July 2011 Mid-Year Results  
     
 
Our annual spring fundraiser held at Kelsey's Restaurant raised almost $11,000. Your donations, along with the proceeds from the raffles, allowed OLJ to donate $2500 to MDA for SMA research, $2500 to Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, $1500 to (2) therapeutic horse back riding facilities (MD Council for Special Equestrians in Catonsville and The Kids Korral in Shamong NJ), $500 to The Field of Dreams, $600 to MD Special Olympics, and $2500 to The Bennett Blazers Sports Program for Physically Challenged Children.

One of the former athletes from the Bennett Blazers program (Tatyana McFadden) has been nominated this year for an ESPY award. She excels in wheelchair track events and has won medals in the last two Paralympics Games. Take a minute and go to her web site to find out more about the possibilities of disabled children. www.tatyanamcfadden.com.

Winners of the raffles were: Ravens Football-Ron Thomey, iPad-Bearcat Foster, Basket of Cheer-Joe Calvert, Ravioli Dinner-Tim Sanna, Sam Koch Football-Ruth Scheiner (who gave the ball to Tina Wheland, riding therapist @ the Catonsville Horse Farm), Brooks Robinson Jersey-Brian Leonardi, Phillies autographed prints-Louise Marzin and Mary Green, Irish Basket of Cheer-Sandi Thomas, Washington Capitals Hockey Puck-Susan DeLabio and the Irish Photographs-Joanne Rutkowski.

Thanks to all who made our fundraiser a success and special thanks to all of our corporate and individual contributors who donated items for our raffles: Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Capitals, Kim and Rocco Vicchio, Jason's Wine and Spirits, Mike Healy, Mike Willis, Kelsey's Irish Restaurant, Facci Restaurant, Sam Koch, CVS-CareMark, The Big Screen Store, 4 Imprint, P.U.P.S Dog Obedience Training Center.

3rd Annual OLJ Fall Golf Outing--Friday, September 30th, 2011 @ The Links @ Challedon in MT. Airy, MD. Entry fee-$125. Hole Sponsor-$100. Click Here for the Flyer.

Flyers and entry forms will be sent out soon. Please mark the date and join us for a full breakfast prior to golf, cart and green fees, beverages on the course and a wonderful luncheon after golf, catered by Scittinos Italian Market.

Our family was fortunate enough to have been able to attend the annual Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy conference in Disney World last week. 1500 people attended this year's conference. We were able to meet with doctors, researchers and families whose children have been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Attending the grandparents seminar and the seminar with (6) persons who have SMA, (2)-married w/ children and (4) who are attending college or about to start that journey, was truly an eye opening experience. We learned so much about the difficulties they face in their everyday lives as well as the successes they have had while dealing with their disease with determination and courage. Seeing infants in wheelchairs with ventilation and feeding tubes was a very difficult part of the conference. However, hearing stories about how much these children have touched the lives of so many gave us some comfort.

Having experienced this for the first time has made me become more dedicated to raising the awareness of SMA. It has also made me more fervent in continuing to make Our Little Jewels as successful as possible in providing the funding needed to run programs for children with disabilities.

As the OLJ logo states--"Help Us Help Them".

I wish all of you a wonderful summer and hope to see many of you at our golf outing in September.

Please check our calendar for other upcoming events.
  
                                                        
     
December 2008Welcome to our Organization  
     
  Our Little Jewels Inc. is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization.

The goal of Our Little Jewels is to provide financial support to programs offering activities for children with physical and mental disabilities as well as continual funding for the scientists and researchers that work so diligently in search of treatments, and hopefully someday, a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and other muscular dystrophy diseases.

Our Little Jewels is dedicated to raising awareness of the struggles that the children with these diseases live with every day and the hardship it causes their families.

With your help, we can make their lives a little better.		  
     
     
 

©2008-2011 Our Little Jewels, Inc. All rights reserved. Last updated: July 24, 2011.