CHICAGO, IL – Cards for Hospitalized Kids (CFHK), an internationally recognized charitable organization based in Chicago that distributes uplifting, handmade cards to Children’s Hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses (RMH) across the United States, recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary as a national charity and distribution of over 500,000 cards. The gymnastics community has been particularly involved with CFHK since its inception—from individual gymnastics clubs across the US making cards to collegiate teams, national team members, and Olympians getting involved.
CFHK is celebrating 10 years of the gymnastics community’s amazing involvement, which continues to expand.
CFHK began as a small, local organization in Chicago, Illinois in 2011 but grew into a charity that ultimately expanded throughout Illinois before going national in 2013. Founder Jen Rubino’s own experiences as a “hospitalized kid”, undergoing 20+ surgeries, inspired her to found CFHK to help kids. She was only 16 years-old when she started CFHK and worked to build CFHK from the ground up into the national charity it is today.
A former gymnast herself, Rubino sought to involve the gymnastics community in CFHK from the beginning by reaching out to gymnastics clubs, national team members, and more. The gymnastics community quickly rallied behind CFHK. Within the first few years, several individual gyms began hosting card-making events, and several national team members and Olympians also got involved, spreading smiles to hundreds of hospitalized kids around the US.
“We are so thankful for the gymnastics community’s continued involvement in CFHK,” says founder Jen Rubino. “It’s great to see individual gyms, college teams, and Olympians come together under this common cause of helping spread smiles and encouragement to sick kids.”
Using CFHK’s guidelines, individual gymnastics clubs—such as Columbia Gymnastics and Air Bound Gymnastics—donate their time and creativity to make handmade cards and send them to CFHK for distribution in hospitals. Gyms often host team card-making events where the gymnasts can get creative together and realize their capacity to make a difference.
Collegiate teams, such as the UCLA Gymnastics Team, have gotten involved with CFHK by donating cards and/or autographs for CFHK to distribute.
In 2023, several collegiate teams have been involved with CFHK including the University of Florida Women’s Gymnastics Team, the University of Georgia Women’s Gymnastics Team, the Southern Connecticut State Women’s Gymnastics Team, the George Washington University Women’s Gymnastics Team, and others.
This Spring, GW Women’s Gymnastics team partnered with CFHK to host a card-making table at each home meet during the Spring 2023 season. This provided the opportunity for fans, students, families, and kids to make a card for CFHK as they entered the meet, resulting in over 500 cards. The team plans to host the same table at meets next season.
Elite and Olympic gymnasts, such as Jake Dalton, Aly Raisman, Chellsie Memmel, Jordyn Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Dominique Moceanu, Shannon Miller, and more, have continued involvement by donating autographs for CFHK to distribute to kids with their cards. These autographs have provided smiles and encouragement to hospitalized kids all over the US. Recently, World Champion Maggie Nichols and 2020 Olympian Jordan Chiles have gotten involved with CFHK as well.
Over the next few years, CFHK plans to continue to expand to more hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses. Founder Jen Rubino also looks forward to continuing outreach to the gymnastics community to continue, and expand, involvement.
Individuals or organizations wishing to get involved can visit www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com.
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