"Heart Links"

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Be present in your life,
with what is comfortable as well as what is difficult.
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Be courageous,
and reach out to others.
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Give when you can give
and receive when it is your time to receive. You will be gifting your family
as well as the world.
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Be grateful and
celebrate life today,
regardless of what it may bring.
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Do not waste time on unimportant things.
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Make spiritual practice
a part of your daily routine.
It is more important than any errand you will do today.
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Allow yourself to remember
a time when you were struggling. Let this memory soften you so that you are
open to other people's experiences.

"Heart links"

Below are some links close to our hearts that we have been introduced to by Heartworks members or families we have met. Also look to the menu on the left to find a local Heartworks groups in your area and read about their activities.

Campbell Hoyt is a five- year-old Bernardsville girl who has been battling brain cancer since August 2009. After being Cancer-free for 21 months, Campbell's cancer--called Anaplastic Ependymoma--returned, this time in multiple locations in her spine. She has been through 58 rounds of proton beam radiation therapy, a form only available at 11 facilities in the world.

The closest one for Campbell is in Boston, requiring frequent and extended stays away from family and friends. She is currently receiving five medications, including two chemotherapies, to kill the remaining tumors in her spine. Campbell and her family are so appreciative and grateful for all your help and prayers. For more up-to-date information about Campbell, visit her blog at www.pray4cam.blogspot.com.

More than Me - More than Me is a non-profit organization, founded by Katie Meyler. Developing countries face multiple challenges: difficulty accessing clean water and electricity, transportation needs, governmental and environmental issues, little access to health care, gender inequalities, and lack of education. All of these issues are interconnected, but two of them are especially vital to achieving the others: universal education and the empowerment of women. More than Me helps the poorest children in the West Africa attend school for the first time, while empowering youth in America with a message that they are not too young to impart change.

Maggie Doyne's Blog -- maggiedoyne.squarespace.com - Mendham, NJ resident Maggie Doyne started BlinkNow, a grass-roots organization working to empower young people to become pioneers in developing their own solutions to world poverty. The organization targets underdeveloped, war-torn countries where extreme poverty exists. These nations have high rates of illiteracy, disease, child labor, and unstable governments, thus making them the prime focus for our organization. The organization has established its initial project in Nepal, Kopila Valley Children’s Home.

Sunshine Jr. Cards -- Catie O'Brien was just seven years old when she was diagnosed with a very rare form of brain cancer on July 1, 2008. She began treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital one week later. During her treatment, Catie was looking for ways to make a difference in the lives of others. In November 2008, she was asked to draw a picture and think of a name for greeting cards that would be sold to benefit others with pediatric cancer. Catie wanted the name of the cards to be Sunshine Jr. Cards, in honor of her dad, Kevin. Catie's dad loved her beautiful smile and called it his sunshine; he called Catie Sunshine Jr. Catie returned home to Pennsylvania in December 2008 when the doctors at St. Jude discovered that her cancer was not responding to treatment. Knowing that she was going to die, Catie began thinking about what she would leave behind -- her legacy. She had several wishes for those who love her to carry on after she died. The first is the creation of Catie's Wish Foundation -- a non-profit organization with the mission of eradicating pediatric cancer through prayer and research. To order Sunshine Jr. cards, email kevin.catieswish@yahoo.com. All proceeds from the sale of the cards go to Catie's Wish Foundation. To learn more about Catie or to help support her foundation, please visit www.catieswish.org.

Sisters for a Cure -- Kailiyn and Kendall Cavaluzzo, sisters age 14 and 11, have known for years what it is like to battle breast cancer. Their mother was first diagnosed when they were eight and five. Sadly, their mom passed away on February 18, 2011. As a result of their experience, they started Sisters for a Cure as a way to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. They are being supported by a local merchant, Sharon Markowitz, who owns The Rebecca Collection in Bernardsville, NJ. She offered to sell their wares to benefit charity. Kailyn, an 10th grade student at William Annin Middle School, designed the logo. She reached out to another talented student, Angie Cocuzza, whose mother was recently treated for breast cancer, to add to their bracelet inventory. Kendall, a 7th grade student at Oak Street School, works hard in her free time creating beautiful bracelets out of recycled soda can tabs. The three girls are working together on developing their product line to include a variety of styles. To date, they have raised over $2000.

Blog Entries by Shellie Iossa, The Bernardsville Blogger
A Veteran's Day Blog Entry
A Blog Entry About Campbell Hoyt