Statements
Mission
Grounded in love, with a primary mission of hope, Bright Heart Foundation advocates for and supports children and their families living with the challenges of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), while also providing support for the physicians who treat them.
CHD currently affects about 40,000 newborns in the United States each year. Of those births, 25% have a critical CHD, which generally requires surgery or other procedures in their first year of life. CHD is a lifelong battle for many children as there currently is no cure.
Through HOPE we help heal hearts!
Bright Heart Foundation Raises Money For CHD Research
+ Our Three Programs:
SURVIVE Program
Provide support tools to doctors and nurses to use for their inpatient babies and children crucial to keeping their spirits elevated during their months/years of hospital stays as they fight to survive CHD. (i.e. toys, blankets, stuffed animals, pacifiers, etc.)
THRIVE Program
Provide developmental support equipment to the inpatient and outpatient healthcare team in OT, PT, and Speech Therapy to use for patients as they work to reach their full ability potential and thrive. (i.e. special therapy chairs, motivational toys, special bottles, etc.)
ALIVE Program
Provide FREE mental health care to those living with CHD, family members
Background
Grounded in love, with a primary mission of hope, the Bright Heart Foundation advocates for and supports children and their families living with the challenges of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), while also providing support for the physicians who treat them.
CHD currently affects about 40,000 newborns in the United States each year. Of those births, 25% have a critical CHD, which generally requires surgery or other procedures in their first year of life. CHD is a lifelong battle for many children as there currently is no cure.
Through hope we heal hearts.
Luke's Story
Back in 2017, sixteen weeks into their pregnancy, Linda and Clint Pilkinton heard the news; their baby would be born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare congenital defect in which a part of the infant's heart is underdeveloped or not there at all. The disease currently affects about 960 babies each year in the United States.
The news that their baby would be born with "half a heart" was devastating, leaving the couple feeling "helpless and hopeless," and resulting in a very stressful pregnancy.
Born on December 21, 2017, Luke Pilkinton has already endured two open-heart surgeries and will require further surgery when he reaches three years of age.
Clint and Linda Pilkinton established the Bright Heart Foundation not only to anchor all-important research efforts, but, by sharing their own story, to raise awareness and offer hope and support to those families dealing with the everyday challenges of CHD.
"Our first-hand experience has taught us that one of the most important tools for healing the sick, and to support their families and physicians, is to keep their hope alive," Linda says. "Without genuine support and love from those around them, healing can be less successful for those precious infants who are struggling to survive."
Impact
Bright Heart Foundation Raises Money For CHD Research
+ Our Three Programs
SURVIVE Program
Provide support tools to doctors and nurses to use for their inpatient babies and children crucial to keeping their spirits elevated during their months/years of hospital stays as they fight to survive CHD.
THRIVE Program
Provide developmental support equipment to the inpatient and outpatient healthcare team in OT, PT, and Speech Therapy to use for patients as they work to reach their full ability potential and thrive.
ALIVE Program
Provide mental health care to those living with CHD, family members
2018 - $10,000 back to Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Endowment Fund at Vanderbilt
2018 - $2,000 ($50 to each of the 40 families that would be spending Christmas inpatient)
2019 SURVIVE - $2,400 in-kind donation to staff treating inpatient children
2019 THRIVE - $2,600 in-kind donation to outpatient therapists treating children
2020 - "Hockey Has Heart" event for CHD awareness
2020 - The Preds CHD Wubbanub Bear in partnership with the Predators Foundation and WubbaNub
2020 SURVIVE - $2,600 in -kind donation to staff treating inpatient children
2020 THRIVE - $2,400 in-kind donation to inpatient therapists treating children
2021 THRIVE - $2,500 for ALIVE Program to continuing funding FREE mental health therapy for those with CHD, their families, and their care team members.
2021 - "Hockey Has Heart" event for CHD awareness
2021 - The Preds CHD Wubbanub in partnership with the Predators Foundation and Wubbanub
2021 - Bright Heart Month (February) - multiple initiatives including: gifting event to CHD Health Heroes + Preds CHD Bear Wub + "Hockey Has Heart" + Petition to the American Heart Association + CHD awareness product launch + fundraising campaign + Virtual Session with Moms on Call
2021 ALIVE - $5,000+ of underwriting mental health program treating children, families, and care them that are affected by the journey of CHD.
2021 - "Christmas in July and August" - $5,000 of in-kind donations to support Inpatient, Outpatient, and Home Health PT, OT, and Speech - funded by Predators Foundation
2021 - "Giving Tuesday" - $1,000 of in-kind donations to support outpatient PT, OT, and Speech therapy
Needs
$10,000 grant to our "ALIVE" Program
Bright Heart Foundation underwrites mental health therapy sessions to adults, children, families, and healthcare providers who fight Congenital Heart Defects.
CEO Statement
Thank you for your support of Bright Heart Foundation.
Through our initiatives we can help treat those affected by CHD and mobilize a larger army to join our advocacy for these children. In turn, this will create a louder message and help us raise more funding for research as well.
Through SURVIVE, THRIVE, and ALIVE we can give hope to help heal hearts.
Bright Heart Foundation believes in collaborations and partnerships to help further Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) Awareness as well as partnerships that give us non-cash services to offset our operating costs and allow us to be good stewards of our grants and donations.
We foster our ongoing partnerships and truly value non-cash contributions as well as the ability to align with more established brands to help springboard CHD to the forefront.
Board Chair Statement
Clint and I are the parents of a child with CHD. Luke has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - he was born with 1/2 heart. His disease is only one in the over 40 kinds of CHD. We are coming from a place of first-hand experience about this world. We see the children dying and the families struggling and have the personal perspective as well as the marketing and sales background to promote this cause further. We realize that people have not heard about this disease because babies do not know to advocate for themselves. We also realize that the adults that are raising these special children are also traumatized and may not have the capacity to advocate for this cause. We fight on their behalf. We fight on Luke's behalf.
Through hope we heal hearts.
Luke's Story
Back in 2017, sixteen weeks into their pregnancy, Linda and Clint Pilkinton heard the news; their baby would be born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare congenital defect in which a part of the infant's heart is underdeveloped or not there at all. The disease currently affects about 960 babies each year in the United States.
The news that their baby would be born with "half a heart" was devastating, leaving the couple feeling "helpless and hopeless," and resulting in a very stressful pregnancy.
Born on December 21, 2017, Luke Pilkinton has already endured two open-heart surgeries and will require further surgery when he reaches three years of age.
Clint and Linda Pilkinton established the Bright Heart Foundation not only to anchor all-important research efforts, but, by sharing their own story, to raise awareness and offer hope and support to those families dealing with the everyday challenges of CHD.
"Our first-hand experience has taught us that one of the most important tools for healing the sick, and to support their families and physicians, is to keep their hope alive," Linda says. "Without genuine support and love from those around them, healing can be less successful for those precious infants who are struggling to survive."
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Health Care - Patient & Family Support |
| Secondary Category: | Health Care - Alliances & Advocacy |
| Tertiary Category: | Health Care - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution |
Areas Served
Our focus is serving Tennesseans with a focus in Middle TN.
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN |
