​Hello everyone!

We are back after a little something called the Covid-19 virus put us on hold!

Here at the Mr. I Children’s Charity, we are so excited to share our new partnership with the ALD Alliance! ALD, short for adrenoleukodystrophy, is a very rare genetic condition that damages the membrane that insulates the nerve cells in one’s brain. The ALD Alliance’s mission is to ensure that every newborn is screened for this disease at birth so treatment can be started as soon as possible. Not only is the ALD Alliance fighting for early testing of ALD, they are also helping families of children with ALD financially, collecting/raising monetary donations to help fund research efforts, and are educating and bringing awareness to communities about the possibility of early detection and treatment.

To learn more, please visit www.aldalliance.org.

MRI scans are just one of the tests conducted in order to detect and keep an eye on ALD. That is where we come in! The Mr. I Children’s Charity is donating Mr. I Bears for the ALD Alliance to add to their care packages for children diagnosed with ALD and their families. Just as Mr. I helped Sami brave the loud and scary MRI machine, we are sure he will do the same for these brave ALD patients. If you would like to help us donate more Mr. I Bears to these and other brave pediatric patients, please visit www.mrichildrenscharity.com to make a donation. Every dollar donated goes directly to the purchase of GUND teddy bears.

About five years ago, the Mr. I Children's Charity came to fruition, and we are so grateful that the work we do helps so many children across Chicagoland. We recently received a letter from Comer Children's Hospital that reinforces the need for Mr. I. For a parent with a sick child, a possible diagnosis or the results of treatment create unbelievable fear and anxiety, and seeing one's child go through the tests and procedures make a parent feel powerless. A scared or crying child compounds all of these feelings. Yet, we have been told over and over again that the Mr. I bear creates comfort where there is little to give, and the change in a child's fear, sadness, or insecurity is instant. There is some sort of reaction that occurs from snuggling Mr. I. Thankfully, GUND manufactures unbelievably soft teddy bears with kind, smiling faces that deliver smiles and peace of mind that at that moment, everything will be alright. 

Throughout the summer and early fall, we had the pleasure of meeting the Child Life Specialists at Comer, Lake Forest, and Evanston hospitals. These people always arrive with smiles on their faces and thank us profusely for our bear delivery. They say they love hugging the bears themselves and delivering them to patients, in their room and for parties. These specialists play such an important role, helping children acclimate to a hospital setting and easing their fears during scary tests. In particular, they mention that Mr. I is a great help, particularly when kids need MRIs. They can actually go into the machines with the patients, keeping them company throughout their entire procedure.

We are very grateful to Comer for reaching out to us. But, thanks is really not necessary. It is our pleasure! In order to continue with our donations to local children's hospitals, however, we need donations. If you know groups looking for organizations to donate to, or schools hoping to raise money for charitable organizations, or kids looking for mitzvah or confirmation projects, please send them our way! We supply bears through financial donations that help us purchase the bears through GUND. Additionally, if you would like to raise money and deliver the bears yourself, please get in touch and we can find ways in which you can do that as well. 

Thanks to all who help Mr. I. We cannot do our job without you!

Matthew Newman

Mr. I welcomes 2019! My name is Matthew Newman and I am currently running the Mr. I Children's Charity from the suburbs of Chicago while my sister continues her work in Austin, Texas. Sami, the founder of Mr. I, is my sister and the founder of the Mr. I Children's Charity. We apologize for the delay and hiatus of deliveries while my family moved. We accidentally placed the bears in storage and were unable to get to them, as they were stored with all of our furniture. However, now we are settled in our home and have the bears dressed and ready for delivery.  

With the generous donation from Walgreen's during We Day 2017, we are able continue delivering bears to local Chicago-area children's hospitals.. We are also now in Dell Children's Hospital in Austin, and hope to expand our reach. However, that money will not last forever. Please find us on facebook and online to read more about us and consider making a donation for the new year. 

While recently delivering bears to NorthShore Evanston Hospital, Katelyn Beyer, the coordinator for Child Life, told us how grateful they are to have Mr. I bears available to give to children who need MRIs. She explained that they bring both the children and families so much comfort. I really appreciated hearing that Mr. I helps relieve the stress of a very scary and overwhelming experience. 

Mr. I is a truly wonderful charity, and I am so happy to be involved in helping sick children and families know that we are here to support them. 

Happy, HEALTHY 2019!

Matthew Newman

Wow! So much has happened since my last blog and I am so excited. I am finally finished (at least for the remainder of the school year) with my ACTs and have more time available to focus on fundraising. 

