Our Mission
At Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Foundation, our mission is to support Connecticut Children’s. By bringing together patient families, donors, community members, philanthropic partners and others to raise the financial resources needed to invest in people, research, technology and state-of-the-art equipment, we can support Connecticut Children’s in providing the care our children need and deserve.
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OUR IMPACT
114,000+ Children
114,000+
Each year, more than 114,000 children receive care made possible by contributions to the Greatest Need Children's Fund.
Annual Pediatric Transports
532
Patients in need of critical-care were transported to Connecticut Children's from regional hospitals. Of that, more than 300 were NICU babies.
ED Visits
59,485
Patient visits to the emergency department, which equate to 164 per day. No one is turned away due to an inability to pay.
Upcoming Event w/Image
Upcoming Events
Experience the virtual THRILL!
Lace up for Connecticut Children’s largest 5K road race event – this time at your pace, your place. The 11th Annual Road Race, walk and Kids’ K will be virtual this year! All registered participants will receive a long-sleeve t-shirt and bib, and the first 500 registrants will receive a Connecticut Children’s face mask. You’ll have so much fun while supporting vital cancer research and family support at Connecticut Children’s, giving kids and families hope!
Why not set up a fundraising team?
Jamie Knotts lost her battle with a rare liver cancer at 5 1/2 months old in 2010. This race not only honors Jamie, but also the doctors, nurses and staff at Connecticut Children’s who are living angels to the children and families who are currently struggling with cancer and blood disorders.
Your participation will ensure a brighter future for children all over Connecticut, who come to Connecticut Children’s for state-of-the-art care. The race for a cure for many forms of cancer and blood disorders continues. The proceeds equally support the Cancer Clinical Trials Program, which helps to offer the latest advancements in treatment, and the Family Assistance Fund, because the last thing a parent needs to worry about when their child is diagnosed with cancer is how to pay the bills.
Honoring Jamie’s Memory
Jamie Knotts was only 5 months old when she passed away from a rare liver cancer. Over the past ten years, Jamie’s Run has raised more than $475,000 for Cancer Clinical Trials and Family Support Programs at Connecticut Children’s in her name.
Your participation supports leading-edge cancer research, providing essential resources necessary to find a cure. Beyond the medicine, emotional and financial assistance is crucial to families fighting this disease. The diagnosis of a child with cancer is devastating. Until a cure is found, the mission of Jamie’s Run is to care for the whole family as they move through treatment and beyond.
Individual and team fundraising is available at jamiesrun.org.
Extra Life is a year-round fundraising initiative that culminates in a 24-hour gaming challenge, where participants can play from the comfort of their own homes while supporting their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Last year, Extra Life raised more than $72,000 for Connecticut Children’s.
The concept of Extra Life is that people pledge their support to the gamers who play any games they wish for an allotted amount of time. Gamers can participate in video, tabletop, lawn, fantasy and other games. To encourage the most possible participation, the Extra Life program welcomes you to participate any day of the year for any amount of time, in order to raise funds to support Connecticut Children’s.
Fundraising begins on January 1, 2020 and ends on December 31, 2020.
Registration Types
Extra Life Classic Participant
Signing up for Extra Life as a Classic Participant is completely free and still lets you unlock digital incentives from our community partners.
Extra Life Platinum Participant
Platinum Participants pay $19 USD but can unlock platinum-only fundraising power ups like stickers, t-shirts & medals!
Join our Extra Life Facebook group to receive notifications about special upcoming gaming days! To get involved or request more information on this year’s Extra Life activities for Connecticut Children’s please email Jessica Swirson or call 860-837-5274.
Fun & Games for All Ages . . . a Father’s Way of Giving Back
When it comes to playing games for charity, Albert Dzurka of Fairfield is a pro. An Information Technology professional on Wall Street, Dzurka, 43, is also a broadcaster, podcaster and gaming enthusiast who heads the Extra Life Team known as “The Player’s Club.” Members of his team raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, of which Connecticut Children’s is his hospital of choice.
“Connecticut Children’s has done so much for me and my family,” said Dzurka, a father of three whose first encounter with the Medical Center was eight years ago when his son, Dylan, was 15 and was taken there by ambulance following a downhill razor-scooter accident.
Putting the “Extra” into Extra Life
It was 2014, and Russell Elfont was in eighth grade at the Wooster School in Danbury when he first heard about the Extra Life program, in which participants play games of all kinds to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals—in Russell’s case, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
“It started when my mom told me about it, and I didn’t believe her,” Russell says. “I said, ‘This isn’t a real thing, is it?’ Then I went and looked at the website, and I said, ‘Oh my God; this is actually a thing!’” For many Extra Life groups around the country, the fundraising culminates in a 24-hour gaming marathon in November, and it was this that so surprised Russell.
Extra Life Gamers Play So Others Can Win
“This must be the easiest fundraising plan in the world; you don’t even have to get up off the couch if you don’t want to,” says Tracy Degrazia. She’s talking about the Extra Life program, in which gamers — people who play video games, board games, phone games, card games and other forms of competitive play — use their passion to raise money for children’s hospitals.
Not that Tracy would know much about staying on the couch. Together with Tim Vincens and Harrison Guzman, she is part of the Extra Life Hartford Guild. The Guild’s purpose is to promote the program in the gaming community, to be cheerleaders and recruit new participants. And Tim, Harrison and Tracy have done that in spades.
Check out who is gaming!
Extra Life unites thousands of gamers around the world to play games in support of their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Since its inception in 2008, Extra Life has raised more than $30 million for sick and injured kids. Sign up today and dedicate a day of play for kids in your community!
Attention Flappers and Fellas!
Connecticut Children’s Gala is going virtual! With technology at our fingertips, we will deliver an unforgettable evening featuring inspirational stories, celebrity entertainment, unique auction packages, prize drawings and awards for best dressed. Put on your glad rags, pop a bottle of champagne and join us from the comfort of your own home, as we pay homage to one of the most exciting times in American history—the Roaring ’20s.
If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to get involved, please contact Bree Pelczar at 860-837-5713 or events@connecticutchildrens.org.
Calling all Schools and Businesses!
Give $1 – Wear your PJs – Support Kids with Cancer
PJ Day for the Kids kicks off its 10th anniversary with a mission to not only raise money, but to honor the brave kids fighting cancer at Connecticut Children’s. Join us as students and businesses across Connecticut wear their PJs for the kids. Coordinate a PJ Day for your school or business now by clicking here.
Since 2011, thousands of children in Connecticut have worn their PJs to school and, simultaneously, have raised more than $1,000,000 in support of kids at Connecticut Children’s. Each year, PJ Day has inspired more and more schools and businesses across the state of Connecticut to participate. Won’t you join them?
Help Kids Like Emily
Facing an extraordinary medical challenge.
For our daughter Em, feeding issues and limited language were a daily struggle. We had so many questions about her future, with no real answers. But when we met speech language pathologist, Kelly Mabry, PhD, at Connecticut Children’s, everything changed for our family.