenge is On!

Earlier this month, we told you that we have thirteen families on the waiting list for Financial Assistance Grants. Today, we received an amazing challenge from a family that wishes to remain anonymous.


If we can raise $2000 before December 31st, the family will match the donation with an additional $2000.  That will allow us to give eight families on our waiting list a financial assistance grant before January!


You can find out more about the great things we have done this year by checking out our Annual Report for 2011.  With your help, we can continue our progress into 2012. 


Who's up for the challenge? No donation is too small (or too big!)


Please donate using the special challenge badge on our website. 

A Donor Profile

A Donor Profile: The Horn Family

When Charlotte Reynolds passed away in January of 2010, the Horn family knew that they wanted to find a way to give to CJSTUF in honor of her memory. They set an initial goal of giving $500 to the organization; however, they soon found this goal to be very challenging. Every month, they would try to save towards their $500 target but something would interfere: the dog needed to go the vet, the car needed new brakes, other unexpected expenses filled the budget.

The Horn Family: Fred, Lisa, and Abby

Finally, Fred and Lisa realized that the best way to give to the Foundation would be a little at a time. The family committed to $20 from each paycheck, drafted by their bank and sent automatically to CJSTUF after each payday. As Fred says, "In the end, we never missed the $20 out of each paycheck. As the months went by, the donations added up. We continue to give each month and we have now surpassed the original goal that we set for our family's contribution to the Foundation."


Thanks to their generous contributions, the Horn family has already helped to provide at least one Financial Assistance Grant for another family in need. They did this through small regular contributions that add up over time.


With our new online donation page, you can set up a recurring donation of any amount. Donations can be made automatically on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis.


Please consider an ongoing contribution to CJSTUF in your family budget. Help us continue to provide assistance to families in need.

How We Help: A Family Profile

Sickle cell disease is a life threatening genetic disorder that causes chronic pain, delayed growth, ulcers, jaundice, and other medical issues. Ongoing treatments are necessary and can range from dialysis, blood transfusions, medical management through steroids and pain medications, and (when possible) bone marrow transplants. While symptoms and treatment can vary across patients, it is a disease that requires lifelong management and frequent medical care.

The Price Family knows the reality of Sickle Cell disease only too well. Thirteen year old Nile (one of a set of triplets) has battled the disease since birth. Last year, Nile was fortunate to receive a bone marrow transplant that has cured his sickle cell disease and placed him in remission; however, he still faces chronic health challenges on a daily basis. His four-year-old sister Olivia also has the disease.

The Price family has struggled to balance their days between hospital visits and a "normal" life. They have faced the emotional, physical, and financial challenges that this disease brings to every family it impacts. Thanks to CJSTUF, the family was able to receive two Financial Assistance Grants in 2010: one for Nile and one for Olivia. The funds helped the family with their ongoing medical and household expenses.

The Price family helps us recognize that Every Day is a Bonus.

As we move into 2011, our focus as a charitable foundation is shifting from building the foundations of an organization to ongoing sustainability. To continue our mission, we need your help. CJSTUF has a goal to raise $50,000 in individual and corporate gifts during 2011. Every contribution is valuable. If you believe in the mission of CJSTUF, please visit our website and pledge your support through our NEW donation page. You can make a one-time donation or pledge an ongoing contribution in any amount.

PS: Did you receive our February Newsletter? If not, go to our website and sign up for our email newsletter list! (or check your spam filters) 

Onward to 2011

Sorry that the blog has been kind of quiet lately.  There have been a couple of reasons for this.  Although we haven't had any official Foundation events to promote, I am happy to report that since our last post we have received some very generous year-end donations.  Thank you for helping us keep our mission alive.    

Another very exciting announcement is that CJSTUF is hiring its very first paid employee.  In assessing our goals and needs, the board determined that the best way to accomplish our aims was to have a part-time Foundation Administrator and Event Coordinator who can help us accomplish this.  In a perfect world, it would be great if Roger and I could fill this role but our other professional obligations are keeping us otherwise occupied at the moment.  Anyway, we received a LARGE number of applications and have narrowed the field to a few select candidates.  We hope to have a decision by the end of the year.  We're very excited about this so stay tuned!

Finally, in case you haven't heard through the grapevine, Rachel has started her very own personal blog.  She's aiming for it to be an equal mix of social commentary, personal musings, and cultural discoveries.  If you want to follow some of her "non-foundation-related" writing, check it out. 

We hope everyone is staying warm during what is definitely WINTER weather.  If you have a chance to make a snowman, take a picture for us and email it or post it to our Facebook page.  Here are some of our favorites from 2009:

FAQ about donations:

Thank you to everyone who has inquired about donations to CJSTUF and other donations in Charlotte's honor. There have been a number of questions so I am going to address them here:

1. To Whom Should I make a donation in Charlotte's honor?

There are a number of worthy causes that have benefitted us this year. Besides CJSTUF, donations can be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation, ASK Clinic at MCV, or Noah's Children. Other worthy causes not mentioned in the obituary include ReeseStrong, Connor's Heroes, Ronald McDonald House, and Caring Bridge.

2. How can I make a donation to CJSTUF (or any of these other organizations)?

You can bring your donation to the memorial service on Saturday. There will be a lockbox at the service and reception with the logos of all the organizations that have benefitted us (as well as CJSTUF). Donations can be accepted there. All cash donations will go to CJSTUF unless otherwise specified.

A donation link will be set up on the website soon (we are working on this). This will allow for online donations via PayPal. Other donations to CJSTUF can be sent to our home address: 9 Slash Ct, Ashland, VA 23005. Checks should be made out to Charlotte or to CJSTUF.

3. Are donations to CJSTUF tax-deductible?

While we are an officially incorporated organization, we do not yet have 501(c)3 status. Donations are NOT currently tax deductible; however, our board is pursuing tax-exempt status and we expect to have this before the end of 2010. We will definitely make sure everyone knows when we have tax-exempt status.

4. I work for a company or volunteer for an organization that raises money and/or matches funds for other organizations. We would like to help CJSTUF. How do we go about this?

We would love to work with you and your company/organziation. Most companies or other organizations require that a benefitting organization be tax-exempt or have tax-exempt status in order to qualify. CJSTUF is not going anywhere and we would be happy to work with you once we reach tax-exempt status! Just keep your eyes and ears open.

Thank you, again, for the momentum and energy and giving spirit that has been put forth in Charlotte's name. We are humbled and appreciative!

Rachel and Roger