RE/MAX marked Giving Tuesday by launching its Miracle Mask charitable effort to help raise money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. The campaign began with a mask design contest among children served by the network and their siblings. Three designs were chosen from a field of 30 based on the results from more than 15,000 votes cast via RE/MAX’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Packages of three masks featuring the selected designs will be available throughout the campaign on the BlinkSwag website. Each pack of masks costs $30, with $15 going to the buyer’s local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) hospital.
The three designs are by Ashton Zari, age 10, who receives treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH; his sister Addison, age 7; and Sophia Erickson, whose brother, Matthew, was treated for brain cancer at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL.
Addison Zari’s design includes flowers and the phrase “Dream Big.” Ashton Zari’s mask features a dinosaur and the message to “Be a Kind-A-Saurus.” Sophia Erickson’s design received the most votes. It references the CMN logo and includes the word “Hope.”
“I drew the CMN Hospitals logo and the word hope because CMN Hospitals gives so much hope to our family and many other families,” Erickson said. “When my mom tells my brother’s story, she mentions hope a lot. And now with coronavirus going on, everybody needs a little bit of hope right about now.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit fundraising for the 170 CMN hospitals hard. A Q2 survey found hospitals experiencing an average of $67 million in lost revenue. Additionally, 67% of hospitals indicated they would not be able meet their needs in 2021 without receiving more donations.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, hospital donations have decreased at a time when costs are increasing and the need for care is greater than ever,” said RE/MAX senior social media manager Kayla Roofe, who helped organize the Miracle Mask campaign. “Our hope is that funds raised through the Miracle Mask campaign will help fill this critical gap.”
The Miracle Mask campaign is the beginning of a season of charitable efforts by RE/MAX to help CMN hospitals. Other planned fundraisers include an ongoing virtual auction through Dec. 10 featuring luxury items such as a Ferragamo Italian leather handbag, as well as virtual toy drives by RE/MAX affiliates across the country to help young patients fight isolation and experience joy this holiday season.
RE/MAX has been a CMN hospitals sponsor since 1992 through efforts such as the RE/MAX Miracle Home Program. Since the partnership’s inception, RE/MAX has donated more than $160 million to CMN hospitals.