Cards for Hospitalized Kids (CFHK)

Jen Rubino’s inspiration for founding CFHK was her own hospitalization as a child and teen. She sometimes felt forgotten, depressed, lonely and isolated. During one difficult hospital stay, she received a handmade card from a hospital volunteer that brightened her day. “When I got the card, I felt I was not forgotten and people were thinking of me. That is what I want to do for other kids.” CFHK has delivered cards to more than five hundred thousand children. Justyna Griffin, activity and donations coordinator at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, captures the importance of these cards to parents as well: “I think that the notion of a complete stranger taking the time to create something beautiful to convey an uplifting message to them and their sick child really touches them. Through their beauty, through simple words and wishes, the cards give parents a sense of optimism and maybe even hope. It’s like they represent good energy of the universe that is being sent to their family in crisis. That matters and it helps.”