Thanks to Everyone for a Great Year At Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.

Well everybody, it is that time again, to reflect back on 2010 and be thankful it was a great year.  This past 365 days was amazing for Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. foundation.  Here is a list of some of the highlights:

• April 2010--Donated a helmet with the assistance of Orthomerica / STARband to a family in Pittsburgh, PA.  Christopher has since graduated from his STARband and the results were wonderful.
• June 2010--Donated a helmet with the assistance of Orthomerica / STARband to a family in South Carolina.  Adell has since graduated from her STARband and had amazing results.
• September 2010--Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. received our 501(c)3 status from the IRS.  We can now concentrate our efforts on fundraising efforts and donations.  Any donations made to Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. are now tax deductible.
• October 2010--Visited the STARband Summit in Orlando, FL.  Our family was invited to be a part of the Summit and Gary was a keynote speaker.  It was fantastic and it was nice to finally meet alot of the orthotists that we share common goals with.  Orthomerica was kind enough to provide DisneyWorld tickets for our family.  Thanks Blake and Valerie for everything.
• December 2010--Donated a helmet with the assistance of Orthomerica / STARband to a family in Idaho.  One of a set of twins, whom both needed helmets, was denied for insurance payment.  We ended off the year with a bang by assisting the family with a donation. 

We have recently begun a worldwide search for representatives of our organization.  The success and response has been great so far.  In 2011, we hope to continue to spread awareness and help families in need, any way that we can.

Thanks again to everyone, and please visit our webpage at www.alexandrasphate.org for more information.

Meet Bree and Zea our PHATE's Kids for November 2010

Hello Friends of Alexandra's PHATE. Meet Bree and Zea our PHATE's kids of the month for November 2010. Please keep the pictures coming for Decembers contest. You can send your pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org. Make the last month of the contest for 2010 our biggest ever.

Thanks,

Gary, Valerie and Alexandra

PHATE's Kid for October 2010

Hi Everybody, Meet Ryder, our PHATE's Kid of the Month for October 2010. Keep those pictures coming. It seems each month we get more than ever before. We look forward to posting all of your little ones on our website.

Send pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org

Visit http://www.alexandrasphate.org/ to see all of our kids.

Meet Justice, PHATEs kid of the Month for September 2010

Hi Everyone, Justice was chosen as our PHATEs kid for the month for September. We once again had more pictures submitted than any other month. Keep those pictures coming, and who knows, maybe next month your little one with be PHATEs kid of the month. Visit our site at http://www.alexandrasphate.org/ to see all of our amazing kids.

It's a PROUD day at Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.

Friends of Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.,

Today, September 16,2010, marks a milestone in our organization's brief history. Our application for 501(c)3 status has been approved by the IRS. We received word today that our tax-exempt status is retroactive to our date of application, January 19,2010. Wow, it took almost none months, but was worth every bit of the paperwork and time involved. If you have made a donation in the past or would like to in the future, your donation will be deductible on your taxes.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support and if you would like to make a donation please visit www.alexandrasphate.org/make_a_donation.html

Gary, Valerie and Alexandra Tate

Visit The RMU Crows at WalMart in North Fayette Today

Hi everybody. The Robert Morris chapter of Alpha Chi Rho will be accepting donations for Alexandras P.H.A.T.E. at the Wal Mart in North Fayette today from 9-5 pm. They will have signs, be passing out flyers and working to help the foundation. Please, if you can make it, just stop by, grab a flyer, say hello, and help anyway you can. We will be there over lunch to say hello and thank the guys for their support and assistance in creating awareness.

Thanks so much AXP,

Gary, Valerie and Alexandra Tate

Meet Cooper our PHATEs kid for August 2010

Howdy friends! Meet Cooper, he has been selected as our PHATEs kid for August 2010. Thanks for all of the entries, as once again we had more pictures submitted than ever before. Please send your pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org for our September contest. We appreciate everyones support and help in spreading awareness.

Visit our website today

Hi everybody. Thanks for your continued support. Please visit our improved website. We have made some changes to our message boards, blogs, kids gallery and much more. Be sure to check it out at www.alexandrasphate.org.

Thanks
Gary

Meet Stella, Our PHATE kid for July 2010

Meet Stella. She is our PHATE's Kid winner for the month of July 2010. Thanks so much to everyone for the cute pictures. We have posted them on our site for you to view. Please, if you would like to enter a photo into our August contest, send them to photos@alexandrasphate.org.

Thanks! =)

Please keep your pictures coming for the PHATEs Kids July Contest

Hi Everybody. Please keep your cute pictures coming for our July contest. We have already received more pictures this month than ever before, and there are two weeks left. Don't miss out. Submit your photos today at photos@alexandrasphate.org.

