5th Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive

Hi Everyone! Once again it's that time... 

It's time for the 5th Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive! 

We're excited to start collecting toys for all the kids at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. This year's toy drive will run from July 14th to August 31st.

If you or your place of business is interested in helping collect brand new and unwrapped toys, collection boxes are available so please contact us for more information. 

If you would like to donate toys and are not in the local San Francisco Bay Area,
you may purchase toys online (Amazon, etc.) and ship it to:

Heart of Maia

1347 Marlin Avenue, Foster City, CA 94404

Credit card donations can be made online at:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Donation Page www.makeagift.ucsf.edu

Or mail your donation to:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Foundation

P.O.Box 45339

San Francisco, CA 94145-0339

You can make your donation in memory of Maia Mead.

Below is a list of participating locations collecting toys:

Talbot's Toyland

445 South B Street, San Mateo

Philz Coffee

113 South B Street, San Mateo

2248 Westborough Blvd., So. San Francisco
2116 Broadway Street, Redwood City

Orangetheory Fitness

983 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City

101 South B Street, San Mateo

Jacklyn Kurth Orthodontics

1291 E. Hillsdale Blvd. Ste. 200, Foster City

Penelope's Coffee & Tea

3 Plaza View Lane, Ste. N, Foster City

Gold Medal Martial Arts

999A Edgewater Blvd., Foster City

866 N. Delaware Ave., San Mateo

390 El Camino Real, Ste. F, Belmont
541 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Diddalidoo

544 San Mateo Ave., San Bruno

Heff's Barbershop

693 Monterey Blvd., San Francisco

Starbucks 

Saratoga & Park Place - 1391 Saratoga Dr., San Mateo
DeAnza & Polhemus - 111 DeAnza Blvd., San Mateo
4th Avenue (DTSM) - 54 E. 4th Avenue, San Mateo
Broadway & Laguna - 1230 Broadway Ave., Burlingame
Oceana & Manor - 549 Oceana Blvd., Pacifica

Thank you! 
Gordon, Rizza, and Marcus

Team Heart of Maia

Each year, our family does our best to stay in shape and live a healthier lifestyle. For Gordon and I, we mainly do it to keep up with Marcus! He seems to be naturally athletic with an unlimited supply of energy. For the past several years our focus has been running 5K events throughout the year. One of the runs we've been participating in since 2015 is the Summer Scamper which is a charity run benefiting the kids and families at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.

Normally we register and do the run along with my brother Rommel. He lives in SoCal and comes up for the weekend just to run with us. This time, however, we've decided to do a little more than just run. We're organizing a running team... introducing...

Team Heart of Maia
my.supportlpch.org/HeartofMaia

Join us! Just click on the link above to visit our registration and fundraising page for anyone interested in running or walking with us and help raise money for the kids and families at LPCH. If you're unable to attend and join us, you can donate to a worthy cause.

The 9th Annual Summer Scamper is on Sunday, June 23 at 8:00am

on the Stanford Campus in Palo Alto.

Please feel free to share the Team Heart of Maia page with family and friends.
We would love to run/walk with you, all to help kids in the hospital!... 
See you there!

Thank You!

Thank you everyone for making our 4th Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive a success!! The kids at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital will be overjoyed to see new toy prizes during Thursday's Bingo!

Special thanks to our participating locations... we couldn't have done it without you! We appreciate all the love and support. We are so grateful for the generosity you've shown us each year. We look forward to working with all of you again!

September 30th

3 WEEK TO GO

With just a few weeks away the toy drive is coming to an end.  Get your toys down to one of our many locations before then. see below for locations.  Something that is dear to my heart and one of the reasons we have the toy drive now, rather than during the holidays is a statement Marcus made.

We want to remind everyone we do not have our 501c at this time. For the past 4 years, we have done the toy drive All money donations we have always directed everyone to donate directly to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco,  Child Life Department,  memo line Heart of Maia.
Good news, we have started the process of becoming a 501c for 2019 and beyond.

He said   "we collect toys now because some kids do not make it to Christmas"

Here are a couple of our latest videos thanking some of our support and more to come next year. 

Please remember the toys will go to kids in the hospital so they must be

NEW AND UNWRAPPED!

Drop off toys at the following locations:

Gold Medal Martial Arts

999A Edgewater Blvd. Foster City

866 N. Delaware, San Mateo

390 El Camino Real, Ste. F, Belmont

461 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Penelope's Coffee & Tea
3 Plaza View Lane Ste. N, Foster City

Sandwich Monkey
3 Plaza View Lane, Foster City

Jacklyn Kurth Orthodontics
1291 E. Hillsdale Blvd. Ste. 200, Foster City

Philz Coffee
113 South B Street, San Mateo

2248 Westborough Blvd., Westborough
2116 Broadway, Redwood City

Orangetheory Fitness San Mateo
101 South B Street, San Mateo

Talbot's Toyland
445 South B Street, San Mateo

Diddalidoo
544 San Mateo Avenue, San Bruno

La Petite Playhouse
1264 Oddstad Drive, Redwood City

St. Augustine Church
3700 Callan Blvd., South San Francisco

Heff's Barbershop

693 Monterey Blvd, San Francisco

Putnam Lexus

390 Convention Way,  Redwood City

San Jose Auto Works
599 N. 4th Street, San Jose

The Ford Store San Leandro
1111 Marina Blvd., San Leandro

Marin Acura

5860 Paradise Drive, Corte Madera

San Francisco Harley Davidson

333 Corey Way, South San Francisco

Alcatraz Harley Davidson
2595 Taylor Street, San Francisco

House of Thunder Harley Davidson
16175 Condit Road, Morgan Hill

Monterey Harley Davidson

700 Cannery Row, Monterey

West Coast Harley Davidson
333 N. Main Street, Salinas

Starbucks
4131 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
565 San Antonio Rd. Ste. 28, Mountain View
580 N. Rengstorff Avenue, Mountain View
1380 Pear Avenue, Mountain View
1037-C El Monte Avenue, Mountain View

750 Castro Street, Mountain View

809 A Cuesta Avenue, Mountain View

175 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View
111 De Anza Blvd, San Mateo

If you would like to donate toys and are not in the local San Francisco Bay Area, 

you may purchase toys online (Amazon, etc.) and ship it to:
Heart of Maia

1347 Marlin Avenue, Foster City, CA 94404

For (tax deductible) monetary donations:

Credit card donations can be made online at:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Donation Page www.makeagift.ucsf.edu

You can make your donation in memory of Maia Mead.

Please make checks payable to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital 

and write on note/memo Child Life Dept.- Heart of Maia

Send to:  UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Foundation

P.O. Box 45339

San Francisco, CA 94145-0339

If you or your place of business would like to participate as a toy drop off location, please contact Rizza Mead at rzza123@hotmail.com or Gordon Mead at meadgr@yahoo.com.

To download the Hospital's Wish List click here:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital SF Wish List

4th Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive

This toy drive was started by Maia's big brother, Marcus, in 2015. He wanted to find a way to celebrate Maia's birthday each year and keep her memory alive. One of the things he always remembers about our hospital life is playing Bingo every Thursday. It was a time when all the kids, including siblings, gathered together in the hospital's Playroom for a game of Bingo, and every kid that participated won a toy! For patients like Maia who were unable to go down to the Playroom, they participated from their room as they watched the Bingo game on one of the hospital tv channels. Marcus not only looked forward to the game itself but he was eager to hang out with the patients. One boy in particular stood out to him. This boy had been a patient for over a year and every Thursday made it down to the Playroom in his hospital gown, dragging his IV pole alongside him. As tired and weak as this boy was, it didn't stop him from joining in on all the Bingo fun in the Playroom. Marcus realized how happy it made all the kids to receive a toy. It was something all the kids looked forward to, even more than he did, it seemed. These kids don't have the same opportunities as he has because they live in the hospital, and it makes him happy to see all the kids happy. So he started the Heart of Maia Toy Drive to make sure there are always toy prizes for all the kids! It's also perfect timing since most of the toys at the hospital are from the holiday toy drives and summer is when their supply starts to diminish. Unfortunately, Marcus also realized that many of these kids are not guaranteed a tomorrow and waiting for new toys during the holidays is not always an option for them...

that's why Marcus is so passionate about this toy drive. 

Thank you for all your support!

Please remember the toys will go to kids in the hospital so they must be

NEW AND UNWRAPPED!

