Charlie's Buddies

Check out the pictures below of Klarence receiving a TurtleTub bath! Thanks to Torrance Memorial Medical Center's NICU for sending over these pictures from our last donation to the NICU. Everyone needs a nice bath and this looks like five star service.

Dear Jim,

On behalf of the NICU at Torrance Memorial I would like to thank Charlie's Buddies ever so much for providing us with our new baby tubs and bathing supplies! We were very excited to receive them! These tubs are specially designed for the newborn and premature infant, so they are perfect for the NICU. We mostly give sponge baths, even to those babies without IVs and well enough to have a real bath, because the pink basins hospitals provide aren't really adequate to be a baby tub. I am including some photos of our first bath. A bath can actually be very stressful for a newborn or a preemie, but Klarence loved being immersed in the nice warm water! The swaddling blanket that came with the tub also helped him feel very safe and secure. He was so relaxed during the whole bath process. It was also a nice experience for this new mother. She recorded the whole thing.

And we will be sure to give the extra tubs you gave us to families in need.

Thank you again for helping us meet the needs of our tiny patients and their families over the last 20 years. We are truly grateful.

Sincerely,

Liz and the other NICU RNs at TMMC

We're so glad to be able to visit with the Torrance Memorial NICU again! We kept our distance due to covid concerns, but are excited to be back. The doctors, nurses, and staff in the NICU can't be thanked enough for their work, especially during this last year.

Big Thanks to Catapult Products LLC for contributing TurtleTub infant wash tubs along with blankets and washing supplies! Charlie's Buddies stopped by Torrance Memorial NICU today with the TurtleTubs for families in need and for all the newborns awaiting their first baths during their stay in the NICU. Charlie's Buddies is 20 years strong!

Big Thanks to Barsha Wines and Spirits in Manhattan Beach (CA) for donating 10% of holiday party bills to Charlie's Buddies. Throw your company party or even get your friends together and have a blast wile wine and spirit tasting, at Barsha Wines.
A link to their Facebook page is listed above with address and phone number. Toast your family, friends, and coworkers, while knowing you're also contributing to a local cause.

We had a great day today at Macy's in Manhattan Beach for Macy's Shop For a Cause event. Met a lot of great people also. We gave away some baby chair animal toys and collected entries for a raffle to win one of Charlie's Buddies own CB Giraffe toys. We'll be calling the lucky winner by the end of the weekend..good luck.

We setup an information table at the front of Macy's and Jackson and Danielle were great helpers. You can see them in the picture with a necklace of donated crib toys and handouts. While we manned the main information table, they walked the floors giving away the toys and handing out information. They were amazing and were actually upset when it was time to go...asking, "When can we do this again?"

Come on down to Macy's on August 24th in Manhattan Beach. We'll be there! Macy's called and invited Charlie's Buddies to participate in their Shop for a Cause annual charity campaign. For a $5 donation to Charlie's Buddies, Macy's is issuing coupons for 25% off..for one day only...on August 24th...good in any Macy's store across the country. Win-Win for everyone. If you didn't pick up a coupon for the day, stop by anyway and say Hi. We'll have give-aways and will be hanging around for a few hours to answer any questions.

Yeay...the website is working again. We had some issues and lost some updates, but we're back better than ever. Seems we lost a few web pages entailing some donations over the last 2 years. Don't worry though..the newborns in the NICUs have been receiving gifts regularly. From rocking chairs to the CB Giraffe Buddy Toys to the "Caring Hands" life molds.

We've been celebrating nurse's week in the NICUs with our local NICUs. For Torrance Memorial, we gave each nurse an "Outstanding Team" pin. The pins are a small way in which we can say "Thank You" for everything they do everyday while watching over the newborns.

Wow, it has been a while since we've updated our website, but have no fear, the donations are still rolling in. We've made a few donations this year to various NICUs, but somehow lost control when it came to updating our web page.

We would like to thank all of Charlie's Buddies' supporters, both old and new. It is nice every year when we get to touch base with the parents of those that spent some time in the NICU. We've gotten birthday pictures of the kids each year since their initial visit and graduation from the NICU. It is amazing to see how fast a child grows. Also, a big thank you goes out to the families and friends that continue to remember the special children each year.

The rain in Southern California went away for a few hours and the Sun shined long enough for us to load up some trucks and head down to the Torrance NICU. Driving up, we could see the new hospital starting to break ground right next to the latest parking garage. I'm sure it'll give those infants more room to grow when completed.

Today we had an assortment of goodies for the NICU. Not to mention some great helpers getting the boxes and chairs from the trucks to the NICU. We wish we could take out all the toys, mobiles, and other items from the boxes (including all the CB Giraffe Buddy Toys) for a big picture, but I think everyone can get the idea from a sample of the items shown. Aside from the two bouncer chairs we also dropped off a much requested swing chair. We wanted to put it together, and Jackson (the boy in the pic) wanted to help put it together, but the NICU volunteers were ready to figure it out. I bet it'll be put together and in the NICU in no time.

We wanted to kick the year's first donation in style, by getting whatever was in need the most. That was the rocker-glider-recliner chair. On our second trip up the elevator, not 10 minutes from when we dropped off the chair, we were already stopped with thanks on bringing a new chair. Then 5 minutes later, the chair was carried off into the NICU for use. As you can see in the picture, it was put to work right away. Little David and Katherine got to have some Dad time, while the third triplet, Victoria, caught up on her Z's. This was also the first time Dad got to sit down and hold two of his newborns at the same time.

