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SADS Awareness Update
June 15, 2010
Upcoming Events

Become part of the 16th annual "No Ball at All" campaign!

Girl's Night Out -Union, NJ - July 9, 2010

Climb to Conquer SADS -Mt. Rainier, WA -July 7-11, 2010

The 3rd Annual Run for Rosanna -Van Nuys, CA -July 24, 2010

5th Annual Ryan Weidler Golf Tournament -Norristown, PA -August 9, 2010

4th Annual Christie's Heartoberfest -Ballston Lake, NY -September 18, 2010

Layton Oktoberfest -Colorado Springs, CO -September 18, 2010

Sing it for SADS 2 -Dunmore, PA -September 25, 2010

To add to your special fund-raising event please contact Laura or call 800-786-7723.


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Vote (for FREE) on Facebook and SADS could win up to $250,000!
Don't wait--the campaign ends July 13th!!
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Greetings!

We have one month left in the second quarter of Keeping Hearts Beating.  Here's a little about what's new and how you can get involved.
Awareness Focus: Sports and Athletics
We've been focusing on sports and recreation for the second quarter of Keeping Hearts Beating

Q2 Awareness PosterPosters and materials have been distributed to approximately 100 athletic facilities nationwide!

Help us out!  Does your gym have a poster?  Hang one up!

Visit the volunteer resources page to find a list of locations to distribute materials in your community.

Submit a materials request
to get started today! 

Questions? Comments? Contact
Adrienne or call 1-800-STOP-SAD.
Bob DeVries is visiting every Major League Baseball park this summer in memory of his wife Shawn DeVries and to raise awareness of SADS conditions.  The staff at SADS really wishes we could visit every park with him but since we can't, you should!  Follow him along his journey and find out when he'll be visiting a park near you.  Next up: Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona to see the Yankees versus the Diamondbacks on June 21st! Where's Bob Tshirt

You can also support Bob and the SADS Foundation by sporting a brand new Where's Bob? T-Shirt!

Order your Where's Bob T-shirt today!


You can also follow Bob on Facebook.
O'Meara Family 3The O'Meara family first came to the SADS Foundation in response to the death of their son and brother, Justin O'Meara who passed away last year of an undetected SADS condition.  Since then, the family has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of SADS in their home country of Australia.  In addition to sponsoring a climber for the Climb to Conquer SADS event, they recently had an article published in a local paper complete with SADS warning signs and other awareness features.

Momentum has continued in Australia with the Curtis family.  Kimberly Curtis became a part of the SADS Foundation after the unexpected passing of her husband, Ben Curtis last year.  She planned and implemented a widely successful fundraiser in memory of Ben, the
Ben Curtis Charity Golf Day in Australia.  SADS information was disseminated and funds raised for the local hospital to support cardiac health.
Australian Flag
Another family working to raise awareness in Australia is the Oliver family.  In memory of
Michael, who passed away in his sleep last year. Rachel Oliver works to raise awareness by distributing SADS materials and information to many families in Australia.

We salute these amazing Aussies for their hard work and dedication!

The O'Meara and Oliver families are currently working to support the Australian SADS chapter and hope to expand the chapter in the near future. You can keep up on all the SADS Australia news by checking the SADS Australia page!
The Media: An Effective Awareness Tool
One of the most compelling and personal ways to raise awareness in the media is to tell your personal story.  Common news articles about warning signs and general SADS conditions are very helpful and informative, but nothing is quite as powerful and memorable as a personal story.  We will be working more closely with the media during the fourth quarter of Keeping Hearts Beating in conjunction with National SCA Awareness Month in October, but there is no time like the present to get started!  By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, we will all be media experts and we can inundate the media with powerful messages, truly raising awareness in a big way!

Here are some simple steps to contacting the media:newspapers color

1. Identify a reporter or station who might be compelled to cover your story.
2. Send a media kit to the reporter or news station.
3. Tell them your story. Tell the media how SADS has affected your life.
4. Follow-up with a phone call.  Thank them for letting you share your story, inform them of any updated information, etc.
5. Send a copy of the story to the SADS Foundation. We track these news stories for our awareness statistics.


For more media and news tips, visit our website.

If you have any questions about contacting the media, call 1-800-STOP-SAD (800-786-7723) or e-mail
Adrienne.
The SADS Foundation--A Great Nonprofit!
GreatNonprofits is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources and tools for people to find, review, and share information about great nonprofit organizations.  Their website hosts a wide variety of information on over 1.2 million nonprofit organizations. 
The SADS Foundation has joined GreatNonprofits to allow people to provide reviews of our foundation and spread our message to greater heights.  If you have been touched by the services we provide and would like to share your experience with SADS, please take a moment and write a review for The SADS Foundation.  You can find our profile by searching "Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes" or by clicking here.

If you are interested in becoming an awareness campaign volunteer, e-mail Adrienne or call 1-800-STOP-SAD (786-7723). 
 
Sincerely,
 
Alice, Laura, Joanne, Heidi, and Adrienne
SADS Foundation