The mission of "Save the Cherubs" is to make Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia a phrase everyone knows how to say and everyone knows the meaning of.  By raising awareness, we hope to raise research funds to save these babies - Save the Cherubs.

Our charity is called CHERUBS, we are a non-profit organization that helps families of babies born with a severe birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH).  CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs to enter the chest cavity, thus preventing lung growth.  CDH strikes 1 in ever 2500 babies, which equals out to a baby born every 10  minutes and over half a million babies since 2000.  CDH is as common as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis, yet most people have never heard of it.  We're trying to change that.   More awareness = more research to save these babies that we lovingly call "cherubs" (because 50% do not survive).   Thus, the campaign name "Save the Cherubs".  You can learn more about CDH and CHERUBS at http://www.cdhsupport.org

Our campaign is a media blitz using photos of the kids dressed as cherubs (street clothes with wings) in photos doing real life things to emphasize that these kids are real… they exist, they could be on the playground playing with your kids. They could be the children of the people you shop beside or the baby your neighbor lost but no one knows because there is no awareness!

For grieving parents we use suggestion and emotion… a mom visiting the cemetery with a set of wings laying on the headstone and her holding a photo and crying. A dad showing a new child his or her older siblings photo. NILMDTS types of photos with wings. This will take more creativity but we can do it. It’s important to show how many families are grieving over cherubs.

Local media will be contacted when there is a photo shoot so that the cherubs can be featured in their town newspapers, tv, etc. "Local child part of national awareness campaign for rare birth defect".

Our goal is to raise awareness on many levels:

• local awareness with the photo shoots
• state awareness with billboards in major cities and roadways
• regional awareness through magazine ads
• national awareness through press releases and use with the congressional bills
• global awareness through an on-line campaign with a campaign site, blog, links on the photographers sites and blogs, models sites and blogs, etc

This is a national, group effort campaign.   All participants will get recognition.   All photos will be used.   The best photos will be used in national advertising.   A good campaign using these photos with bring CDH awareness to the forefront and make it real.  It will also equate CDH with cherubs…. our awareness symbol for 15 years.  Something different than all the ribbons and colors that are the fashion right now.  Something original, emotional and true to the cause.

Photographers will keep copyrights but give permission for their work to be used in this campaign and only this campaign (except for their portfolios of course), to be used by CHERUBS, the media, etc to raise CDH awareness. 

Photographers will be given credit for their photographs every time they are published.  Hopefully, this will bring you national exposure to many deserving photographers as well..