The Charlie's Buddies "Caring Hands" supply chest was also restocked. This is not only our favorite program, but the nurses, and most importantly, the parents. About 100 of the new "Charlie's Buddies" Giraffe Buddy Toys were also donated. These are great to hand out to siblings and parents alike. We could go on and one, but will hold off until our next stop in a NICU nearby.

This year flew by. We made a couple donations but forgot to update the website and now don't rememer the exact dates, but I guarantee you that the parents remember, and that is the main point. With the introduction of the "Charlie's Buddies" Giraffe Buddy Toy this year, we're expecting to see many more smiles in our NICUs next year and for many to come. I never realized what a hit the girafffe would be for families in the NICU. Each time we visit, the giraffe and "Caring Hands" hand molds projects are raved about. Many thanks to Aarani for helping us with this idea!

We're hoping to kick off next year with another great visit to a NICU. Look for us to visit one in Southern California before St. Patty's Day. And no, we're not planning on changing the giraffe's color from yellow to green for that day..although an interesting thought.

Charlie's Buddies headed back to both NICUs at Torrance Memorial earlier today. We always like visiting the NICU there, as we have many friends from years past. We dropped off enough mobiles to last until our next donation as well as several other goodies. The Charlie's Buddies "Caring Hands" supply chest was restocked so next hand molds could be continued to be made for all the newborns in the NICU. This is our favorite program as it is great to see parents faces and hear when they talk about being able to take something home of their newborn during their stay in the NICU.

Of course we restocked each NICU bed with a mobile and added another new bedside toy, the new "Charlie's Buddies" Giraffe Buddy Toy. This is a new toy we are presenting to each newborn in the NICU that will further add to a connection between the parents and their child. It is hard going home each night, knowing your child has to stay in the NICU. Having something to bridge that separation goes a long way. After a child is finally released from the NICU and does make that great journey home it is nice to have something to remind you how luck you are to have such a blessing.

We were happy to hear from the NICU at Children's Hospital of Orange County again. The Charlie's Buddies caravan stopped by for a visit and dropped off more goodies for those parents watching their newborns in the NICU. It is always amazing how think we can just walk in, make a donation and walk out, yet are thanked before we finish our donation. We dropped off some more Tiny Love donated mobiles and infant developmental toys as well as supplies for the Charlie's Buddies "Caring Hands" program, and of course more printer supplies for all the pictures taken of the newborns.

It is always a good time visiting with the nurses and newborns at Torrance Memorial's NICU. With NICUs on two different floors, there is plenty of need for visits by Charlie's Buddies.

The picture on the left was actually taken during on of our visits in February of 2007, as we forgot to take a snapshot during our donation. We were too busy catching up with the nurses in the NICU and talking with a parent about their newborn. More mobiles, toys, hand mold supplies, camera and printer supplies and other goodies were left behind for the parent's and newborn's benefit.

Latest stop on the Charlie's Buddies donation truck route: Children's Hospital of Orange County. Just in time too. The CHOC NICU had their annual NICU Reunion party within a week or two of our visit. All the graduates of the CHOC NICU and their families come back once a year to have a little fun, share pictures, talk with all friends and have a good time. We are happy to have been able to help out for the party. Charlie's Buddies donated another photo printer that also had the ability to markup/edit the photos on the fly so that the picture could have little icons, hand drawings, borders, the works...on them when printed. This was a total hit!

We also filled up the stock room with mobiles for the cribs, graciously donated to Charlie's Buddies by Tiny Love, stuffed animals, toys, and other goodies.

Those hand mold supplies just fly off the shelf. Charlie's Buddies receives many thank you letters and emails from both the families and friends of children in the NICU. Most are in thanks for the hand molds they get to take home. This is one of our favorite programs as well, as the parents get to take an actual size, 3D mold of their loved one's hand or foot home. They can even be bronzed for longer durabilty.

Charlie's Buddies filled up the hand mold supply shelf, as well as wheeled in a big dolly full of toys, mobiles, "Capture a Smile" program supplies and other treats for the infants and their families.

It has been a few months, but headed over to Torrance Memorial's NICU in order to restock their supplies. This time we brought a couple of new photo printers, so they could print out pictures of the newborns for the parents to have when they visit in the morning. We also stocked the NICU with photo paper so the pictures will show nothing but the brightest smiles.

Although a little difficult to see in the picture, we also dropped off a new glider-rocker chair, which will be great for the mothers to nurse the young'uns in, while sitting in comfort. For the parents, we restocked the hand mold supplies (see pictures under the 'Programs' link above). This Charlie's Buddies "Caring Hands" programs has always been a big hit. For the kids, we dropped of mobiles and stuffed animals, courtesy of Tiny Love, along with a few other goodies.

Everyone at Charlie's Buddies would like to say a special thank you to the Norton L. and Barbara B. Peck Family Foundation. The Peck Family Foundation recently awarded Charlie's Buddies with a generous grant in support of our work and those families with newborns in our community NICUs. The primary purpose of the Foundation was to have family members work together to support each others effort to better the lives of those less fortunate. There are now over 30 family members spread across the country and once a year they gather together in Portland, Oregon to present local charitable organizations they would like to support. Local charitable organizations are sponsored by members of the foundation and a short presentation is usually given. Charlie's Buddies, representing the South Bay community, was presented as one of the many deserving charitable organizations. Charlie's Buddies was unanimously selected as the recipient of this year's award. Thank you very much!