The most exciting event to occur over the past couple of months is that Donald Liebenson, a writer for the Chicago Tribune, called me to interview me regarding the Mr. I Children's Charity. I can't lie, I was very nervous to talk to him, but once we began talking, I was fine. Moreover, on April 14, 2016, the article was published online, and last week, it was in newspapers around Chicagoland! Since it was published, we've received interest from organizations from all over the country requesting information on how their organizations can help Mr. I raise money to deliver bears to their local children's hospitals, as well as from specific organizations interested in receiving bears for their pediatric clients! This was my goal...to help grow Mr. I and find ways to help children all over the country feel safe and happy while undergoing scary or nerve-wracking medical tests and procedures. Now, the goal is to find ways to continue to raise money so that we can keep supplying the bears to hospitals near my home and throughout the country.  
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-mri-bears-sick-children-health-0427-20160414-story.html
I was also interviewed last week by a writer for Medical Dealer Magazine. He is writing an article about "paying it forward" and I hope that will spread the word about Mr. I in the medical community.

In order to continue fundraising, I have created a board consisting of my close friends. The response, when I asked them if they would be interested in contributing their time and energy to fundraising, was overwhelming and very heart-warming. I have the greatest friends and they gathered at my house to brainstorm ways we can raise money and bring awareness to our community about what Mr. I does and what it is. We are hoping to have a car wash this spring and then a flag football event in the fall. Additionally, my mom and I (and I think my board) will be interviewed this Sunday by WDHS, my high school's TV station. Hopefully, these efforts will not only bring awareness to Mr. I, but will also raise money for more bears. If anyone reads this and would like to raise money for Mr. I, feel free to contact me through email. 

Also, we are going to join Lurie's Circle of Friends and be linked to their facebook page, as well as Comer's "Give to Medicine" and their Facebook page. I hope that doing so will help bring awareness to organizations and supporters of those hospitals who are looking for ways to help create better lives for sick children.

Most importantly, Lurie, Comer, Evanston and Lake Forest's patients love their Mr. I Bears. I have received emails and letters from all of the hospitals saying how much joy the bears are bringing to the children in their hospitals, and that makes all of this SO worth it!!!! 

I will write more soon, but if you read this and think of ways that you or we can raise more money to continue donating bears, I am always open to suggestions!  Thanks again for all of your support!!!!

​Sami

Very excited to be partnering with the Child Life Program at North Shore Evanston Hospital! So grateful that Kia Beickert, the Child Life Director, is so enthusiastic about partnering with Mr. I. I was greeted today by interns Michelle Mattero and Deanna Cadena who were so excited and complimentary about the Teddy bears and said how much they will help the kids in the Child Life Program. Look forward to more deliveries. 

I am so excited that the Mr. I Children's Charity is up and running. It took some time to get here, but I am very proud of what has been accomplished so far, and I look forward to posting many more exciting achievements and information about what's been going on. I founded the Mr. I Children's Charity to help kids going through rough or scary medical procedures. Mr. I provides them with a friend who can comfort them.

I am so grateful to GUND, the stuffed animal company who I've partnered with, for helping me find the perfect bear to represent Mr. I. GUND has been so supportive and enthusiastic about supporting this endeavor and I am so excited to work with them.

I would also like to thank all of my friends and family, and friends of friends for being so supportive. This holiday season, I received over $4,000 in donations to help me purchase more bears so that I can continuing delivering them to children's hospitals, as well as spread Mr. I's reach to other children's hospitals. I am so excited to currently be partnering with the Anne and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago. Both have been so enthusiastic about Mr. I and I am so grateful for their interest and energy in this project.

Over Thanksgiving, I delivered Mr. I Bears to Lurie. Justyna Griffin. the Activities and Donations Coordinator has been so receptive and terrific to work with, and told me that this first delivery would go directly to the MRI unit, as that is where the idea for Mr. I began when I was a patient there. Also, just this past week I delivered bears to Comer Children's Hospital where Erica Luciano, a Child Life Assistant, received the bears. She couldn't help but smile and squeeze one when she saw them. They are so lovable and soft--just the perfect size for a hug and security. I was so surprised when she mentioned that often the donations they receive are the only items to be found in the children's rooms during their stay. This statement not only opened my eyes to the fact that not every sick child is surrounded by gifts and warmth when in the hospital, but also reinforced that Mr. I can make a difference. I am so glad that I am working with two fabulous hospitals. I also hope to expand Mr. I's reach as this charity grows.

I will continue to blog about Mr. I's events and activities as they come up. Please also feel free to visit the Mr. I Facebook page for any information, and "like" it as well.  Thank you all again for so much support. I am SO excited about the Mr. I Children's Charity!

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