1. The story of Ellie’s Hats

2. Ellie was your typical 4 year old girl

5. This is the hat that got me thinking about getting Ellie some hats for Christmas. Crazy Hats

6. Hats for Ellie “ Ellie is one of my kindergarten students. Ellie is battling cancer. For Christmas I want to give her some hats. The plan is to give Ellie a bunch of hats that she can share with other children with cancer. If you would like to buy a hat please let me know when you have it and I will pick it up.”

7. These are the 1 st group of hats to be donated. They were given to the children attending a Christmas Party at Fairfax Hospital.

9. Our mission is to donate hats to children that are battling cancer, with the hope to bring a smile to their faces and brighten their day, in a small way.

10. "I know it’s easy to look at all this and ask, Of course, our daughter’s hat collection is not going to cure her cancer. But that’s really not the point. It’s an example of something that has helped make this season in which she is fighting cancer less hard for her. Ellie’s crazy hats have allowed her to feel more like a normal kid when she is experiencing things that are not normal at all, that are thankfully not what most kids will have to experience in their childhoods. These hats mean something to her. And based on what I saw at a Christmas party at the hospital when donated hats were given to all the kids in attendance and what I have heard from our clinic staff regarding the numerous hats distributed there, these hats mean something to many other kids as well." Ellie’s Father’s response.

11. We have seen classes and schools hold hat drives, teenagers raise money, workplaces donate, kids request people bring hats instead of gifts to their birthday parties, hats donated as a Bar Mitzvah project, and lots of other creative ideas! All of these initiatives bring joy, but also spread awareness about childhood cancer and for that we are so grateful

12. Our first fundraiser was being done by 3 teenagers. They had heard about Ellie's Hats and decided that they wanted to help as part of their community service hours for school. They decided to raise money to help buy hats for kids with cancer. They have set a goal of raising $400. They ended up raising over $1,000.

13. “I just want to say thanks you so much for the hats! The patients and parents alike absolutely LOVE them! “The kids LOVE the hats…. The nurses think they are beautiful.” “Dylan and Daniels hats came in today and they love them. “Thank you for your cause, it is making a difference”

14. Sydney, an 8 th grader, set out to collect a hat from every state in the country, and did in 5 day's.

17. The newscaster’s comment. “Such a simple idea and look how far it’s gotten” Find something that you are passionate about and make a difference.

19. We are confident that this year, Texas DECA will elevate their chapters and donate for this amazing cause. We are encouraging every chapter to donate at least 10 brand new hats. All the hats will be donated to a children’s hospital in the Dallas area where our State Career Development Conference will be taking place. Similar to last year, we will be awarding prizes for the best hats that are donated in the following categories: Best Beanie Best Superhero Hat Best Disney Hat Best DECA Hat Most Fashionable Hat Best Handmade Hat Best Sports Hat Best Animal Hat Most Blinged Out Hat Most Outrageous Hat We encourage everyone to elevate their chapter and encourage as many people as they can to participate in our Statewide Community Service Project. There are so many opportunities to get so many other people involved. Invite your friends, professionals, alumni, and community to join in on this great cause! Remember that donating hats is not limited to DECA members only! Invite other clubs, organizations, and sports teams to lend a helping hand as well!”