Time flies when you're having fun. We made another stop at Torrance Memorial's NICU today. It is always great to visit everyone at the NICU at TMMC, as they are always happy to see us and are very welcoming. We dropped off some toys for the infants as well as more mobiles to place on each crib in the NICU. In support of our "Capture a Smile" program, we dropped off a new digital camera as well.

There is nothing better than coming in the morning and seeing a fresh picture of your newborn taken during the night. They always look so peacefull and happy. Sorry about forgetting to take a picture and posting it. We took some, but they came out blurry...next time.

Yep, two in one day. We had a couple of great helpers with this donation (check them out to the left). CHOC is always a great place to visit and make donations. The staff is so great. The cameras that were dropped off last visit are the hit of the parade, with pictures showing up on cribs and as surprise photos in the morning when the parents visit.

This was our first donation of the year and well worth the wait. We dropped of more Tiny Love mobiles, a couple of new digital cameras with all the works including supplies for on the spot picture printing. On the right is a picture of one of the picture boards just outside the NICU. Parents and family alike post information, letters and pictures to let us all know how great their little newborns are doing. From a picture to a colloge to a story, they are inspirational and always worth a good read when visiting.

With the CB delivery truck loaded we headed to the Torrance Memorial NICUs. The NICU at Torrance Memorial is actually on two different floors in the hospital. What does that mean?...it means there are a lot of newborns that could use some help and families that could use some support. We restocked the NICUs with mobiles and development toys as well as restocking the "Caring Hands" supplies.

We forgot to take pictures during this donation, so we hope to make up for it at the next donation. The poster boards outside the NICU are full of "Thank Yous" to the NICU staff from happy parents and infants whom are busy playing at home with their toys.

We were checking our email the other day, and found one from the Children's Hospital of Orange County NICU, wondering if we could stop by with some more "Caring Hands" supplies. "Of course"...We dropped off some more developmental mobiles for the cribs (that the families take home), more film in support of the "Capture A Smile" program and supplies for the "Caring Hands" program. We had the opportunity to talk with one of the parents, whose 4 month old infant was going home in a few days, and she told us how great it was to have the mobiles and hand molds. As soon as we dropped off the camera supplies everyone was looking for the CB camera in order to take pictures of all the infants. We are glad to help! Check out the animals carved out in the bushes in front of the lobby...

Charlie's Buddies' Caring Hands Program has added a new set of babies to its program. We give a big welcome to the infants at Torrance Memorial's Labor and Delivery area. We've been providing the ability to make these tiny hand molds to NICUs in Southern California for several years now. It is great to hear that the parents love the molds and we love to help out any way possible. We would also like to thank all the nurses and staff for making the hand molds as it is with their help that parents are able to take home a replica of their newborns hand.

We have also had several inquiries about having the hand casts bronzed. If you click on the orange circular "Caring Hands" sticker on the Programs page, you'll get a good look at before and after pictures of the hand molds. At the bottom of the page is a company that has bronzed a few hands for us and we very much like the final product.

The 2006 Charlie's Buddies Golf Shootout has been scheduled for Monday, August 7th. Click on Events in the above menu bar and you'll find a link to the latest details about the golf shootout. Hope to see you there...it is going to be a blast again this year.... maybe you'll win this year's Hole-in-One Contest (it happened last year).

Welcome back to the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). We haven't visited CHOC in over a year, so we felt Charlie's Buddies should stop by and continue to make its rounds. We had a great time visiting the staff of the NICU as well delivering dozen of mobiles, toys, books, and other goodies. Special thanks to Jessica and Marta for coordinating another successful donation to families.

We even brought a few little helpers to assist in unloading the truck (there are many more boxes of goodies not shown). They were a little tired and a little camera shy once the pictures were taken, but they did a great job helping to set up. Charlie's Buddies is always excited to deliver anything that might make the stay in the NICU a little easier or more relaxing for not only the parents, but the infants as well. We're working on making a wish list for the families to benefit from while in the NICU with their newborn(s).

Charlie's Buddies' Caring Hands Program has now made its way into the NICU at CHOC. Already, several of the hand molds have been casted and given to the parents to take home. With each mold being created from the infants hand, it is always a surprise to see what form is created from such little fingers. We love this program, as it bring smiles to parents' faces faster than you would believe.

Thank you again for all your support and donations. Charlie's Buddies stopped by the UCLA Children's hospital NICU to say "Hi" to our friends and drop off more mobiles and infant toys. The picture shows a sample of our dropoff. The rest are on the side in boxes all ready to be dispersed to the families with infants in the NICU.

The red tub turned out to be a lot of fun. Originally brought as a way to carry many of the donated items, it quickly turned into a play area. With the inclusion of this latest donation, Charlie's Buddies has donated over $16,000 to the families and newborns in the UCLA Children's Hospital's NICU. And I'm sure there is more to come.

Can you believe it is nearing the end of July already? We just dropped off a truck full of goodies to to Torrance Memorial's NICU. Included were two new glider chairs so parents can rock their newborn while in the NICU. Charlie's Buddies donated one earlier, but the more chairs for parents the better.

We also filled up the NICU with photo and lamination paper. With the two new cameras we deliverd a few months ago, pictures are being printed left and right, which is great! It is great to arrive in the morning, and while saying "Hi" to your newborn, see a new picture posted on their bed, taken the night before.

We also dropped off more materials for newborn hand molds. You can see a picture of one of them to the left. This picture was taken with a baby weighing just over 3 lbs. That same brave baby was born at around 1.5 lbs at birth, so this hand is much bigger than birth. Also included in the donation, were crib side mobiles (from Tiny Love), stuffed toys for the parents to take home when their child has been released, and more books for parents to read that contain all sorts of valueable information about their newborns ("The Preemie Parents Companion Book").