Drop off toys at the following locations:

Gold Medal Martial Arts

999A Edgewater Blvd. Foster City

866 N. Delaware, San Mateo

390 El Camino Real, Ste. F, Belmont

461 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Penelope's Coffee & Tea
3 Plaza View Lane Ste. N, Foster City

Sandwich Monkey
3 Plaza View Lane, Foster City

Jacklyn Kurth Orthodontics
1291 E. Hillsdale Blvd. Ste. 200, Foster City

Philz Coffee
113 South B Street, San Mateo

2248 Westborough Blvd., Westborough
2116 Broadway, Redwood City

Orangetheory Fitness San Mateo
101 South B Street, San Mateo

Talbot's Toyland
445 South B Street, San Mateo

Diddalidoo
544 San Mateo Avenue, San Bruno

La Petite Playhouse
1264 Oddstad Drive, Redwood City

St. Augustine Church
3700 Callan Blvd., South San Francisco

Heff's Barbershop

693 Monterey Blvd, San Francisco

Putnam Lexus

390 Convention Way,  Redwood City

San Jose Auto Works
599 N. 4th Street, San Jose

The Ford Store San Leandro
1111 Marina Blvd., San Leandro

Marin Acura

5860 Paradise Drive, Corte Madera

San Francisco Harley Davidson

333 Corey Way, South San Francisco

Alcatraz Harley Davidson
2595 Taylor Street, San Francisco

House of Thunder Harley Davidson
16175 Condit Road, Morgan Hill

Monterey Harley Davidson

700 Cannery Row, Monterey

West Coast Harley Davidson
333 N. Main Street, Salinas

Starbucks
4131 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
565 San Antonio Rd. Ste. 28, Mountain View
580 N. Rengstorff Avenue, Mountain View
1380 Pear Avenue, Mountain View
1037-C El Monte Avenue, Mountain View

750 Castro Street, Mountain View

809 A Cuesta Avenue, Mountain View

175 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

If you would like to donate toys and are not in the local San Francisco Bay Area, 

you may purchase toys online (Amazon, etc.) and ship it to:
Heart of Maia

1347 Marlin Avenue, Foster City, CA 94404

For (tax deductible) monetary donations:

Credit card donations can be made online at:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Donation Page www.makeagift.ucsf.edu

You can make your donation in memory of Maia Mead.

Please make checks payable to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital 

and write on note/memo Child Life Dept.- Heart of Maia

Send to:  UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Foundation

P.O. Box 45339

San Francisco, CA 94145-0339

If you or your place of business would like to participate as a toy drop off location, please contact Rizza Mead at rzza123@hotmail.com or Gordon Mead at meadgr@yahoo.com.

To download the Hospital's Wish List click here:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital SF Wish List

3rd Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive...

It's that time again!... 

The 3rd Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive officially begins Monday, July 17th and runs through September 30th benefiting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco.

Thank you to everyone who participated last year! We couldn't have done it without you... and of course, thank you to all who donated! You helped make the kids' smiles even bigger and Marcus is ready and excited for another successful toy drive this year!!

Please remember toys must be NEW because they are going to sick kids in the hospital. 

Toys can be dropped off at the following locations:

Gold Medal Martial Arts

Foster City - 999A Edgewater Blvd. Foster City, CA

Burlingame/San Mateo - 866 N. Delaware Ave. San Mateo, CA

Belmont - 390 El Camino Real, Belmont, CA

Philz Coffee

Westborough - 2248 Westborough Blvd. South San Francisco, CA

San Mateo - 113 South B Street, San Mateo

Diddalidoo

544 San Mateo Avenue, San Bruno, CA

Talbot's Toyland

445 South B Street, San Mateo, CA

Jacklyn Kurth Orthodontics

Belmont - 2100 Carlmont Dr. Suite 6, Belmont, CA

Foster City - 1291 E. Hillsdale Blvd. Suite 200, Foster City, CA

Penelope's Coffee & Tea

3 Plaza View Lane, Suite N, Foster City, CA

Sandwich Monkey

3 Plaza View Lane, Foster City, CA

Heff's Barbershop

693 Monterey Blvd., San Francisco, CA

Marin Acura

5860 Paradise Drive, Corte Madera, CA

Putnam Lexus

390 Convention Way, Redwood City, CA

If you are not in the local San Francisco Bay Area and would like to donate, 

you may purchase toys, online (Amazon, etc.) and send them to:

Heart of Maia

1347 Marlin Avenue 

Foster City, CA 94404

For monetary donations, 

Please make checks payable to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital 

and write on note/memo Child Life Dept.- Heart of Maia

Send to: UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Foundation

P.O. Box 45339

San Francisco, CA 94145-0339

Credit card donations can be made online at:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Donation Page https://makeagift.ucsf.edu

You can designate your donation to ("other") Child Life Department, in memory of Maia Mead.

