Children shouldn’t suffer, but sadly many children do suffer. Children fighting for their lives have very little to smile about, but you can change that.

Some of you may already know from reading my blog that In 1992, my daughter Katie was born with a rare heart disease. Katie underwent heart surgery at the age of five weeks. She died due to of medical neglect. She would of been 15 last month.

During Katie’s illness, Shawn and I received so much support from our church and community that it was just overwhelming.

Having a child with a chronic illness is stressful for any family. I know that and thanks to organizations like hugs and hope, families do not have to face this alone.

Hugs and Hope is a ministry devoted to brightening the lives of children who are battling a critical illness and one that is dear to my heart.

The Hugs and Hope Club for sick kids was created by Marsha Jordan in October 2000. It began as her hobby of sending cheery mail to hospitalized children. In 2003 it became a nonprofit charity, with nearly 3,000 volunteer “hug givers and hope builders” helping to spread cheer nationwide.

The group is always looking for more volunteers. To learn more becoming a volunteer or finding out how you can help in some way, please visit the Hugs and Hope web site at www.hugsandhope.org

I also encourage you to blog about this and share it with your readership.

Hugs and Hope helps not only the children feel better, but their parents as well. The parents receive much needed moral support from club volunteers.

You too can make a huge difference right now. All it takes is a little love and the cost of a postage stamp to make a child’s day. As Marsha Jordan says, ” Happiness is like sticky peanut butter — when you spread it around, you can’t help but get some on you.”

Hugs and Hope- making a difference one smile at a time.