Visit our website at www.alexandrasphate.org for more information on Torticollis, Plagiocephaly and Cranial Remolding Orthosis.

Thanks

Picture contest for 7/2010 is off and running

MEET RYDER! We have already received half the pictures we did all last month and we are only one week in. Please send your new pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org. You can check out the gallery by clicking here http://www.alexandrasphate.org/phates_kids.html.

Family needs a helping hand

Please visit http://www.helpsavejacob.com/ to read a story about a family in need. Their son Jacob needs surgery for Craniosynostosis and will require a Cranial Remolding Orthosis after the story. If you can't help maybe you can spread the word to someone else.

Congratulations to Alex PHATE kid of the month June 2010

Meet Alex. He is our PHATE kid of the Month for June 2010. You can start sending your pictures for our July contest to photos@alexandrasphate.org. Also, if you would like to learn more about our foundation, please visit us at www.alexandrasphate.org.

Thanks and keep those pictures coming!

The kids photos are flying in this month! Meet Victoria!

We are easily going to get more pictures for our PHATEs kids June contest than any other to date. Please make this month a success by sending your pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org. If you would like to check our gallery you can click http://www.alexandrasphate.org/phates_kids.html

While you are on the site. Please visit PHATEs blog and become a follower. The more followers we get the better our SEO will be thanks. If you would just like to visit the blog click http://www.alexandrasphate.org/our_blogspot.html

Check out our Awesome PHATEs kids gallery

Check out our PHATEs kids gallery at http://www.alexandrasphate.org/phates_kids.html. If you would like to submit a photo for this months contest, email them too photos@alexandrasphate.org.

While you are on our site. Try to sign our guestbook, or visit our Family Forum, or check out our torticollis video. There is much to do and so much to learn.

Thanks!

Please send your pictures for PHATEs kids June contest

Meet Reagan our PHATEs kid winner for May 2010. Send your pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org for PHATEs kid contest for June. WE are getting quite a collection of pictures in our gallery. You can visit the site by clicking here.

Our Alexandra went to the Craniofacial Specialist on Monday

"Our baby is shy!" Sure she is?

Friends of Alexandra's PHATE. Just a quick update on our Alexandra. We had an appointment with a craniofacial specialist at Pittsburgh Childrens on Monday and all is well. She does have some minor facial assymetry, but the Dr. was very pleased with her progress, and did mention that the asymmetry may correct itself as she grows older. We can finally put this chapter of her early childhood behind us. Thanks for all of your well wishes. We certainly couldn't get through this with out the support.

Check out Adell's new blog about her STARband Journey

Meet Adell. She is the most recent recepient of a helmet donation from Alexandra's PHATE. Thanks to Blake at Orthomerica for his help and dedication to our cause. You can follow Adell's journey by visiting http://www.alexandrasphate.org/adells_journey.html

Best Wishes Adell!

Meet Reagan our May 2010 PHATE Kids Contest Winner

Meet Reagan. She was our PHATE kids contest winner for May. Please send your pictures for June's contest to photos@alexandrasphate.org. We look forward to picking another winner this month.

Here is a great new article about Torticollis and Plagiocephaly

Check out this article written about Sydney in NY newspaper about Plagiocephaly and Torticollis. What a great way to get the word out about these conditions. Thanks Alyssa.

http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/559512.html

Special Thanks to Orthomerica, Inc and Orthopedic Services Inc. from Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.

A special thanks today to Blake at Orthomerica, Inc. and Angel at Orthopedic Services. With their help and kindness, Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. was able to donate a Cranial Remolding Orthosis to little Adell. We will continue to spread awareness regarding Plagiocephaly and Torticollis, so less families will be affected by these conditions. If you or someone you know has been affected by torticollis ,plagiocephaly, or you have questions about these conditions, please visit us at www.alexandrasphate.org

There is a baby-boom going on with our Facebook Friends!

Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. would like to say a special congratulations to some very recently new moms and dads. Congratulations to:

• Susan and Andy--Son Milo Joseph Parks Cohen--born 5/21 (8 lbs. 1 oz. 19 inches)
• Kim and Lance--Daughter Reese Ann Yoezle--born 5/19 (7lbs. 4 oz. 20 inches.)
• Stephanie and John--Daughter Lauren Marie Rozman--born 5/10
• Jen and Vince--Daughter Dalaney Marie Sylvester--born 5/24 (6 lbs. 5 oz. 19.5 inches)

Congratulations again. The fun is just beginning. Be sure to watch you children closely. They may be trying to tell you something. View our video about a condition rarely recognized early by new parents or peditricians called torticollis by clicking here.

Best of luck to all of you. Lord knows, Alexandra was the absolute best thing that has every happened in our lives.

Get your pictures in for May's PHATE kid of the month Contest

Meet Angelo. He was a winner of our monthly contest a couple months back. Send in your pictures today. May is almost over and our contest is still running strong. We have a bunch of pictures to vote on, but we still need more. Please send your pictures of your little one in his/her helmet to photos@alexandrasphate.org. we will put them on the site and vote on the winner the first week of June.

Sign The Plagiocephaly Petition

Awareness and Education are the key to helping families recognize plagiocephaly early. If you do not know what signs to look for, how will you ever know. This petition is to have medical professionals look for signs of plagio earlier in the babies lives. Please sign it and pass it along to as many others as you can.

http://www.petitiononline.com/0799/petition.html

Thanks,

Alexandra's PHATE

Creeping up on 500 fans on Facebook

Hi friends. Please be sure to tell everyone you know to become a fan of Alexandras PHATE on facebook. We are only 8 short of 500 today. Babies are born everyday in this great country of ours, and you never know when someone you know may need information about these conditions. Right now the numbers are becoming more and more staggering of babies affected by these conditions. So, tell your friends on facebook to:

1. Go to Facebook
2. Search Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.
3. Click like

or visit our website at www.alexandrasphate.org and click "LIKE" in the top right corner.

What a great site for Torticollis information!

Hi Friends. We just found a great site for torticollis information. You can visit it by clicking HERE. By checking it out, you can meet Deanna, she has had torticollis all of her life and has an amazing story to tell. Great Job Deanna!

Cease and desist!!

Why would a multi-million (MAYBE BILLION) dollar corporation care if little Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. has "their?" letters on our website? We were given permission to use them by the site they are on. Are we that threatening? Seriously, Aren't we all in this for the same reason-TO GET CHILDREN WITH PLAGIOCEPHALY THE HELMET THERAPY THEY NEED AND RAISE AWARENESS? Or is it about the all mighty dollar? Hmmmmmm. I wonder what MR. BIGS answer to that question is? I certainly know mine.

New Family Forum opened today at Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.

Hello friends. We have opened a new message board on our website. There you can find out even more information about Plagiocephaly, Torticollis and Cranial Remolding Orthosis. You can also, ask questions, interact with other members of the community, and keep up to date on all the goings on. Please visit our new forum and register by clicking HERE.

**When you complete your registration you have to hit the speaker button at the bottom that says "switch to audio puzzle". It will read you a saying that you have to type in to verify that you are not a bot! System will then send you a verification code to your email. It's quite simple, but that have to protect against the bots nowadays!

Actual South Hills Record Article (Page 1)

You can read the article about Alexandra's PHATE by visiting www.yoursouthhills.com. Thanks to Laura at the South Hills Record for taking the initiative to follow our story. Hopefully it will bring more awareness to the severity of Plagiocephaly and Torticollis.

Check out our article in the South Hills Record!

Hey Blogging friends! Our article was released yesterday in the South Hills Record. You can view the article by clicking the following link. http://www.yoursouthhills.com/southhillsrecord/article/local-family-finds-support-after-learning-about-rare-condition

Thanks so much for helping us raise awareness for plagiocephaly and torticollis.

Our Article will be in South Hills Record Tomorrow!

Hello friends. For those of you interested, the article about Alexandra's PHATE and Christopher's story will be printed in the Thursday edition of the South Hills Record this week. Check it out. I will more than likely post it here anyways, but just wanted to let everyone know. Thanks for increasing the awareness!

Positional Plagiocephaly Video

Click here to check out a great new Plagiocephaly video by a Dr. from Miami Children's hospital. It explains alot about the differences in skull shapes.

Hi Facebook Friends!

Hey Everyone. We are slowly approaching 500 FAns on our Alexandras PHATE facebook page. Help us get there by telling all of your friends to check it out. You never know when a friend of a friend of a friend might need information regarding Torticollis, Plagiocephaly or Cranial Remolding Orthosis. www.alexandrasphate.org

Meet Lily our April 2010 PHATE kid of the month winner

Thanks everyone for sending in your pictures. We will be having another contest in May. You can start sending your pictures today to photos@alexandrasphate.org for that contest. www.alexandrasphate.org

We have an interview with the South Hills Record Today!

The South Hills Record of Pittsburgh, PA is going to write a story regarding Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E.. We have our interview today to give the writer all of the information. As you may already know, we recently donated a helmet to a local family, and the SHR was kind enough to pick up the story. This could be the start of something big. Check out our site at www.alexandrasphate.org for more information.

Christopher's STARband Journey

Hello Friends. I received some emails yesterday that the link to Christopher's Blog was not working. I have checked it and checked it again. It seems to be okay now. You can click the link to get there. http://www.alexandrasphate.org/christophers_journey.html

Thanks!

Meet Christopher! Our newest STARband Kid!

Hello. Meet Christopher. He is our newest STARband kid. Our foundation was able to donate a helmet to Christopher's family with the help of Orthomerica. We are so glad that we could provide assistance. For more information on Christopher and his journey visit his blog, on our website, here .

www.alexandrasphate.org

ONly 4 days left to submit your pictures for April

Hey everyone. There are only four days left to submit your photos for our kid of the month club for April 2010. Send your photos to gary@alexandrasphate.org or go to www.alexandrasphate.org to submit them there.

Thanks.

Christopher gets his new STARband today.

Check our website at www.alexandrasphate.org for updates on Christopher's Journey with his new STARband. He received it this morning and we hope to keep you informed regarding how the progress is going.

Thanks!

Only one week to send your pictures for our kid of the month club!

Hey folks. Only one week left to send your pictures of your little on in his /her CRO for our April photo contest. Check it out and we will post the winner on 5/3. Good luck. Send your pictures to photos@alexandrasphate.org if you'd like. Thanks

Christopher's STARband Journey

Good Day! As you may already know, AlexandrasPHATE, recently donated a STARband CRO to a local family. It looks as though Monday 4/26 is the day for the initial visit and the first time that Christopher will wear his STARband. His family is going to allow you to follow their journey by blogging on our website, www.AlexandrasPHATE.org. There you can get updates on progress, correction, and just plane ole' feelings that are happening as the remolding process is going on. If you have any questions or need any more information, feel free to contact the family by clicking here.

We look forward to any feedback you may have regarding this real-time journey with the Christopher and his STARband Cranial Remolding Orthosis. You can reach AlexandrasPHATE at contactus@alexandrasphate.org.

Alexandra has GRADUATED from her STARband!!

Well, for those of you that have been following Alexandra's Story, she has officially GRADUATED from her STARband today. We met with the Orthotist and we mutually agreed that it did its job on Alexandras Plagiio correction. Thanks to everyone that has been supportive during this time. We will continue to do our best to assist families affected by Torticollis Plagiocephaly and CROs through our foundation www.alexandrasphate.org. Many Thanks again!!

Misshapen heads worry mothers of infants - CharlotteObserver.com

Misshapen heads worry mothers of infants - CharlotteObserver.com

Hey Friends,

Check out this great story about loving mothers being worried about their childs head shapes. It is true to life and if you don't know, you wont know.

We are going to the Orthomerica Summit. How exciting.

We have been invited to the Orthomerica Summit and are excited to attend. Hopefully we will be able to spread the word about www.alexandrasphate.org and STARband. Togther we can assist families affected by Torticollis, Plagiocephaly and Cranial Remolding Orthoses.

Alexandras PHATE donates helmet to Pittsburgh Family

Well friends! We've done it. Alexandras PHATE has officially donated a Cranial Remolding Orthosis to a family in the Pittsburgh Area. No better feeling than when you can help someone close to home. Thanks to Orthomerica and Union O and P for your kindness and caring. We couldn't have done it without your support. Our new family will have a daily blog on our website so that you can follow Christophers Journey with his CRO. Check us out at www.alexandrasphate.org for more information. =)

What a great Day!!

Here is our new flyer for the foundation. This is a rough draft, but you get the idea. We will be taking these to local orthotists, peditricians, neurosurgeons and giving them to families.

If you need anymore information, please visit our website at www.alexandrasphate.org

Thanks!

Are infants with Flat-Heads on the rise?

Check out a great article from March 2010 on Plagiocephaly by clicking here. It is unbelievable how common this condition is becoming. Lets get the word out to our peditricians and doctors.

Our Cranial Remolding Orthosis is almost behind us!

Dear Friends,

It appears that we are almost to the end of our CRO program. Our orthotist said that we are week to week now and it won't be much longer. It started way back on Halloween 2009, and seems like forever since we could hold our baby close. Soon (within a couple of weeks), we will be able to store our helmet away forever. Then it will be our job to continue to assist families who need help regarding Plagiocephaly, Torticollis and CRO. Visit www.AlexandrasPHATE.org for more information.

