Help-A-Heart is a non-profit organization (501(3)c) that Melissa Hooper & Emly Graber co-founded on May 9, 2006, to solely benefit children with congenital heart defects (CHD’s) who are hospitalized during a surgery or other health related issues for an extended period of time. Both women are directly affected by this because they have sons that were born in 2005 with a CHD. You can view more about their personal stories at www.carepages.com under “gabegraber” and “dylanhooper”. We were both fortunate to have wonderful support during this time but we know of other families who aren’t as lucky. Due to our personal experiences, we felt compelled to create an organization that will provide financial assistance to families in need during their hospitalizations, so that they can focus on caring for their child. We have held 9 fundraisers in central Iowa—5 silent auctions and 4 walks. We have given away almost $40,000 to 60 different Iowan families during their child’s hospitalization . Families become eligible for assistance once their child’s stay has exceeded two weeks. After that time, they will receive $50 for each week their child is in the hospital. This financial assistance is intended to pay for expenses the family incurs so that they can remain with their child during their hospital stay, such as good and gas cards. Please contact us at helpaheart06@yahoo.com, (515) 210-8927, or our website at www.help-a-heart.com. Thank you for having a heart to Help-A-Heart!