June 2024 Newsletter

JUNE 2024 NEWSLETTER

Celebrating Dads

Father’s Day is celebrated this June 16th. When we think of child rearing and childcare, many of us focus on the struggles of mothers. When there is a critically ill child, dads play a vital role in caring for their children. The dad wants to be bedside with their child in the hospital but understands his family needs the financial support he can provide. Efran, one of the fathers we see; had to choose work, negotiate with his employer to get the time off to take his child to necessary medical appointments, and drive hours from home to hospitals, out of the area to be with his partner and their child. The struggle is not only a mother’s to bear but is shared with the father. So many of the fathers that we meet are in this unfortunate situation.

Hearts Aligned works with the family to see that some of this burden is relieved by helping with rent, gas cards, food vouchers, car payments, diapers and other expenses that are stressful to the family.

This Father’s Day we ask that you appreciate those dads and the important part they have in the child’s recovery.

Gratefully yours,

Vivian Solodkin

Founder & Executive Director

Visit heartsaligned.org

In Memory of Alan

We are sad to report that Alan has lost his fight against many ailments that were plaguing his small body. Alan had just turned a year old and spent many months in the hospital after birth. He was in Marian Medical Center, Stanford, and Cottage Health. The family struggled, missing work and traveling to and from hospitals and medical appointments. He was home when unfortunately, he came down with an illness that he could not recover from. Our hearts go out to his family.

After Alan’s birth, Hearts Aligned provided a new stroller, crib, mattress, and diapers. To ease the stress of driving back and forth to hospitals we provided much-needed gas cards and grocery cards.

Hearts Aligned’s donors helped along with our partner, The Starfish Connection, to provide the needed funds towards the family’s funeral expenses.

Losing a child is one of the most devastating and difficult experiences. Parents are not supposed to lose their child. Unfortunately, childhood critical illnesses, birth defects and traumas may rob parents of their child. Hearts Aligned is committed to providing assistance to those families experiencing such a devastating loss.

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Board Vice President

Brigitte Welty has been volunteering with nonprofit organizations for over 20 years including Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, Food Bank of Santa Barbara County, PTSA at 3 schools, Girl Scouts, and has been a supporter of a number of other fundraising events. She joined Hearts Aligned in 2022 and has successfully co-chaired both Hearts to Hearts Valentine’s Luncheons in 2023 and 2024.

Q: You have been involved with nonprofit organizations for many years, what is it that drives you to give your time?

Brigitte: In short, I’m mostly driven by my gratitude. With the PTSA, I was able to show my appreciation for the staff through the events I coordinated, with the Santa Barbara Public Library Adult Literacy program I was grateful to be able to have the ability to help others with the basic reading skills necessary for daily life, and with Hearts Aligned and Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, my sheer gratitude for being the mother of two healthy children, now adults, is something that I feel I can never fully express or give back for, but I’ll continue to try!

Q: Why did you join the Board at Hearts Aligned?

Brigitte: Joining the board of Hearts Aligned was an easy decision. I was surprised to learn that an organization like Hearts Aligned did not already exist in our county and I wholeheartedly believe in Hearts Aligned’s mission. And to know that I could be a small part of making a big difference in our community, along with such a dedicated and motivated board was a plus.

Q: What impact have you seen since you joined?

Brigitte: In the two short years I’ve been on the board, I’ve seen our outreach grow and with that, the amount of families we service has increased exponentially. We have provided support that wasn’t available three years ago. Through Hearts Aligned, our families are not only receiving monetary relief, they are being connected to other resources that can lift some of the weight they are carrying.

Q: What would you like others to know about Hearts Aligned?

Brigitte: Evidenced by the number of families we have supported in our three short years of existence, Hearts Aligned is a necessary nonprofit in our community and we are just getting started. We have plans to expand our outreach, create new programs and offer even more support to local families. I want our community to know that we appreciate your support in any form, volunteering, spreading the word, donations…any of these things will help us make a positive difference in the lives of our families in need.

Our Programs

A Renewed Focus

We are excited to embark on a renewed mission to help families in our community. Our Board of Directors held a strategic planning meeting led by David Edelman, Philanthropic Consultant. We are looking to the future and how Hearts Aligned will remain a vital part of our community, your community. The many organizations we partner with have come to depend on our support as they assist the families who have a critically ill child.

Over the next 3 years, our goals are:

To provide high quality programs that support Hearts Aligned families,
Increase/expand our funding sources,
Establish a strong infrastructure with key personnel, and
Engage the community for program support.

These goals are needed to provide assistance to the growing number of eligible families.

It is because of you, all of our supporters, funders, sponsors, and donors that have helped us be here today. None of this would be possible without your unwavering support! Thank you for being part of our journey and we hope that we can continue to count on you to continue expanding our services in the community.