Angels for Hearts

Angels for Hearts was founded by the Kaufman family in August of 2008. As a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit, the organization's mission is to bring normalcy to pediatric heart patients ages newborn to 18 years old while in the hospital and during their recovery. Angels for Hearts strives to remind people that heart kids are first and foremost, kids, before they are heart patients. You can learn Kim Kaufman's story here: angelsforhearts.org/about-us.

Angels for Hearts' initial focus was the Christmas holiday. Working with Child Life Specialists in the pediatric cardiac units of local hospitals, heart kids in the hospital get to experience the simple joy of waking up on Christmas morning to find that Santa found them, even in the hospital, and made their wishes come true.

The second phase launched in August 2009 with "When Grow Up…". This interactive party brings grownups from wide-ranging professions (e.g. Olympic athlete, chef, and scientist) to spark the children's imaginations about who they'd like to be when they grow up. The bi-annual event is a day for families to enjoy being together and meeting other heart families.

The "Heart Kids Rock" dinner and dance party launched in 2012 for heart kids and their families to celebrate Heart Awareness Month, Congenital Heart Defect Month and Valentine's Day.

The latest addition to the events calendar kicked off in February 2014 with the "I ♥ Golf" program. Golf is recommended for heart kids as a safe sport by pediatric cardiologists. For many heart kids, it is the first sport they have ever played. "I ♥ Golf" is a series of five golf clinics from February to June, hosted in partnership with The Northern California Institute of Golf, Morton Golf, and The Morton Golf Foundation. With the success and support from the golf community in Sacramento, it has become an annual event giving heart kids the opportunity to learn and grow the game of golf.

Angels for Hearts signature program is "Wishes, Wants & Needs" which provides Child Life Specialists with gift cards to be used at their discretion for anything pediatric heart patients may wish, want or need while in the hospital. Our ability to provide these items helps relieve parental stress and aids in the child's recovery.

The organization also provides periodic pizza parties, donates specialty items (music therapy instruments, and race car wheelchairs) and continually looks for ways to bring normalcy to heart families in the community.

Angels for Hearts funding comes from personal contacts, family, friends, corporations, small businesses, and organizations in the community. Since 2006, Angels for Hearts has provided gifts and donations totaling $700,000 to the pediatric heart patients at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford (Palo Alto, CA), UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco (San Francisco, CA), Sutter Children’s Medical Center, Sacramento (Sacramento, CA) and, UC Davis Children’s Hospital (Sacramento, CA). 

Photos: Updated June 2022

Photos: On the golf course these kids are golfers not heart kids and their siblings. They are golfers! 

Far Left: Hana 7, Heart Transplant at the age of 9months. She loves playing golf with her sister Corrina who has a healthy heart. Hana just finished 1st grade and is looking forward to lots of golf this summer with her mom and sister.

Middle: Brand new family this season to IHG, their oldest son age 12 newly diagnosed with a heart condition. His siblings are playing with him. His parents never thought he would play a sport. 

Far Right: Our own Curt Kaufman setting up clubs for the heart kids. They each get a new set when they start and as they continue to play they are able to turn their set back in as they grow taller so they have the right size clubs until they reach their adult size.