Laptops for Love holds a very special place in my heart. Created in memory of cancer patient, Jordan Morgan, it is an avenue to provide a relief to the isolation and depression many teens experience during their cancer experience. It is a way to allow them to stay connected with friends and family in a time in their life when their social life and friends far outweigh other issues in their life. So far this year, Heroes for Children has provided more than sixty-five laptops to teens living in the hospital with cancer. Already today, we have received three applications for teens living at both Children's Medical Center of Dallas and Cook Children's of Ft. Worth.

While I can tell you the benefits of a laptop, I think it is best explained through the words of a social worker in an application placed today. The application is for a sixteen year old young man. The laptop will be delivered this week. Here it is:

Patient has completed treatment. He had to repeat the ninth grade. Before his diagnosis he was an A student. Now he is a B and C student. He recently had neuropsychological testing. He is having trouble with his memory and is struggling with algebra and chemistry. He is not in school full time due to not feeling well. The family has one computer, and mom has requested a laptop for Carson's use. Before patient's diagnosis both parents were working, and now only dad is working full time. They have to pay patient's school tuition which was discounted in the past when mom taught at his school. They also have medical bills.

Thankfully, we have a supply of laptops available for distribution and this young man will not have to wait to get his laptop through Laptops for Love.

McCain, Obama??? Neither, vote for LILLY!!

I have to take a moment to brag on my sweet family, (yes, I WILL tie it all back to Heroes for Children!) My baby girl, Lilly Linton, is up for "the most kissable baby", a contest on a local Dallas Radio Station. The winner receives $5000, which we will donate a good bit of that back to Heroes for Children, to help families who have a child with cancer. It would be amazing if her beautiful face, could help a family in need. You can vote once a day per computer, it will also email you to verify your vote, please be sure to click on that link, or your vote will not be counted. So, forget all this political mumbo jumbo, and cast your vote for LILLY!!They will narrow it down to the top 25 after this Friday, October 24th.
She is pretty stinking cute!!

Also, my oldest daughter did a beautiful thing this summer, and I have intended to blog about it. Tristyn, cut eight inches off of her hair and donated it to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign. They make wigs for people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. Tristyn grew her hair out for over a year, and actually cut it on what would have been her big sister, Taylor's tenth birthday. What a beautful way to honor and celebrate the life of Taylor.
Way to go Tristyn.





Do I have some amazing kids or what?!?!

Golfing for Good

The Heroes for Children Golf Classic is coming up on us quickly! This Friday, October 17th, golfers take the course at the Golf Club of Twin Creeks for a day of golf for a good cause. We have availability for teams and individual players for both the morning (7:30am tee off) and afternoon (1:30pm tee off) shotgun starts.

In 2001, friends and family coordinated "Tee Off for Taylor" to support Taylor Brewton's family during her medical treatment. Once Taylor's Angels was created in 2002, the tournament became the first event of the organization. Since our transition to Heroes for Children in late 2004, the golf tournament has continued to support the mission of Heroes for Children. Golfers are reminded of the cause on the course, with pictures of children we serve marking each hole.

This year's event features a ball drop chance to win a suite at the American Airlines Center, a chance to shoot for $10,000 CASH, longest drive and closest to the pin contests, raffle prizes ranging from days of golf to gift certificates at Hooters (I know, I know), and gift cards for every player to the PGA Tour Superstore!

To register a team or individual for Friday's big event, please contact Special Events Coordinator, Danielle Soffa, at dsoffa@heroesforchildren.org.

Hope to see you on the green!

Mia's Valiant Battle

This precious little girl Mia sadly lost her life to cancer, but because of Heroes for Children, both of her parents were able to be with her for the final days of her life. The day before Mia passed away her parents had written us a thank you note for the financial assistance we had sent them, but before they had to time to drop the letter in the mail, precious Mia passed away. Below are their letters to Heroes for Children.

9/20/08- Letter written to HFC a day before Mia passed away
You have been very kind to our family and we will never forget your kindness. It’s a beautiful legacy your children Taylor and Allison have with Heroes for Children. Children are a great inspiration. My family’s life has also been inspired by our youngest daughter Mia. She has taught us many things. We will never be the same from this experience. We pray we become better people for our family, friends, and society. As something as wonderful as Heroes for Children has blossomed from the passing of your beautiful children, we too pray for something wonderful when Mia passes. Mia has fought and fought. Unfortunately, the doctors say the cancer will take her life. Your help during these times has been very important. As you already know, finances don’t go away no matter what tragedy your family may be in. And it’s also easy to forget the rest of the world when one of your children is so terribly sick. Thank God your organization exists for us who forget the world keeps turning regardless if you’re there or not. God’s best to your organization.



9/24/08- Note scribbled on the back of Mia’s funeral card
Thank you so much for your support. You can read Mia’s obituary in the Star Telegram. We love and miss her very much. Thank you for allowing us to concentrate our efforts on her life. Your support provided us to do this.


These letters are a testament to how vital financial assistance is for these families so they can focus on the child and not have to worry about other trivial life matters.

Helping Hands

There were so many people across Texas that have been affected by Hurricane Ike. Young cancer patients are no exception. As most of you know, we help families who have children at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, as well as M.D. Anderson in Houston. Many of the families there come in from outlying areas. When they do, they need a place to stay while their child is receiving treatment. Due to Hurricane Ike, The Ronald McDonald House in Houston is closed for at least two months, due to flooding damage. Almost every local hotel is booked. This creates a MAJOR problem for the social workers, as they try to find places for their kids to stay so they can receive the treatment they need.
This is one of many ways Heroes for Children steps in to help. Last week, we received a request from Texas Children's Hospital for a 21 year old who has Ewing's Sarcoma. He lives in Oklahoma, but is receiving his treatment in Houston. He needed to come in for treatment, and was in critical condition. There were no vacancies at the hotels in Houston. He was unable to make the lengthy round trip due to his condition. HFC paid for a hotel room in Plano, TX., about half the distance to Houston for his family to spend the night in, to break up the trip. We were also able to help them out with the costs of fuel for the long trip to Houston.
As the year comes to a close, please remember Heroes for Children in your year end giving to enable us to continue helping families like this one who so desperately need our help.

October Volunteer of the Month

Charities need volunteers to assist with so many various tasks. Work can be found in the way of soliciting raffle prizes for an event, coordinating programs to assist the mission of the organization, fundraising for a major event, and so much more. Without those volunteers, our organization would be struggling. It is through the passion and dedication of others we are able to strengthen our mission. But there is the other kind of volunteer too. The kind that doesn't mind coming to the charity office to do data entry, seal envelopes and address mailings. The kind that will come in on a frequent basis to assist with the everyday work that needs to be done in the charity office. The kind that allows those of us at the staff to better do our jobs. This month's Volunteer of the Month highlights someone who is helping us each week complete our office tasks.

After a major event with many new participants, how do you handle the data entry that is involved? Luckily for Heroes for Children, our answer has been call on our volunteer Cindy Morgan! Each week, Cindy takes her spot in front of our volunteer computer to help with input of information. She never complains of the amount of work (which is quite a bit, to be honest), but simply gets to work on the task given to her that week.

We are so thankful for volunteers like Cindy and those others that come to the HFC office. If you are interested in coming to volunteer, please contact our Programs Task Force Coordinator, Christi Disch, for more information. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Cindy and her answers to our monthly Volunteer of the Month Questionnaire.

Name, Occupation:
Cindy Morgan, Homemaker

How did you get involved with HFC?
I had run one of the HFC 5K races. I was looking for a volunteer opportunity that I believed in –and HFC seemed perfect!


Do you have any kids and/or pets?
1 daughter, 3 dogs


From looking at you, no one would guess that…..
I love movies based on Jane Austen novels.


Favorite place to eat:
I like a lot of places by my favorite is Chipotle. I also like the salads at Cheddars.


What’s on your book shelf?
Several magazines (Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, etc). For my birthday I just received The English American by Alison Larkin.


What’s in your iPod/CD changer?
A variety of music from the 70’s (Paul McCartney and Wings) to today (Lifehouse).

Who’s your hero?
I admire people in my life who demonstrate qualities like strength, compassion, and dedication. My husband and my mother are good examples. The leader of my Sunday school class is another.