What
is Mended Little Hearts?
Mended Little Hearts is a support program for parents of children
with heart defects and heart disease, dedicated to inspiring hope in those
who care for the littlest heart patients of all. Mended Little
Hearts offers resources and a caring support network as families find
answers and move forward to find healing and hope.
Partnering with hospitals to provide several programs, Mended Little Hearts connects families in crisis with other parents who have survived the shock of learning a child has a heart problem, navigated the maze of medical decisions and procedures, and mapped out a plan for the future.
Is
Mended Little Hearts a program of the American Heart Association?
No. Mended Little Hearts is a program of The Mended Hearts,
Inc., a national nonprofit organization that has been offering the gift
of hope to heart disease patients, their families and caregivers for more
than 50 years. Recognized for its role in facilitating a positive patient-care
experience, Mended Hearts partners with 460 hospitals and rehabilitation
clinics offering services to heart patients through visiting programs,
support group meetings and educational forums. Our mission is to "inspire
hope in heart disease patients and their families."
Where
does Mended Little Hearts get its funding?
Mended Little Hearts has received funding from individual member
donations and from Mended Hearts.
Who
can start a Mended Little Hearts group?
Anyone who is dedicated to helping parents/families/caregivers find
answers, develop connections to others, and build a sense of hope for
then future can start a Mended Little Hearts group. The parent
of a child with heart defects/heart disease believed there was a need
for a support group in her area; a healthcare professional saw a need
for a support group for parents; a Mended Hearts chapter member believed
by helping parents who have children with heart defects/heart disease,
he would help spread the mission of Mended Hearts; these are descriptions
of caring people who start Mended Little Hearts groups.
How
do you start a Mended Little Hearts group?
To start a Mended Little Hearts group, contact the Mended Hearts
national office and request a group starter kit from the Mended Little
Hearts Program Manager.
A general outline of how to start a group is provided as follows.
- Develop a nucleus for membership-check for a list of contacts in the Organizational Manual
- Set a day/time to meet to organize the charter group
- Request the Charter Petition and Application forms from the National Office
- Send notices of an upcoming first meeting to area TV stations, radio stations, newspapers
- Share the Mended Little Hearts information at the meeting
- Vote to form a charter group and collect the group dues of $50; may be paid by a third party; due once a year
- Sign the Charter Petition; the petition must have the names of at least seven families with a heart child; a family counts as one membership
- Complete the applications and mail of the documents to the National Office
- Once, the National Office processes the paperwork-you will be notified that you have become an official Mended Little Hearts group
- You can then begin to offer the following services: Hospital Visiting, Phone Visiting, Support Group Meetings, Health Information Workshops, and/or Social events.
Can an existing support group become a Mended Little Hearts group? Yes. An existing support group that has at least 10 or more members can become a Mended Little Hearts group. Benefits of being a program of a national organization like Mended Hearts are in the Benefits document on the Mended Little Hearts website: www.mendedlittlehearts.org
When was the first
MLH group started?
The first
MLH group in the U.S. was chartered on April 16, 2004 in Hollywood, Florida
at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
Where are the existing Mended Little Hearts groups? A list of existing Mended Little Hearts groups can be found at the Mended Little Hearts website at www.mendedlittlehearts.org. Click on the "Mended Little Groups near you" button or contact the Mended Little Hearts Program Manager to also locate groups in the formation stages. (1-888-HEART99).
How do I find out
more information about Mended Little Hearts?
General information about Mended Little Hearts can be found
on the website www.mendedlittlehearts.org.
For more specific information or questions send a request to mlh@mendedlittlehearts.org
or contact the Mended Little Hearts Program Manager at 1-888- HEART99.
How can I join
Mended Little Hearts?
You can become a Mended Little Hearts member several ways.
- You can join online at www.mendedlittlehearts.org. Click on "how to become a member"
- You can join a group by searching the list of current groups at "Mended Little Hearts near you". Look for a group in your area and contact the coordinator.
- You can contact the Mended Hearts National Office and request that an application be mailed to you from the MLH Program Manager.
- You can fill out the application located inside the Mended Little Hearts brochure and mail it to the National Office.
What is the cost
for a Mended Little Hearts membership?
There is no cost for becoming a member of Mended Little Hearts.
Who can become
a member of Mended Little Hearts?
Anyone interested in supporting the Mended Little Hearts program
can join online at www.mendedlittlehearts.org.
Members who join a Mended Little Hearts group are parents/caregivers/family
members who are also interested in providing a caring network of support
and resources for families of children with heart defects/heart disease.
Mended Little Hearts groups encourage all parents/families of heart
children to join the effort. We welcome children with any type of heart
defect or heart disease and at any stage of that disease, whether healthy
or requiring treatment.
Why should I become
a Mended Little Hearts member?
For many parents, hearing the heartbeat of their unborn child becomes
their first, loving bond to that child. It's no wonder, then, that discovering
that their child has a heart defect, whether diagnosed in the womb, shortly
after birth or during childhood, can be devastating.
Becoming a Mended Little Hearts member helps to continue to inspire hope in those who care for the littlest heart patients of all. Mended Little Hearts offers resources and a caring support network as families find answers and move forward to find healing and hope. Connecting families in crisis provides a realization that they are not alone. Together, they find answers, develop connections and build a sense of hope for the future.
April 2005