Don't forget our annual golf tournament is coming up soon....check out the link above to the "Events" page for details.

Our latest donation to Torrance Memorial's NICU was full of goodies. Once again, Tiny Love has generously donated crib mobiles and crib side toys for the infants in the NICU. We can never say enough "Thank You's" to Tiny Love, Inc., for their generosity and support of all the families. Be sure to check out Tiny Love's products for any friends or family with children.

As well as the child toys an mobiles, we also dropped of a couple of privacy screens so the parents can share some quiet private time with their baby while in the NICU. This is sometimes hard as one or dozen babies can be it he NICU room at one time, making private time difficult to come by. The screens give the parents more freedom to spend time with their baby while being able to focus on their child at the same time.

Another great item was the digital camera. We dropped off two cameras, one for each central NICU room. Charlie's Buddies has had the "Capture A Smile" program in place at Torrance for some time now, but with digital cameras, many more pictures can be taken by the parents and by the staff while the parents are out. When the Mom and Dad return to the NICU their are more candid pictures of their baby posted around the crib or bedding.

At the request of a mother who wrote us a great note, we have also purchased many informative books about babies for handout. These books are available to any parent in the NICU and they help explain many of the questions parents have about their newborns. They are a great source for information and comfort, as it is yet another source of information for parents.

On a side note, we have scheduled our annual golf tournament for August 15 of this year. Check the "Events" link at the top of this page for more information.

Charlie's Buddies first donation of the new year went to Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the NICU constantly treating new infants and sending them home with their parents. We were able to donate many items, including crib side mobiles (courtesy of Tiny Love), and toys for the slightly older infants.

The NICU expressed a need for bouncer chairs, as it allows the infants that have been their for a while to sit up and look around the room..not to mention bounce around a little. Great for the babies and the parents. Charlie's Buddies is currently working on a wish list for our next donation and hope we can continue to make a difference in the NICU. We would also like to say "thank you" to the NICU staff as requested from several of the infants' parents.

Another visit to UCLA Children's Hospital was a success. We met with Rebecca from Child Life Services and dropped off enough toys and crib side goodies to make sure all the infants on the floor would be taken care of. A picture of just a portion of the items is shown here, as most are in boxes for delivery purposes and don't make a great photo.

Charlie's Buddies has donated over $28,000 in toys, special programs, grants, and of course care (which is priceless) to NICUs and PICUs throughout Los Angeles County and Orange County since inception 2 years ago. We continue to recognize that the help and support we extend is only an extension of your support. Charlie's Buddies wishes to thank all those that help through out the year.

This is Charlie's Buddies' 4th year and we are still working hard to bring a little more joy into the lives of those starting out in a NICU. We have donated to 7 different Los Angeles hospitals as well as various families. We are also looking into making some donations to NICUs in San Diego later this year. For those parents or family that would like to give back to a specific NICU, we invite your requests as we're always open to new ideas. Anything that benefits families or infants works for Charlie's Buddies.

Four months...wow, how time flies! It was great visiting with everyone at Torrance Memorial's NICU today and even better hearing that the NICU was a little slow. This is one of the few jobs where it is best to have no customers. We took several pictures, but need to update our camera as most didn't come out very well. This is a great shot of a few of the many NICU nurses that help the infants and families on a daily basis.

We were able to drop of a few baby bouncer chairs, lots of mobiles and stuffed animals (Noni's) (courtesy of Tiny Love), more Polaroid film, and a new infant swing, among other items. There are still a few items that weren't quite ready for today's donation, so check back again to see what other goodies we have to drop off.

Thank you to the parents and families that have experienced such great care at Torrance's NICU, for their thoughts, letters, donations, and continued support. I know the start of the new year is fast approaching, but we hope to make a few more rounds of donations before year's end. Make sure to check back for the news.

During our donation to UCLA Children's Hospital on Wednesday, Charlie's Buddies was presented with a gift from the Child Life/Child Development Services Department. Click on the picture to the right to see the great gift that was given. Charlie's Buddies is proud to have supported and to continue to support the families at the UCLA Children's Hospital. We dropped off more developmental toys, rattles and few other goodies for not only the newborns and their parents, but also for the slightly older children (pediatrics).

Today we stopped by the NICU at Torrance Memorial to see how all the little guys and gals were doing. We dropped off more Polaroid film for the Capture a Smile Program at Torrance Memorial. The nurses and staff like to take take pictures of the babies in the NICU and then write little notes on the Polaroids and leave them in the cribs for the parents to see when they return. The bulliten boards posted outside the NICU are full of stories and pictures of NICU graduates. There are pictures of babies that have recently graduated the NICU and are now at home as well as pictures from children that are several years old. The parents continue to send in pictures of the children and the entire family with great thanks.

Check out the little guy in the chair, to the right! This was our latest donation to the NICU at Torrance Memorial...not the boy, just the chair. We presented the nurses and staff at the NICU with this deluxe recliner and glider chair for the parents use. We have already received letters expressing thanks from the parents and the staff, including the picture of a

proud parent getting some quality time with her newborn, to the left.

We are gearing up for our 2nd Annual Charlie's Buddies Golf Shootout on August 30, later this year. Check it out under the "Events" section. You can email, call, or signup via the flyer on the site (coming soon: ability to sign up online).