Alexandra's PHATE kids of the month March 2010

Well everybody. We were unable to pick just one PHATEs kid of the month for March. It was too close a race so for 3/2010 we have co-winners. Congratulations to Angelo and Lucy. Thanks for all of the pictures! Submit your pictures beginning today for April's contest. photos@alexandrasphate.org

Josiah's Cranial Remolding Orthosis

Thank you for putting together Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E website, and posting so much helpful information!

I did not know which picture to send, so I am sending several. He started wearing the STARband at 9 months, and is now 11 months old. He was borderline, and we hope that he only needs it for four months - until end of May. He had a terrible time sleeping with it the first ten days, but now seems to ignore it most of the time.

Thank you, Corrie

Lucy's new STARband

This is Lucy. She just got it about 3 weeks ago and doing wonderful with it. Lucy never cries when we take it off and on. I think ur little one has the same helmet as her.

Brayden's STARband

Hi guys,

I wanted to let you know that you have done a great job on the website! I can relate 100%! The only downfall was that my son went through 3 CRO's. He kept getting angry, raw, oozing red spots on his pressure points. They ordered a new one, thinking the original had been cut too much too soon. The second did the same. They finally realized that my son was allergic to the foam, and ordered the third one which we had no problems with! The picture I'm attaching was taken April of 2009. My son's name is Brayden, and he was about 9 months. We were camping, and took the boat out. Brayden LOVED being on the boat! Kids with CRO's can still have the same fun; there's nothing "wrong with them", as many people think, and are sometimes rude enough to ask! Oh! We are from Texas!

Thanks,

Rebecca

Lucias new STARband!

Hi all,

My little girl Lucia just got her starband about 2 weeks ago for brachycephaly - she had a hard time getting used to it but i think she's finally adjusted. Here are a few pictures of her with her starband, we decorated it with rub on stickers so that it could look more girly! We went on a picnic recently and there were lots of stares but for the most part people were smily, although unfortunately, there were people that were whispering and looking at her funny. One person even laughed at her, i didnt even know how to respond to that. My husband and I think she looks adorable!

Best of luck to everyone going through this, we love your support group! Its encouraging to see that other families are going through this and have this group as a resource.

thanks,

Patty

We have added some new appeal letters

We have added some new appeal letters to the "Insurance Help" section of our website. You can get to that link by clicking here. If you scroll to the bottom. We have some sample letters there. If you have one that you would like to share, please email it to contactus@alexandrasphate.org. We will remove all of your personal information. IT is the template of the letter and the verbage that we need to help families in need. Thx.

I just absolutely loved my first cake at my Birthday Party. Yummmmy!

Happy Birthday to Alexandra!

What a great weekend. Alexandra turned one-year old on Saturday 3/20/2010 and our beloved Buckeyes won their NCAA tournament game. On to the sweet 16. I can't believe that our baby is one year old already. How time flies!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE

FROM ALEXANDRASPHATE

Family in UK in need of assistance!!

Hello friends, we have been trying to provide assistance to a family in the UK with some Cranial Remolding Orthosis issues. The are in need of our help to come up with the 2000 pounds (3041 USD) necessary to get their 11 month old son a helmet. If you would like to make a small donation, please visit us at HERE to make a donation and we will pass it along to them.

Also, As you know March Madness is upon us. We are very, very excited about the upcoming tournament. Our favorite team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, have received a 2-seed, but have a very, very tough road to the trophy. GO BUCKS!!

Our business cards are here! Our business cards are here!

Hey all! Our business cards arrived today. We are picking them up and will be able to send them out to whomever may need some. Thanks to Stephanie at SPImage experts for the donation of our first 250 cards. She does great work! If you would like to visit her website for your business card needs please click HERE.

Thanks Again Steph!

What is plagiocephaly? Definition please!

You can get several definitions of the term "plagiocephaly" by clicking HERE. It is weird that there are so many different ones, but they all have to do with the same condition. If you would like more information about plagiocephaly, please visit our website at www.alexandrasphate.org.

PHATEs kid of the month

Please send us your childs picture with his/her cranial remolding orthosis. We will be selecting a child each month to be our PHATEs kid! Don't miss out. We will be posting the photos on our site in the kids gallery. Please send to photos@alexandrasphate.org

Alexandra's P.H.A.T.E. Torticollis at OneTrueMedia.com

This is our new Torticollis video. Check it out to see what signs to look for. Also, for more information, check out our website at www.alexandrasphate.org.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our new business card format

Hey all. Thanks for visiting our blog. We just finished our new business cards today and sent them to the printer for approval. We will be sending these to orthotists all over the country. Please let us know if you need any and we will be happy to get them out to you. Visit us at www.alexandrasphate.org to find out more.