If you, or anyone you know, is interested in a box to help collect toy donations, it's not too late to get one! Email rzza123@hotmail.com for any questions or to request a box.

Once again, thank you all so much for your love, support, and prayers. Our grief is never ending but inspirational times like this give us a renewed sense of purpose. Remembering and honoring Maia with a toy drive started by her big brother, Marcus, is such a heartwarming and amazing experience. We're so blessed that we get the chance to share our story while making a difference and giving back to the community. 

Thank you all for being a part of our journey!

The Latest from The Meads...

There are many times when I feel there's nothing to write about... no special events, no special occasions. No updates on Maia, no new pics. But when I asked Marcus about what I should blog about, he simply answered "just write about how we're doing." Wow, what a concept!

I can honestly say we're doing ok. There always seems to be room for improvement, but I think that goes together with striving to make life better, by doing better things and being a better person. But at the same time, I'm very proud of who we've become, who we are now, and where we're headed.

Our transition into a new normal life since Maia's passing has had it's share of ups and downs, but we're very determined and focus on what matters most... us. We've had our share of medical issues, including Gordon's cornea transplant, his chronic back and sciatica problems, and more recently, his complications from hernia surgery. Marcus continues to slowly get better with each passing year, and has been able to manage his grief and anger management issues little by little. Although he prefers one-on-one sessions with his therapist, he tried out some group sessions earlier this year and did ok with it. We're so grateful he has such an amazing support system! As for me, I've been pretty healthy for the most part, which is always a good thing. I've now become a regular blood donor and I get excited when I know I blood drive is coming up! As a result I've monitored my iron better too. It's also been a year since I had my Lasik eye surgery and I'm loving it! I only wish I didn't look into it sooner, but it's still one of the best decisions I've ever made. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, acutally it was a Groupon Valentines from my wonderful husband that we couldn't pass up!

On the home front, we're looking into finally moving into our own place. It's probably been one of the most stressful things since Maia passed away, since being unemployed was almost always an issue. But Gordon has been with Lexus now for almost 3 years. He started out part-time but is now working full-time. I'm currently still on the job hunt since last year my employer relocated to the Washington-Oregon area. They now live in Washington state where there is no income tax and their business is set up in Oregon where there is no sales tax. It was one of those opportunities they couldn't pass up, and I don't blame them. For now I'm enjoying the limited time I have left as a stay-at-home mom. I'm more selective this time around and I want to find that job and company that's a great fit for my skills and personality, and a place that cares about their employees. It might be more difficult to find but I think it's worth it, and I'm patient too! Plus, I want to work at a place where I want to be, where I love coming to work... so we'll see what happens. Aside from keeping up with Marcus' schedule of activities, I've been volunteering at school whenever I can. This includes being a part of the Staff Appreciation Committee. It's a big deal and a great honor to celebrate the people who have such a big influence in our kids' lives. I'm always so in awe of how they handle so many kids and personalities, not to mention the curriculum, low wages, and the other behind the scenes of the teacher life. We have been very fortunate that Marcus has had such wonderful and supportive teachers throughout his school life. They've all been there for him inside and outside of the classroom, and there were times when he really needed their guidance and support. Plus, it always helps to have teachers that love and care for your child, and are on the same parenting page as you are. They tell Marcus the same things we do, but since it's not coming from parents' mouths, it's heard differently. I guess you can say he's learned to tune us out and is pretty good at it!

We are so ready for the summer! As always, we'll be doing our best to keep Marcus active and stimulated, both mentally and physically. We already have some family 5K runs planned, so we're going to do our best to continue to be healthy right alongside Marcus. Amongst all the activities and adventures we'll encounter this summer and all future summers, one of our top priorities will always be keeping Maia's memory alive, and with purpose. She will always be an inspiration, and it's our mission to continue inspiring others.

Since 2015, the summer months have taken on a new meaning for our family. In other words, it's almost time for the 3rd Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive!!! We're currently working out the details, so please stay tuned!!

It's Toy Drive time!!!

The 2nd Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive

HAS BEEN EXTENDED!

From NOW until the end of SEPTEMBER!

Benefitting

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital

Donate new unwrapped toys, books, and stuffed animals

for kids ages newborn to 17 years old

*** Ideas for toys - think of toys you would get your own kids, friends' kids, nieces, nephews. It does not need to be expensive, you can also check out clearance sections for good deals, and let stores know you are shopping for a toy drive/charity and you may get a discount (doesn't hurt to ask)!