We'd like to thank all of those of you that have donated to Charlie's Buddies in memory or in honor of a loved family member or friend. Through your contributions, Charlie's Buddies has been able to donate over $20,000 to the families and their children over the last 2 years. That is an accomplishment everyone should be proud of. Charlie's Buddies has donated to seven hospital NICUs throughout Southern California as well as individual families.

Charlie's Buddies latest completed donation was on Valentines Day at the Torrance Memorial NICU. The donation consisted of mobiles, crib side toys, crib side music boxes, more film for the "Capture a Smile" program, more materials for the super popular "Caring Hands" program, a couple of new infant swings, infant mirrors, as well as other items for both the families and infants. We were greeted by the staff and parents while presenting all the goodies.

This was our first donation to White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles. It was great to see how Charlie's Buddies could help out parents in yet another NICU in the Southern California area. We dropped off a bunch of mobiles and crib side toys, and met with several NICU nurses and staff directly interfacing with the parents of infants in the NICU. Every NICU we visit, we learn more about how we can help make life a little easier for those going through such difficult times.

How did we find the NICU at White Memorial you ask?..good question. Actually, we got a phone call from Dena in the breastfeeding department asking if we would be able to help in any way. It turns out that Dena was at UCLA during Charlie's stay...just another case of "it's a small world". Charlie's Buddies is very proud to be working with White Memorial and hopes to continue to work together in order to help those parents through their child's first months during their stay in the NICU.

Wow, have we been busy. Where do I start? First I want to thank everyone that came to the big party at the Ibiza Night Club in Whittier on September 9th. We had a great time with music, dancing, food and drink, prizes, and best of all were able to raise over $5,000 with the BLT Kids (Bowel and Liver Transplant Kids organization). With these funds we have already started a CB Buddy Bag program at UCLA for the parents of children undergoing transplants. For each family staying at the hospital while their child is taken care of by the doctors and nurses, we have prepared a bag of goodies. Goodies? you ask..what kind of goodies? The answer is: anything we can think of that will fit into a bag that will help make the stay for the parents (and kids) easier. Each bag is valued around $100. For instance, there were flip flops for the hospital showers, toothpaste, shampoo and other toiletries, laundry soap (donated from Harvey Washbangers in Manhattan Beach), a toy from Tiny Love, as well as phone cards so they can keep in touch with the rest of the family without having to search around for change. We are still coming up with more ideas and we welcome any you might have. Just send us an email if there is something you think a parent could use during their stay at the hospital (remember, sometimes the stay is over several weeks or months).

On Sunday, 12/07/03, we made another donation to the UCLA Children's Hospital. The holiday donations are always great because you know the parents could use the extra help and support. As you can see in the picture we were able to donate all sorts of toys for those infants staying in the NICU (Note: some of the items in the background were not from Charlie's Buddies). We even had a willing participant to take pictures of while playing with the toys (I wonder why). While some of the items go to the NICU for crib side use, others go to the toy room. In the toy room, each child gets his/her pick of any toy to keep. Even the parents get to pick.

The next day, 12/08/03, we made our first donation to the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). A good friend of Charlie's Buddies, from the BLT Kids, helped organize our meeting with the NICU staff. We dropped of a bunch of crib side toys and mobiles generously donated from Tiny Love for the NICU to enjoy. We were so busy showing off the new toys that we forgot to take a picture, so you'll have to wait until our next donation to CHOC.

We have a new method of donating now which may be right down your alley. If you've been thinking about getting rid of your old car for that new sportster, you can donate your car to Charlie's Buddies. We'll be posting more information after the holidays on our website, but you can visit Cars4Causes for all the details. We've teamed up with Cars4Causes because they take the hassle of getting rid of your old car while at the same time helping Charlie's Buddies reach out to more families with critically ill infants and children. Well, the year is coming to a close. On the bright side, that means next year is just starting up. We hope to continue with our donations and specialty programs at the NICUs ("Caring Hands", "Capture a Smile" and "Buddy Bag") in our community for years to come. We'll be posting our year-end newsletter in the beginning of January, so make sure to check back for all the info. We'll have information on next years donations and ideas, the 2nd Annual Golf Shootout (08/30/04), and some cool stats.

Charlie's Buddies has completed another donation this quarter thanks to your help and support. On Sunday, September 07 (2003), Charlie's Buddies donated over $2500.00 in toys, mobiles, and other items in which both families and the children themselves can enjoy. One of the major items donated to the UCLA Children Hospital NICU was a large wooden rocking chair. This rocking chair was donated to Charlie's Buddies by a very caring family with the intention with chair would be used by those parents looking for a place to sit with their newborn. Thank you very much. The chair was a big hit!!! Check out the picture...

Don't forget about the upcoming party at the Ibiza Night Club on September 21. Check our "Events" page for more information (date, times, and location) about the festivities. This will be a great time intended to let off some of that work steam while meeting new friends and most all, helping families in need. Proceeds raised will go towards helping those parents with children undergoing transplants. Charlie's Buddies is working with an organization called, "The Liver and Bowel Transplant Kids", in order to provide the parents of these young children undergoing transplants with some basic products that we take for granted while at home. Such items include: shampoo, soap, phone cards, disposable cameras, a bag to carry everything in, and other items the parents can use while staying in the hospital while caring for their children. Some parents practically live in the hospital while their child is undergoing a transplant..not to mention many months before and after while preparing and healing. These items allow the parents to spend time with their child instead of having to go shopping or travel home, which in some cases is very difficult. Charlie's Buddies is very fortunate to be working with "The Liver and Bowel Transplant Kids" organization as they share the same care and concern for these families as we do.

