A reminder that we’re still taking registrations for the annual convention with speakers and activities sure to prove a worthwhile time; notice of the Amato and Shuman award deadlines; information on a new Mended Hearts committee looking at our awards and recognition programs; a reminder to support Mended Little Hearts participation in the Pepsi Refresh project, news of an upgrade to our social media presence; a Mended Hearts presentation slated for a national medical conference and news of Mended Hearts being selected as a non-profit to be awarded pro bono services of a top-tier ad agency round out this month’s issue of the IB…

Mended Hearts Convention Offers Speaker Line-Up Second to None! Attendance Boosts Perspective and Knowledge

It’s not too late to register for the 58th annual Mended Hearts convention in Bloomington, Minnesota and if you needed any further enticement to sign up, then just consider this recent comment from none other than Dr. Mehmet Oz about the talents of one of our keynote speakers, Dr. Wayne Sotile,  who will speak to the topic of this year’s theme, “More Than Surviving.  We’re Thriving!”  Here’s what Dr. Oz says about Dr. Sotile’s book, Thriving With Heart Disease – “Dr. Sotile reveals that we can gain insight while overcoming heart disease and achieve a wonderful growth experience.  This book is for everyone with a heart.”  In a humorous, uplifting yet profoundly powerful way, Dr. Sotile is prepared to share his insights with Mended Hearts – one of his favorite audiences.

And Dr. Sotile is just one of the top-notch presenters you can expect.  Added to the line-up are Joe Piscatella, frequent “Today” Show and “Good Morning America” guest who is a respected expert on how to live a healthy lifestyle in the real world.  In addition to nutrition and physical activity tips, Joe, who is also a heart patient, plans to spend some time on stress management, including what he terms “mental and physical tools” to manage stress every day.

Chapters looking for tips on member recruitment, retention and recognition won’t want to miss Mark Levin, nationally renowned  expert and consultant to organizations such as the American Medical Association, the National Safety Council and the National Education Association, along with hundreds of others.  Mark plans to share, among other membership strategies, five steps to increasing members.  All this -- plus a reception, exhibits and dinner on the Medtronic campus, 9 hands-on workshops, networking time galore and plenty of fun built in – and the planning committee feels you have an opportunity to make the most of your Mended Hearts connection by attending this convention.  Don’t be left behind!  To register, simply go to www.mendedhearts.org and click on the “THRIVING” convention logo in the lower right corner.

Amato, Shuman Award/Scholarship Applications Due
Chapter applications for the Mary M. Amato Education Award and the Sydney & Helen Shuman Nurse Recognition Award are due.  They must be postmarked by April 17.  The scholarships, funded by Mended Hearts with a generous contribution from Chapter 94, recognize and support future health care leaders and nurses who make a difference in care.  Award applications can be sent to the National Office, attn:  Marti Samples.

New Awards and Recognition Committee Holds First Meeting
Speaking of awards, Lynn Berringer is spearheading the Awards and Recognition Committee and the group is looking at ways to enhance and expand our current awards processes.  The committee met this month and plans to reconvene next at the convention in Minneapolis.  Members of the committee include Don Arvay, Sue Borum, Sandy Briggs and John Maiorana.

Vote for Mended Little Hearts and Help Them Win a Much-Needed Grant!
Have you gone online to vote for Mended Little Hearts as part of the Pepsi Refresh project?  If not…the process just takes a minute and by going to the link below the results collectively could help MLH get significantly closer to winning a $50,000 grant.  The site will give you an overview of the need for support as well an opportunity to view a compelling and moving video that features photos of our Mended Little Hearts children.  You can vote one time each day until April 30.  Voting requires a simple registration with an option to be notified if Mended Little Hearts wins the grant.  Please share this link with your friends and family and as many people as you’re comfortable sharing – the more who see this and vote, the better our chances.  It has also been posted on our Mended Hearts and Mended Little Hearts Facebook pages, and the site allows you to post on your Facebook page as well (and many, many of you have these!)
http://www.refresheverything.com/mendedlittlehearts

Remember to vote every day until April 30!

Let’s ‘Face’ It:  Folks are Online!

When you go to the Mended Hearts home page on the Web you might notice that we have a couple of new symbols.  In the upper right-hand corner are icons with links to our new Mended Hearts page on Facebook as well as a newly-created Mended Hearts Blog!  These are part of an enhanced social media strategy recently approved by the national board.  Industry analysts report that in 2005, eight percent of online adults had a profile on a social networking site.  Today, that figure has grown to 40 percent.  As the board acknowledged, and many of you can attest, it is an electronic age and activities such as blogs, social networking sites and an online presence with a robust Web site are strategies to meet patients and potential members, donors and volunteers where they are…online!  Look for more news and activities in this exciting new arena in future Internet Bulletins and Heartbeat.  Also, you might want to catch the workshop at convention, “MySpace or YouTube?  Mended Hearts and the Social Media Explosion”
Mended Hearts Goes to College…Well, Sort of…

Here’s another example of getting the Mended Hearts message out in a meaningful way.  We just learned that Doug Steingraber, president of Atlanta, GA Chapter #81, has been invited to talk about Mended Hearts at the National Conference of Medical Volunteers being held this weekend in Atlanta.  The conference is sponsored by Emory University’s School of Medicine and the Morehouse School of Medicine.  The audience will be medical students and physicians from all over the country.  Thanks for doing us proud, Doug, and helping to get the word out there!

Imc2 – Top-Tier Agency Selects Mended Hearts for Pro Bono Work, Culminating in ‘Weekend of Love”

Imc2 is an ad agency and design firm with offices in Dallas, Philadelphia and New York City with top-name clients such as Coca-Cola.  Mended Hearts has come to know the group through their efforts on the “Hearts in Harmony” Web site sponsored by Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo.  Through that connection and its staff in Dallas, the agency has taken an interest in our efforts as a non-profit in their Dallas  “back yard”.  The firm has encouraged Mended Hearts to apply for pro bono support, which we did as a competitive exercise,  and recently found out that we were selected to receive support!  Here’s how it works:  the agency basically devotes its services to several non-profits in each of the cities where Icm2 has offices – Dallas, Philadelphia and New York on a Saturday and Sunday in May and November for what it calls the ‘Weekend of Love” – helping the non-profit in Web, marketing or PR strategies that it needs most.  For Mended Hearts, it will be in Web design and specifically our e-commerce capabilities – our ability to handle online donations, memberships, product purchases, etc.  Our staff will be matched with theirs and over the weekend as we all roll up sleeves and try to work it all out.  This will be the weekend of May 15-16 (the weekend before convention!)  Here’s a video from Imc2 showing results from the previous “Weekend of Love” last November. 

Check it out: 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwdUyBClJBI
That’s it for the April IB – ‘see’ you next month!____________________
Tim Elsner   

Executive Director The Mended Hearts, Inc.

National Office

7272 Greenville Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75231-4596

214.360.6150

214.360.6145 FAX

tim.elsner@heart.org

www.mendedhearts.org