Drop off toys at the following locations:

Gold Medal Martial Arts
Foster City - 999A Edgewater Blvd., Foster City, CA

Burlingame - 1333 Howard Ave., Burlingame, CA 

Belmont - 390 El Camino Real, Ste. F, Belmont, CA 

Talbot's Toyland

445 South B Street, San Mateo, CA

Diddalidoo

544 San Mateo Avenue, San Bruno, CA

Putnam Lexus

390 Convention Way, Redwood City, CA

If you would like to donate toys and are not in the local San Francisco Bay Area,

you may purchase toys online (Amazon, etc.) and ship it to:

Heart of Maia - 1347 Marlin Avenue, Foster City, CA 94404

For monetary donations,

Please make checks payable to: UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and write on note/memo Child Life Department - Heart of Maia

Credit card donations can be made online at:

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Donation Page

https://makeagift.ucsf.edu

You can designate your donation to ("other") Child Life Department,
in Memory of Maia Mead

It's not too late! If you would like to have a collection box and help collect toys in your area or business, please email Rizza at rzza123@hotmail.com.

Thank You


Disclaimer: Heart of Maia is not a non-profit organization. All proceeds and donations
collected from this toy drive go to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.

The best view comes after the hardest climb...

June 13, 2012 is one of those days we "should have" been celebrating. It's a day that "should" probably give us anxiety and a feeling of dread... but thankfully, it doesn't. At least not in the way most people think it does.

4 years ago on June 13 we cried tears of joy and tears of sadness. Our world was changed in a way that we didn't want it to be changed. All the preparation that was done for this moment was not enough to prepare us for what was to come... We were not ready.

Marissa was born. At 11:52am she entered our world and peacefully left at 12:35pm. I look back and I seem to remember everything in slow motion. Maybe because I knew she didn't have that much time with us and somehow slowing down time gives me the feeling that everything didn't really happen that fast. Leading up to that day, I clearly remember many well-meaning and well-intentioned family and friends, praying for a miracle. The miracle of a healthy baby... our healthy baby. But deep down I knew that every one of them failed to realize the true miracle. It wasn't going to be in the hope that the Drs. were wrong and that Marissa was healthy. The miracle was her all along. It was hard to witness all around me how an exception was made to the saying "every child is a miracle" when the child is not healthy or "normal." But I didn't let it bother me. I wanted to soak in every possible minute we had with our miracle, and that's what we did.

I feel like this is when our life lessons truly began. This is the time we actually started to live life. Life in the world as we knew it before Marissa was born, is so foreign to me now. What mattered then does not matter anymore. What we thought were problems then, are no longer considered problems to us now. Everything is different. Everything has changed.

But is has changed for the better. After learning about our story, many assume that it was our journey with Maia that changed us, that made us stronger and put everything into perspective. For me personally, it was Marissa. She was the catalyst that started the change, to question our needs and wants in life. Her short life brought to the surface everything that was never given attention to. She made me analyze life like I had never done before. She made me realize how strong I am, and how strong Gordon and Marcus are... and how much of life I wasn't fully living, not fully appreciating. After Marissa passed away, I started coming across many inspirational quotes. Whether I was looking for them or not, I seemed to notice them more. Many of them I had already heard of and already liked. The difference was that I now wanted and needed to apply them to my everyday life. They were no longer just quotes, they were words to live by. A perfect example is "The best view comes after the hardest climb." Not sure who should get credit for this quote, but it's a beautiful one. I'm able to appreciate things I never would have before... to appreciate people, moments... appreciate life. 

I think that's why our journey with Maia was one of the most amazing experiences ever. We were able to live each day to the fullest and not take anything for granted. We appreciated the bad days just as much as the good days. When others saw a depressing struggle, we were experiencing something completely different. We didn't have time to be mad or negative... so we put more effort into making the most of each moment we had with Maia. We are not guaranteed a tomorrow and that is something we are more aware of now. 

Thank you Marissa.... and Happy Birthday. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 2nd Annual Heart of Maia Toy Drive ~ July 1st through August 31st

As a reminder, we will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for kids ages Newborn to 17. 
This toy drive benefits UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.

If you would like to participate and help collect toys, please contact:
 Rizza at rzza123@hotmail.com and/or Gordon at meadgr@yahoo.com.

Thank you for all your support. Help put a smile on a child's face!!