So, mark your calendars and get ready to share a few hours with friends while having a blast and enjoying some music and entertainment at the Ibiza Night Club on September 21.

This has been a busy month! Check out the golf tournament pictures under the "Events" link at the top of the page. There are some great shots! We've heard from many people about how great a time they had....Don't forget to visit our sponsor's web pages as well. Next month we are teaming with the "Bowel and Liver Transplant Kids" organization to throw a night of music, dancing, and just plain fun. Some information is posted on our "Event" page, such as location, time, and a phone number for more information. Come by and relax for a few hours, get to meet some new friends, and let your hair down.

Proceeds raised will go towards helping those parents with children undergoing transplants. I'll post more information about this new program once we get it started. We would like to be able to provide the parents with some basic products that we take for granted while at home, such as shampoo, soap, phone cards, and other items the parents can use while staying in the hospital with their children. Some parents live in the hospital with their kids while undergoing a transplant. These items allow the parents to spend time with their kids instead of having to go shopping or travel home, which in some cases is very difficult.

Don't forget to check out the pictures of the golf tournament and come by for a few hours and enjoy some music and entertainment at the Ibiza Night Club on September 21.

Charlie's Buddies has completed its first golf tournament!! Yahhooooo. What a great time it was. We're already making plans for next years tournment, or at least thinking of new plans. We'll be posting pictures and information here on our site in the next few weeks.W We would like to thank all of our sponsors!!! Thank you very much!! We'll be posting information about all of our sponsors in the next few weeks as well.

I wish I had some pictures to display for this update, but maybe next time. On June 11th, Charlie's Buddies visited the NICU and PICU at Millar Children's Hospital in Long Beach. We donated several crib side toys and more mobiles for the parents to put up on the cribs while in the hospital. After the children are released, they even get to take their new toys home to continue enjoying. Charlie's Buddies is excited to start working with the staff at Miller's Children Hospital. They were very hospitable during our introductory tour and excited as well with the start of our new relationship. Be sure to check back here in the future for more news about us working together.

The NICU at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach admits nearly 1000 infants yearly to their NICU, of which 25% of those infants are referred from other institutions. That's a lot of newborn babies and even more parents that have to experience a NICU during the first days (weeks or even months) of a new life. This time can be very trying for new parents, but with the expertise of the doctors, nurses, staff, and volunteers in our NICUs as well as all the non-medical care and support given to these parents, by Charlie's Buddies and others in our community, we can help to make their stay more comfortable.

This has been a busy year so far. Can you believe it is already near the end of May? Charlie's Buddies continues to gain more support from those of you in the community. Although a small organization, we have already felt our impact from parents and hospital staff alike. Earlier this month, Charlie's Buddies donated to the families of those infants in the NICUs at both the UCLA Children's Hospital and at Torrance Memorial. Shown in the photo: Jackson - enjoying the toys and attention.

On May 11th, Mother's Day, Charlie's Buddies with the help of generous volunteers presented a truck full of toys and crib side developmental play things to the UCLA Childrens Medical playroom (Child Services). Once again, Charlie's Buddies would like to extend our biggest Thank You's to Tiny Love for their generous support to our cause. Many of the items presented on Mother's Day were donated from Tiny Love.

Jackson, seen in the above photo, had a great time playing with the new items (and all the attention as well). Smiles like that are what Charlie's Buddies is all about. With young infants being admitted to local area hospitals daily, each effort of help and relief to their parents and the infants alike, makes a world of difference.

Charlie's Buddies also made a donation to the NICU at Torrance Memorial Hospital on May 16, 2003. Dozens of child developmental crib-side toys, mobiles, a few privacy screens for the parents (quiet time with their your children), two new photo bulliten boards for the NICU waiting room, a couple of Polaroid instant cameras along with tons of film, and more supplies for Charlie's Buddies ongoing programs were included. The bulliten boards have been well liked as we have received several letters from parents and family that have enjoyed viewing all the pictures and articles on the board. We added a plaque to each board with a quote submitted by parents of previous NICU visitors. Stop by and take a look. Also included, were many framed pictures of animals for hanging up inside the NICU. They should add a lot more color and joy to the room. Another Thank You goes out to Liz and Lupe (NICU nurses) and those nurses not shown in the picture for their continuus support and help.

Two of the programs has gained great excitement at Torrance Memorial. The first being, Charlie's Buddies "Caring Hands" program. We supply all material needed, including gift boxes when giving the "Caring Hands" to the parents, while the NICU nursing staff creates actual size hand or foot moldings of the infants. A sample photo of such a mold can be found below in the 12/22/2003 news posting. The nurses create these hand molds for children in the NICU and then place them in a gift box for the parents to take home and show off to the rest of the family. The second program is Charlie's Buddies "Capture a Smile" program. Charlie's Buddies provides instant cameras and all the film needed so the NICU staff (nurses/doctors/and parents) can take candid pictures of the children at any time. Parents will come in to visit their new young'un to find a several instant pictures from the night before (maybe while getting a bath or just playing in their cribs).

With your support, these programs have become a big hit and Charlie's Buddies is working on expanding them to other hospitals as well. Thank you.

Wow, March already!...time flies, but not forgotten. We're gettng ready for another donation at the end of March. We have some more infant development toys, mobiles, crib side toys, supplies for our ongoing projects and a few other items for this upcoming quarters donation. We'll post more information next month, hopefully with pictures.

