Annual Newsletter

2015 Annual Newsletter
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A Message From
The Laymans
“Who would have ever thought? We find ourselves
saying this often. After 7½ years, we continually
are amazed, overwhelmed, humbled and blessed
at the success and impact of Kate’s Kart. What we
really felt would be a short-term project has
blossomed into an amazing legacy. The stories
we hear from families who have received books,
the donations received from individuals, groups
and organizations, and the hundreds of volunteers
who help us purchase, sort, sticker and distribute
the books offer a tremendous source of healing.
There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t miss
our little girl...but knowing that thousands of kids
and families are smiling because of our little girl is
heart warming. It’s amazing what the gifting of a
book in a scary situation can do for kids and their
families. Thank you to everyone who has played
any part in the success of our “little” project. It’s so
exciting to see where each year takes us. 2015
was AMAZING…what will 2016 bring? We can’t
wait!!”
Andy, Krista, Seth & Grant
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Watch Us Grow!
We are handing out more and more books each
and every month! In August and September of this
year, we saw our highest levels yet with 2,216 and
2,282 respectively. Not only are we increasing our
distribution in the hospitals we already service, but
we are preparing to add a new hospital in the next
few months! Thank you to everyone who has
supported our mission!
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Spread The Word
If you belong to a group or organization and would
like to learn more about the story behind Kate's
Kart, as well as how you can provide support, you
can request a free presentation to your group by
our co-founder Krista Layman. Our office is also
available for field trips!
Our Newest Addition!
Ways To Help
Donations
We are constantly in need of donations, including
new, current books, book store gift cards and
monetary contributions to help supplement the
purchase of books. The most beneficial gift is cash
since we can purchase more books for less money
direct from the distributor, or by buying in bulk.
Kate’s Kart would like to extend a huge thank you to
Parkview Health and Glenbrook Dodge for donating
our brand new delivery van! This van will make
delivering thousands of books each month to area
hospitals so much easier. If you see us out and
about in Northeast Indiana, please give us a honk!
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Our Needs
Since its inception in 2008, Kate’s Kart has given
away well over 100,000 brand new books
through our 16 hospital partners. While the average
cost per child is less than $7.00, due to the volume
of books we distribute each month, the cost of this
positive impact to thousands of local families runs
between $12,000 and $15,000 per month.
The purchase of brand new, current books is only
a portion of our monthly expenses. Our funds also
cover insurance, our office/storage space rent and
utilities, printing of marketing materials, new kart
expenses and payroll for a full-time director and
part-time marketing assistant.
As each new hospital is added and demand for our
service increases throughout our area, we must
be able to keep up financially so the quality of our
work does not suffer. Our ultimate goal is to brighten
the day of every family who receives a book from
Kate’s Kart. Please consider supporting Kate’s
Kart with a monthly or one-time financial gift.
Please visit KatesKart.org to see our current Wish
List, or to make a donation online. We accept cash,
checks & credit cards. REMEMBER: Kate's Kart,
Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity and all
donations are tax deductible.
Shop At Kroger or Scotts
If you already shop at Kroger or Scotts, then supporting Kate’s Kart is easy! Simply link your Kroger
Shopping Card to Kate’s Kart (following the simple
instructions on our website or at kroger.com/
communityrewards), and a portion of your
purchase will be donated directly to us! In 6 months,
we have already received over $1,200 that goes
directly toward the purchase of new books.
Shop At Amazon
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for
you to support Kate’s Kart every time you shop, at
no cost to you. When you shop at
smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low
prices, vast selection and convenient shopping
experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus
that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase
price to Kate’s Kart. If you already have an Amazon
account, your user name and password are the
same! Simply following the instructions on our
website for more information.
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2015 In Review
Upcoming Events
Contact Us
2015 has been another banner year for Kate’s
Kart! We handed out our ceremonial 100,000th
book to a hospitalized child on May 21st. The
deserving recipient was Dylan, who is a recurring
patient at Lurtheran Hospital. YoYo’s also helped
us out by donating 10% of their sales that day!
