We do! 

And that's why we've partnered up with We-Care.Com, an online marketplace that allows people to shop at over 800 of their favorite merchants and make a difference at the same time.  I first read about We-Care.Com in US Today while traveling on one of my many business trips and I couldn't help but love the concept.  Access a virtual marketplace through our Brady's Smile page (http://bradyssmile.we-care.com) and shop online at your favorite stores. 

And here's the best part.  If you make any purchase on any of the participating sites, a percentage of the sales is automatically donated to Brady's Smile.  That's right - you can help make a difference in the lives of children in need simply by clicking through our link above and shopping at your favorite stores. 

The key is going through our site.  While I am not a technical genius by any stretch of the imagination, going through our site triggers the donation upon purchase, and thus helps us fund our ICU based programs without having to solicit donations directly from individuals.  They even provide a little desktop application option that you can download that automatically logs you into our marketplace anytime you shop online at a participating merchant.

We hope you are as excited about this opportunity as much as we are.  We continue to look for new ways to grow Brady's Smile and couldn't pass up an opportunity to provide our supporters with a donation option that costs them nothing!  So next time you are in the mood to buy a new purse or flowers or books or clothes or backpacks or gum or home beer brewer kits or perfume or crystal, think of us.  Think of all the kids in the ICU who could benefit from these easy donations.  Think about how simply clicking through a link to access your favorite store could help bring a smile to the face of a sick or disabled child.

Shop on Brady's Smile supporters.  Shop on.

Have you ever had a moment where you've sat there and said to yourself, "I don't know how they do it?" 

If so, there is a good chance you are talking about one of our many current or future program recipients.  The people that benefit from your donations, your commitment, and incredible generosity are the same people that are often asked to put themselves second, sacrifice each and every day, and demonstrate a level of strength most people cannot fathom nor understand.

They are often the parents of children suffering from chronic diseases, bouncing in and out of endless doctor appointments, working with numerous therapists, and hopefully making quick stops in the emergency room from time to time.

That's right - I said lucky.  A quick emergency stay, while feared by most parents, is often seen as a relief to those of us who have spent considerable time in an ICU.  A quick stay in the ER means that whatever brought you to the hospital is fixed quickly and doesn't require an overnight stay.  Getting in and out of the ER is often viewed by the "ICU Parent" as some sort of victory - a sign that you can resume what they consider a normal life, a life most people never want to know about, or think about, let alone experience.

Because here's the thing - a trip to the ER that turns into a night, or a week, in the ICU marks the beginning of a period of uncertainity, fear, anger, concern and unbelievable lonliness.

For the vast majority of you reading this who have never made a trip to a newborn or pediatric ICU, let me give you a little insight into what it's like.  Many parents struggle with the thought of their child suffering from a simple cold or ear ache and hate to see them in pain at home.  Imagine for a second if you were forced to stay in a large, bright, loud room full of no personal space and are only given a wodden chair to sit in next to your child.  Imagine sitting there feeling completely powerless, unable to help the person you love more than anything in this world, watching them suffer, and in some cases, slowly pass away.  You are confused, having to deal with numerous doctors and nurses throughout the day, and in some cases, having to deal with students who are often the first to arrive at your child's bedside in teaching hospitals.  Ironically enough, you want your child in a teaching hospital because they are the best, but at the same time, you don't want your child to be seen as a classroom subject or homework assignment and often spend half your time interacting with doctors in a hostile, combative and defensive manner. 

And even though you know your child is in the ICU because they require intense care, you feel deep down they would be better off at home with you.  Despite no medical degree and fancy monitors, you know your child and feel you could take care of them better than any of these strangers could.

But you can't.  And you are there for your child and are trying to stay strong despite the utter depression and pain, lack of sleep, uncomfortableness, and an anxiousness words cannot express.

And that is why Brady's Smile exists.  We were there.  We know what that felt like.  We still feel it today and will never forget that empty feeling of being in the ICU.  And so we try and make life easier for patient and parent alike, providing them therapuetic distractions in the form of music, giving the children comfortable blankets to soften the intensity of the ICU, feeding the parents so that they can better take care of the children they love more than anything, and providing a little comfort to an otherwise uncomfortable environment.

Help us help make life easier in the ICU.  Donate today and make a difference.

Well 2009 has finally arrived and we at Brady's Smile decided it was probably a good time to change the format of our Brady's Smile Community.  Although we originally contemplated the Community as a place where recipients, supporters and administrators could come together, share and interact, it quickly became apparent that the majority of content and participation came from yours truly. 

And that's OK.  Perhaps one day we'll revisit some sort of online interactive community sometime in the future.  For the time being though, I figured we would try this new blogging format.  I think it adds a level of simplicity and will allow recipients and supporters to respond to blogging entries with comments without having to go through a rigorous registration process that inevitably limited the effectiveness of our prior format.  That said, I plan on keeping the original format in tact for some time and you can always read through all of our postings by simply visiting http://apps.bradyssmile.org/forum - I think it tells a good story about what 2008 meant to Brady's Smile.

But as I said earlier, it is now 2009 and it's time to get started.  Although the close of one year and beginning of another often brings with it a little bit of down time, things couldn't be more crazy in our little office in Fairfield.  In addition to closing our books for 2008, and we are actively planning our next fundraising event on February 28, 2009, "Symphony of Smiles."  Feel free to visit our temporary website page (http://www.bradyssmile.org/sos.htm) more information.  We will be continually updating that page as we finalize details and will be sending out an email to all of our email newsletter recipients.  If you do not receive these newsletters but want to going forward, please email us at info@bradyssmile.org and we will include you on next distribution.

I just want to take a second to say thank you to all of our supporters and tell you that we are completely and utterly blown away by the support you have shown in our first year of business.  Your support crushed every single budget estimate and expectation that we created back in May and we are well positioned to support our current programs in 2009.  It blows our mind that we are able to connect with people despite having no celebrity spokesperson or clever and quirky commercial.  It effectively validates the simple concept the people are inherently good. 

In closing, as we begin 2009, It is our hope to expand the breadth and depth of our programs by increasing deliveries to current hospitals and forming new partnerships with additional children's hospitals.  We know we can't do any of this without you and we look forward to telling you about all of our plans as this year unfolds.  We hope that you are as excited about all the possibilities out there this year and are beginning to see how small gestures of kindness result in huge impacts to children in need and their families.  Thank you for making a difference.