We are also ramping up our preparations for the big July 14th golf tournament (see the 'Events' link for more golf information) later this year. Everyone at Charlie's Buddies as well as those families that have been able to receive support from your contribution wish to send out a big "Thank You!". We receive letters from new families that have been touched by your generosity every month. Charlie and all his little buddies thank you as well.

This update is a little early, as we usually post at the beginning of each month, but we wanted to share our latest news before the holidays. On Wednesday, December 15, Charlie's Buddies made a donation to Torrance Memorial's NICU and families. The nurses at Torrance were very receptive to all our donated items, which included: multi-speed infant swings, mobiles, crib-side infant toys, Polaroid film (the nurses like to take pictures of the children for the parents...when they visit the following morning), infant bouncer seats, developmental toys, and materials for our new "Caring Hands" program (over $1800). Below is a picture from our donation to Torrance Memorial's NICU. Check out the great picture board of all the amazing children that have visited Torrance's NICU (in the picture just below).

Charlie's Buddies would like to send a special "Thank You" to Tiny Love (a local child developmental toy maker) for their donation of mobiles and crib-side toys. Tiny Love has volunteered to support Charlie's Buddies through the 2003 year, and hopefully beyond with donations of developmental toys which infants and parents can play with while in local hospital NICUs.

Shown in the photo from left to right, top to bottom:
Jessica Reynolds (local high school student helping out Charlie's Buddies), Beth Pollock (advisor), Jim Webster (Co-Founder)
Dominique Webster (Co-Founder), Jackson Webster (Charlie's 13 day old brother), Patti Nitzel (NICU RN), Liz Weinstein (NICU RN),
Dr. Jay Rao (Neonatologist), Julie Snakenborg (NICU RN)

Charlie's Buddies "Caring Hands" program was started from an idea a NICU nurse introduced. Charlie's Buddies is suppling the materials needed to support this program at Torrance's NICU for parents to enjoy and share with other friends and family. A cast of an infants hands or feet is made by the nurses and given to the parents as a gift. This is a great way to feel closer to their child and to share the beauty of their loved with family and friends while their child is still healing in the NICU.

Charlie's Buddies also made a donation to UCLA Children's Hospital's NICU on Sunday, December 22. Dozens of child developmental crib-side toys and over 20 mobiles were included in the donation. These toys and mobiles will be used as Christmas presents to the children staying in the NICU over the holidays. Over 150 infants and children will receive gifts this holiday season on behalf of Charlie's Buddies and other parents, whom also donated gifts. This makes three successful donations this year made to local NICUs on behalf of Charlie's Buddies. Although, these donations were made this year, they were actually made in only 4 months time, considering Charlie's Buddies was granted non-profit status in September. That is a great accomplishment.

Shown in the photo from left to right:
Jim (UCLA medical staff), Dominique Webster (Co-Founder), Jackson Webster (Charlie's 17 day old brother), Liz (UCLA medical staff), Kent Pollock (volunteer), and Beth Pollock (advisor)
Jim and Liz were kind enough to help us with our pictures and donation..thanks.

We would like to thank all of our supporters during the year. Many exciting plans are scheduled for next year, including more donations, continueing and enhancing our relationships with local companies, and of course, the big golf tournament in July (more info will be posted after the holidays about the tournament).

Don't forget to check out our 2002 Newsletter or our latet newspaper article published in the Beach Reporter on December 19th.

Only one more month left this year, and still tons of work to get done. Check your mailboxes later this month for our 1st annual newletter. In it will be information about our donation (scheduled for later this month) and plans for next year, including our golf tournament and the rolling out of a new program at Torrance Memorial Hospital's NICU. It is called "Charlie's Buddies' Caring Hands". Check out all the good details later this month in our newletter.

We're saving most of our news for our newsletter, so watch your mailbox. If you're not on our mailing list, send us an email so we can guarantee your copy. See the email link at the bottom of the page.

This last month has been busy with getting our golf tournament preparation underway. We're hoping to have a flyer and web page available by the start of 2003 (check back here for details). We would like to thank you for continueing to support Charlie's Buddies and those families with their infant(s) in a NICU.

Don't forget to check out our Press link (see top of page). The 'Daily Breeze' published a front page article about Charlie's Buddies for the October 14th newspaper. The link on our Press page will take you to the 'Daily Breeze' website where you can read the article. We were also able to add Charlie's Buddies to Boeing's ECF (Employee Contribution Fund) program. The ECF program allows for Boeing employees to donate a portion directly from their paycheck to Charlie's Buddies. In addition, for every employee donated dollar, Boeing will match and donate a dollar to Charlie's Buddies. We are working on adding Charlie's Buddies to other company's charitable donating programs in the months to come. If you're interest in adding Charlie's Buddies to your company's charitable donating programs, give us a call or send an email and we'll be happy to help in any way we can.

Check out our new link on our How To Help web page. We have a new link which will allow you to submit donations on behalf of both yourself and your family, and also on behalf of someone else.

We're working on our next quarter's donation to Torrance Memorial's NICU. Check back in a few weeks for information about our donation.

We're just beginning to settle down from the excitement of being granted tax-exempt status from both the state of California and the IRS. We have a few more forms to fill out and file, but for the most part the paperwork is finished (at least until tax time).

Thank you for the great feedback we've received lately. We continue to welcome new ideas and suggestions for making Charlie's Buddies more successful. Let us know if there is something you wish to see or hear about on this web site or in our newsletter (coming soon to a mailbox or email inbox near you).

