LAS VEGAS, Nevada (February 13th, 2022)—Steelhead Productions, a premier provider of event exhibit and marketing services, partnered with Nevada nonprofit, Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF), this past holiday season to provide families affected by heart conditions with Christmas gifts they otherwise might have had to go without due to financial hardship. Steelhead’s Give Happy Committee participated in CHF’s annual “Holiday Adopt a Family '' to provide three families with holiday gifts, ultimately fulfilling every item on their wish lists and more.
In addition, Steelhead is excited to participate in and support CHF’s upcoming20th annual Walk with the Heart of a Child event on Saturday, April 22.
The Children’s Heart Foundation focuses on assisting children who have been diagnosed with congenital heart disease, and their families, who often find themselves in emotional and financial hardship. These children have severe and life-long conditions, often filled with constant visits to doctors’ offices for checkups and hospitals for procedures. The “Holiday Adopt a Family” program is applicable to any family who has had a child hospitalized with a major surgery or medical incident throughout the year.
Melissa Cipriano, Executive Director of the Children’s Heart Foundation, noticed Steelhead’s Give Happy Committee through a LinkedIn post regarding the Ronald McDonald House (which also partners with CHF), impressed with their active community outreach support. Elizabeth Martinez, Marketing Manager for Steelhead Productions, explained how excited the team was to work with Melissa and her partner Jill when she learned about how the foundation supports these families in need.
“When Melissa reached out to me, I was blown away by not only the financial assistance but the educational and emotional support the foundation gives these families on a daily basis. The fact that this program is fully run by only two women and their team of volunteers absolutely compelled the Give Happy Committee to get the entire Steelhead team involved in helping in any way that we could.”
Steelhead has an annual budget set aside for holiday fundraisers like these and planned to adopt two families and fulfill their holiday wish lists. However, the Steelhead team decided to adopt an additional family of six members, not utilizing company funds, but out of their own pockets.
Martinez recalls that by the end of the day of the announcement of the fundraiser, the team quickly raised a total of $3,000, which was more than enough to cover all three families’ desired lists as well as extra funds to participate in the Ronald McDonald House toy fundraiser.
“Each department stepped up without hesitation and volunteered to either ‘adopt’ a person and their full wish list or several gifts from all the family’s wish lists. By the end of the day, we had surpassed our goal with enough left over funds to participate in other fundraisers. I remember distinctly how great it felt to be a Steelheader that day,” recalls Martinez.
Cipriano, who not only facilitates the holiday program but is also in charge of daily operations and care of the foundation’s families, runs a summer camp program called “Camp Mend a Heart.” This quality of life program allows children with heart conditions a safe place, medically and emotionally, to enjoy and participate in fun activities with appropriate care available. “The best part of the Holiday Adopt a Family program is the look in parents' eyes when they see all the gifts that the donor has given. However, the programs we provide are ongoing all year long and the holidays aren’t the only time that these families need help. We’re responsible for providing anything from food vouchers at the hospital, to transportation from all over Nevada to Sunrise Hospital, to lodging at local hotels.”
On working with Steelhead Productions, Cipriano emphasizes how happy she is to have been able to partner with such a welcoming team.
“The environment and the culture that they’ve built at Steelhead is something that I wish all companies would adopt as part of their plan because they were just a great group of individuals. They were so open to hearing about our mission but also gave great suggestions on how they could help. I look forward to a nice partnership with them in our future because they’ve embraced us with such acceptance and it’s evident that they care and want to help.”
To learn more about the Children’s Heart Foundation and how you can support them please visit their website here or call the foundation at (702) 967-3522.
About Children’s Heart Foundation
Children's Heart Foundation is committed to making a difference in the lives of heart families through emotional, educational, and financial support, to inspire a higher quality of life for all.
About Steelhead Productions
Steelhead Productions designs and produces branded environments for trade shows and other temporary marketing events. Our company and our services are set up to support the brand’s event marketing professionals. Our belief is that we are in the Human-to-Human business rather than the more typical B2Bmodel. Event marketers are constantly looking for innovative strategies to elevate their respective brands using live marketing events. Doing so with consistency promotes their individual success and shines a light on not only the brand but the brilliant marketing minds behind them—our customers.