1000's of Real Life Tiny Tims Need Christmas Miracle of 100,000 Votes to Win Grants in Pepsi Refresh

WAKE FOREST, N.C., Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- It's that time of year where sugarplums dance in the heads of children and little boys and girls write letters to the North Pole, asking for Santa Claus to make their holiday wishes come true. It's the time of year when we cry watching the town of Bedford Falls rally round George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" and when little sick and disabled Tiny Tim says "God bless us, everyone" with concern for everyone but himself. It's the time of year when miracles happen, when the best in humanity shines. The holiday season is full of hope and magic, especially for children.

This Christmas, 10 groups across the country in Vote for Kids Health are working hard to keep that hope and magic alive for critically ill, disabled and needy children.

Dawn Williamson of CHERUBS based in Wake Forest, NC tells us about a family that their charity knows is in need this holiday: "Baby James was born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and is part of the 50% of babies that survive CDH, a deadly birth defect of the diaphragm and lungs that harms 1600 babies a year in the U.S. At 11 months old and still in the hospital this Christmas, James is alert and playful but breathes with the help of a ventilator through a trach. His mother, Melissa, shuffles between the hospital to be with James and his older brother at home. CHERUBS hopes to help James' family, and 500 other families by providing funds to help parents like Melissa with much needed gas and food money so that she can afford to take care of both her sons."

You can vote for CHERUBS at http://www.refresheverything.com/cdhfamilies or by texting 101202 to 73774 (Pepsi) and join a dozen celebrities to post on-line and tweet asking others to vote every day until the end of the month.

1000's of people are banning together to vote and get others to vote to raise money in the Pepsi Refresh contest. The spirit of the season has implored them to not only help their own causes but to reach out to each other to collectively help all the children and they are reaching out to the public to help as well just by voting. Supporters of all 10 charities have caught the holiday spirit this week, posting 1000's of Facebook comments and Twitter tweets in support of voting and changing their on-line profile photographs to try to collect 100,000 on Thursday for the charities. The 10 charities help many children's causes including childhood poverty, autism, cancer, congenital CMV, CDH, hearing impairment, blindness, inclusion for the handicapped, prematurity and more.

The needs of these children and the holiday spirit have even implored many celebrities to join in on Twitter to ask for votes for these charities, including Justin Beiber, Clay Aiken, Sinbad, Khloe Kardashian, Brody Jenner, Cheryl Burke, LeAnn Rimes, Patsy Pease, Charles Shaughnessy and Real Housewives stars Kyle Richards, Adrienne Maloof and Simon VanKempen.

You can play Santa Claus to these children by going to http://www.voteforkidshealth.org to help 10 charities, 10 projects and 1000's of fragile children like Dickens' "Tiny Tim" this Christmas.

SOURCE Vote for Kids Health