Our golf tournament has a confirmed date of July 14, 2003. It will take place at Los Verdes Golf Course in Palos Verdes, California. More information to come in a few months... If you would like to contribute to the success of the golf tournament through either volunteering, donation of prizes, food/beverages, door prizes, ideas, raffle or auction items, or if you would like to be a sponsor: send us an email or give us a call.

I want to send a special thanks for those of you that sent in a donation in response to our article in the "Easy Reader" newspaper. Not only are your donations 100% tax deductable, but will bring smiles to both parents and their infants. We strive in maintaining on of our goals: 100% of donated funds are distributed to the families of critically ill children.

Check out our new links (see menu at top of page). Among them is the 'CB Store'. A great way to help support Charlie's Buddies... Let us know if you favorite store isn't on our page and we'll see what we can do to add a link.....

Well, that long awaited letter from the IRS has now arrived. Check out the latest letter on the 'Stamps' page. It is from the IRS, stating that Charlie's Buddies is now officially exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. What does this mean, you ask? Charlie's Buddies is now an official non-profit organization as seen through the eyes of the IRS. All donations received are tax deductable under section 170 of the IRS code. This exemption letter couldn't have come at a better time....

On Sunday, September 15, Charlie's Buddies made its first donation to the UCLA Medical Center's Child Life/Child Development Center. Below is a picture of a few of the child development toys presented while in the pediatric playroom. We worked with Rebecca (on the far right), Child Development Specialist at the UCLA Medical Center in order to make sure the developmental toys presented met both hospital safety standards and would throughly enjoyed by the children receiving them.

Shown in the photo from right to left: (top row) - Jim Webster (co-founder), Gary Vaughn (volunteer), Nicole Lopez (advisory council), Rebecca Martinez (UCLA Medical Center); (bottom row) - Melissa Vaughn (director), Dominique Webster (co-founder), Beth Pollock (advisory council).

We've scheduled a golf course in Palos Verdes for our annual tournament to be held next July. Once we have confirmation, we'll be posting information on this site.

Wait a minute, why is there an update just 2 weeks after the normal monthly scheduled update? Shouldn't this update wait until the end of the month? No way, I say! This is too big of news. We received the letter from the Franchise Tax Board that we've been working towards since starting the process, months ago. That's right, we've been deemed TAX EXEMPT from franchise taxes in the state of California. Check out the letter on the 'Stamps' page. We still have some more tax paperwork to file, and are awaiting our big letter from the the IRS stating we are an official NON-PROFIT organization under section 501(c)(3) through the eyes of the IRS.

This will help us in our efforts to not only work with local businesses, but also to organize and present more successful fund raisers. We are still working on the golf tournament to be held later this year. Now with this tax-exempt status, we hope this will help to gain more sponsors for our tournament (by showing them our progress in obtaining the NON-PROFIT status under 501(c)(3) of the code) coming up and help build a relationship with other companies and businesses for future events.

We are also working with the UCLA hospital over the details of a contribution Charlie's Buddies will make next month. More details will be posted in next month's news posting.

Thanks to EVERYONE for helping us get Charlie's Buddies off the idea desk and into the real business world.

Charlie's Buddies is no longer just an idea, but now more of a reality.

This month of July has been very busy! We have been working out the schedule for the golf tournament working on sponsors and the location. We have been working closely with our local hospitals in order to develop a 'wish' list that both the NICUs and parents would like. Several good ideas have been mentioned, which is great...the wheels are turning. We are still waiting on notification from the IRS that Charlie's Buddies has been officially deemed a non-profit organization. Although we did receive a letter from the IRS stating they are processing our request, so that alone is good news, at least we know it is being worked. This brings up a decision we need to make regarding our golf tournament. We need to have the non-profit status by the time of the golf tournament, in order to attract more sponsors and allow the individual participants to claim a tax deduction on their tournament entry. We may need to push the golf tournament out until we get the official letter from the IRS stating our non-profit status. Either way, we're still working with the local hospitals to come up with a great plan for helping the parents and their children! I will post more information as it develops.

This month we've been working on getting our 1st annual golf tournament together. This will take several months to pull together, but can't wait for the first tee time. Information will be posted to this web site once we work out some more details. We are now also waiting to hear back from the IRS on our tax-exempt status. This too may take several months before we hear back officially. We apologize for not posting any information last month, but our host computer's hard drive crashed and we lost all of our data. That's why you back up information, and it is a good thing we did. We have been able to recover all of our information with the exception of part of our web page update mailing list.

This last month was a good month. Not only did we celebrate Charlie's birthday, but we received official documentation from the Secretary of State of California that Charlie's Buddies has been officially stamped. What does this mean, you ask? Charlie's Buddies is now officially incorporated in the state of California. Our doors are open for business!!!

Our next step is to file the non-profit paperwork with the state. This will grant up tax-exempt status.

We are currently waiting official word from the California Secretary of State for confirmation on our application to be incorporated in California. This could take several weeks, but once done, will set Charlie's Buddies in motion (officially).

We would like to thank the family and friends of Stephanie Simons for not only their support of Charlie's Buddies, but also their kind words in memory of a girl that I'm sure is one of Charlie's buddies.

It is finally official...Charlie's Buddies has a tax ID number from the IRS. The ball has started rolling downhill with all the necessary paperwork (and there is a handfull). The incorporation paperwork should be filed shortly. My family has been very helpfull (with special thanks to Aunt Cindy Woodlief). Once this has been approved by the Secretary of State of California and the Franchise Tax Board, we are "IRS" official. That means our doors are officially open for service. We find this very exciting....