Mailing Address:
10376 Leo Rd., Ste. A
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
WoWo Penny Pitch
Kate’s Kart is thrilled to have been selected as one
of four beneficiaries for this year’s WOWO Penny
Pitch. Plans for Penny Pitch fundraisers include a
Fort Wayne Komets night on November 20th, gas
pumping at Phil’s One Stop on December 4th, and
a radio-a-thon on December 10th and 11th. Please
visit our website for more information.
Office Hours:
Monday - Thursday
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Or by appointment.
Phone: (260) 413-4089
Email: [email protected]
Website: KatesKart.org
Facebook: Kate's Kart, Inc.
We held our 7th Annual Free Ice Cream Social
on June 20. This year’s event was moved to a
new location at Riverside Gardens in Leo. The
weather was perfect and record numbers of
attendees, sponsors and donations were reported.
This year’s event included family-friendly
entertainment, kiddie games, inflatables, a petting
zoo, and a visit from the fire department. Beginning
in 2016, the ice cream social will be our primary
fundraising event of the year, and even more
entertainment and activities are already being
planned. If you have any suggestions of things to
add, please shoot us an email. Mark your calendars
for Saturday, June 18, 2016!
Twitter: @KatesKart
Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive
We are excited that Barnes & Noble has again
selected Kate’s Kart as their charity for the 2015
holiday book drive. Please stop by either Barnes
& Noble store (Glenbrook Mall or Jefferson Point)
between November 1 st and January 1st and
purchase a book to donate. Help us reach our
goal of 5,000 books this year!
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In addition, on December 11th, do your Christmas
shopping at any B&N store or online and Kate’s
Kart will receive a percentage of your purchase.
Enter code 11673837 online at checkout, or give
this code to the cashier at the store. It costs you
nothing!
“There is no foot too small
that it cannot leave
an imprint on this world.”
- Anonymous
Testimonials
“Wild About Books” was the theme of our float in
this year’s Three Rivers Festival Parade in July.
For the third year in a row, we won a Mayor’s
Award, this year for Most Original. We had over
35 Kate’s Kart volunteers walk with our float passing
out bookmarks and candy to the spectators. It was
a truly wonderful day and the exposure that we
received was priceless.
Our year is wrapping up with a Kate’s Kart “Warm
Winter Wishes” Christmas tree displayed at the
Historic Embassy Theatre’s Annual Festival of
Trees. This year’s tree is sponsored by Lowes
and will be donated to a local organization after the
festival is over. Please visit the Embassy between
November 25th and December 2nd to see our tree!
“My 9 year old son, Aiden, just had a 3 day hospital stay for a 72 hour EEG.
He wasn’t allowed to leave his room, or really his bed. He couldn’t watch
TV or play video games. It was a very long 72 hours for him. He was
visited twice by Kate’s Kart, and it was the highlight of his visit. It really
made him feel special and helped him pass those long hours. Thanks
Kate’s Kart!” - Valaurie E.
“As a NICU volunteer at Parkview, I would read to the babies the books
they received from KK. Some of these tiny patients had no one able to
stay with them, so the time I spent with them reading books was
their only non-clinical contact. I’m certain this time with them was so
important in their journey. I also had a granddaughter who spent 129 days in this NICU and read to her
all the time. Today at age 4 she still loves to have us read her KK books to her.” - Sandy C.
“I was a first time mom with a preemie sent to Parkview North from Parkview Huntington. I was apart
from him for a day, and wasn’t able to hold him for 5 days. You guys came by with a cart of
books...which to me brought a huge sign of hope that in the near future we’d have a sense of
normalcy. Until I could hold him, I held that book and read to him
over and over. I’m still so appreciative of that small gesture that made
such a huge impact. In such a gloomy, scary time for this first time
mom, Kate’s Kart was a ray of sunshine for our new family.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!” - Danielle R.
Please visit KatesKart.org often to read more touching stories and
testimonials.