Fact Sheet

  •  Founded September 1995 – Celebrating our 30th Anniversary in 2025.

  • Started with 4 Shadow Buddies in 1995, there are now 43 Buddies (& counting!) in 2026.

  • Shadow Buddies are for boys & girls and are available in light, medium, and dark skin tones.

    • Shadow Buddies are in 178 hospitals, all 50 states, and 22 countries.

    • 2000 Daily Points of Light Award; featured in People magazine, Time, Woman’s World, 22 U.S. and 5 Canadian radio stations; and the featured story on the ABC talk show The View and NBC’s Today Show.

    • 2009 Midwest Top 50 CEO Most Influential Women of the Year; 2001 National Award winner of Women’s Tylenol® – “Commitment to Care Awards” for Caring for Children, Dallas, Texas.

    • Over 2.6 Million Shadow Buddies distributed to date.

    • 1,550 Know Your Buddy Book programs distributed nationally – 412,000 children, siblings, teachers, and healthcare providers reached to date.

    • 20,400 Shadow Buddy backpacks delivered to pediatric specialty camps.

    • Shadow Buddies listed in the resource database of the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities in Washington D.C.

    • Launched Pink Parties in 2010 – 24,050 pampered girls to date. • Over 89,500 Tony Gonzalez Buddies distributed to children.
    • Over 9,700 Tony Gonzalez Senior Buddies distributed to seniors. • 21,000 Super Hero Buddies delivered to pediatric patients.

    • Shadow Buddies teamed with Sporting Kansas City’s Victory Project in 2014.

    • Launched “Gus”, a black Labrador therapy dog in 2023 — a partnership with the Johnson County, KS Sheriff’s Department. Our “Gus” Buddy dogs have put smiles on over 1,900 children to date.

    • Launched Courage Capes in 2019, and have donated 13,900 capes & masks to pediatric patients across the country.

    • Introduced the Courageous Crew in 2020 – Fireman, Police Officer,
    First Responder, Physician/Nurse and Military Buddies and have distributed 12,000 to date.