Children's Miracle Network KC Heartland

The Power of Partnerships

This fall, CMN Advisory Committee members and staff welcomed the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals leadership team, including the President and CEO of CMN Hospitals, Aimee Daily, to Kansas City.  They kicked off their time here by touring the University of Kansas Health System Marillac Campus.  The team was eager to hear about the amazing things the Marillac Campus is doing in our community to support adolescents' mental and behavioral health needs from Marillac’s Director of Operations, Ashley Dugan.

Ashley shared statistics and trend and discussed the challenges kids are facing today and how Marillac is there to give them the best care when they are in a mental health crisis.  Their goal is to get them through the initial crisis and set them up with continuing care and treatment for when they go home.  She even told them about giving each child a Squishmallow when they are admitted so they have a comfort item with them throughout their stay.  Squishmallows are the perfect fit because they are soft and huggable, but also meet the safety guidelines at Marillac. 

Children’s Miracle Network is proud to partner with Marillac and their team to enhance the programs they provide to children and families. From the creation of a Staff Rejuvenation Room where members of the care team can take a break to a guitar lab for the music therapy program, CMN funding supports a variety of initiatives on the campus. 

Remember those Squishmallows Ashley mentioned?  Well, word spread fast throughout CMN Hospitals about the leadership team’s visit to Marillac and the impact that it had on everyone in attendance that day.  Thanks to a fast-acting member of the New Business Development team, a shipment of over 700 Squishmallows arrived at Marillac just two weeks later from Jazwares, the parent company of Squishmallows!

The CMN Union Miracle Bowl Strikes a Sellout !

The 8^th Annual CMN Union Miracle Bowl took place on October 5 ^and raised a record breaking $37,526 for KU Medical Center and for the first time in event history, EVERY lane sold! Sponsored by Pipe Fitters Local #533 and Roofers Local #20, about 130 Labor Union members representing a variety of different Locals in the Kansas City community were in attendance to support Children’s Miracle Network.

Congratulations to our tournament Champions, the Sheet Metal Workers Local #2 and Pipe Fitters Local #533 for their impressive second place finish. A warm round of applause to the Pipe Fitters Local #533 who received the Partner in Excellence award for their continued generosity toward the success of this event and the mission of CMN. We would also like to recognize Paul Post from Roofers Local #20 for personally raising $8,300 for the Union Bowl.

Thank you to Ward Parkway Lanes for hosting our event each year and to Sarpino’s Leawood location for always providing a delicious lunch. Special thanks to Awards & T-Shirts Specialists, Inc. who generously donated the event t-shirts and awards for our participants. The awesome variety of raffle packages were made possible through the kindness of countless community businesses, including Pipe Fitters Local #533, OPCMIA Local #518, Milwaukee Tool and Westlake Ace Support Service Center.

Finally, a special thank you to our amazing planning committee: Becky Capper of AFL-CIO, Heather Figous of Awards & T-Shirts Specialists, Inc., Kevin Hendrickson of Pipe Fitters Local #533, Lisa Mead of IBEW Local #53 and Paul Post of Roofers Local #20 for their time and hard work. Teamwork truly does make the dream work!

NuRoo Swaddles: Creating Beautiful Bonds

Children’s Miracle Network is honored to help parents begin the beautiful bonding process with their newborns, especially when those tiny miracles are born sick or come too soon.

While having a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit can be very scary, giving parents the opportunity to still practice skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo care, can be a real source of comfort and calm at a very uncertain time. It provides important physical health benefits to babies which include stabilization of body temperate, regulation of heartrate and breathing, improved ability to breastfeed, increased weight gain and periods of deep sleep. Research shows, it also may decrease the length of time spent in the NICU, which is a blessing for any family.

Since 2020, Children’s Miracle Network fundraising has been able to provide over 350 NuRoo swaddles to help NICU parents practice kangaroo care while in the unit and at home. Many thanks to our partners and donors for helping to provide this essential gift of connection to families. It is priceless.

Thank You, Love's Travel Stops!

At our All-Partner Rally this April, Love’s Travel Stops was awarded “Partner of the Year”. With their annual Balloon Campaign having had another monumental year, it’s easy to see what makes Love’s a truly special partner.

In addition to the option to having a donation option on the pin-pad register throughout the year, Love’s also participates in their hallmark Balloon Campaign through August and September, when customers can donate $1, $5, or $20 and write their name on a “Miracle Balloon” to be placed throughout the store.

Throughout the balloon campaign, eight Love’s Travel Stops locations and one Speedco location supporting KU Medical Center raised more than $49,000 a 30%percent increase from last year’s campaign, making it a record year for the Love’s campaign locally!

Prior to the campaign, our CMN team was invited to speak at Love’s Division-wide General Manager’s meeting about the cause. Representatives from the Proton Therapy department care team shared how CMN has funded procedures for children, special body masks needed for the proton therapy treatment, and gifts for children going through treatment. Throughout the presentation, Love’s representatives were so inspired to hear about Proton Therapy, that they began to make personal donations to the department – raising enough money to purchase a children’s car!

The Love’s stores in our market even requested to take a tour of the hospital. Twelve managers at the store level and district level were able to tour KU Medical Center. They were able to see the Proton Therapy Department, Pediatrics, and the NICU and see first-hand how the funds that are raised by their customers and associates can truly make a difference. They even got to see the kid's car that their team donated for Proton Therapy!

Congratulations to this year’s top fundraising store during the campaign – the rest-stop location on the Lawrence Turnpike! Thank you to all of our Love’s and Speedco locations for your unwavering support and being the best fundraisers for the kids!

Fundraising Corner!

Joann Fabrics Register Campaign– Joann Fabrics is one of CMN’s newest partners. In addition to placing coin canisters at the register for CMN throughout the year, Joann hosted their customer-facing campaign throughout August and September. Joann customers who donated to CMN at the register received a coupon for 40% off their next visit! Thanks, Joann!

Walgreen’s Balloon Campaign - For two weeks in September, Walgreens locations gave their all during their annual CMN campaign. Associates asked customers to join them in supporting KU Medical Center by asking for donations throughout the stores.

Walgreens associates really put the “fun” in fundraising during the campaign, getting creative with how they fundraised. Store #05357 in Raytown created a mini “jail” where associates had to fundraise to get their manager out of the jail! Customers were so willing to donate to a great cause that the cashiers were truly having fun with!

In just two weeks, stores in the area raised over $7,000 for KU Medical Center Children’s Miracle Network!

As our fall fundraising campaigns come to an end, we want to express our sincerest gratitude for all of our fundraising partners during this season of giving thanks. With the help of our fundraising partners, we provide life-changing miracles to KC Kids every day.

Join us for the 2024 Miracle Day of Hope Radiothon

On Thursday, December 12, Cumulus Media will celebrate the 2024 Miracle Day of Hope Radiothon. Funds raised during this twelve-hour event will benefit KU Medical Center to ensure that every child continues to receive the best care possible through a variety of healthcare initiatives supported by Children’s Miracle Network.

Set your radio, phone, or smart device to your favorite Cumulus station: 101.1 The Fox, 94.9 KCMO, 95.7 The Vibe, Magic 107.3, KCMO Talk Radio at 103.7 FM and 710 AM, X105.1 or 102.5 Jack FM and share in the joy of the holiday season by donating to this year’s Miracle Day of Hope Radiothon.