MobileGive client, Children’s Hunger Fund got an unexpected spike in traffic thanks to Conan O’Brien, the newly unemployed late night TV host.

In an ironic twist on celebrity-focused media, O’Brien tweeted out the name of a regular girl from Michigan as the only person he would be following on Twitter. Sarah Killen, 19, became an instant internet celebrity when Conan wrote, “Sarah Killen, your life is about to change”, on his Twitter page. Since then her following of 3 rose to over 17,000 and is still growing. She is giving interviews to newspapers, weblogs, radio and TV. Gifts from companies hoping to catch a slice of the attention are pouring in, and rumors of reality TV and talk show appearances seem to be coming from all sides. All of that is pretty amazing for a small town girl, but it is what she chose to do with the attention that caught nearly everyone off guard. Sarah showed her compassionate heart and told all of her followers to help Children’s Hunger Fund® and Susan G. Komen For The Cure®.

Sarah’s choice to highlight Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) came with a fun and timely perk. Kelima K, a small bridal design firm in New York, heard that Sarah is getting married soon and offered to design her wedding dress for free. In exchange, they only asked that she mention Children’s Hunger Fund, the company’s favorite charity. So that’s what she did. Because of Conan’s huge following and Sarah’s desire to help needy children, two simple postings from Sarah sent a massive wave of visitors to CHF’s website www.chfus.org.

“This was so unexpected”, said CHF’s Communications Director, Fred Martin, “The day after Sarah mentioned our name, our web traffic jumped 1,200 percent.” For CHF, a boost like this is a big deal. “We try to keep our operating costs low,” Martin said, “so advertising for us is rare and localized. To have a sudden nationwide audience like this is amazing.”

The last time CHF’s website saw this much traffic was in the days following the devastating earthquake in Haiti where the charity is working. “In times of tragedy, many people will come to us to see how they can help,” Martin continued. “The response from our supporters was immense, giving us incredible opportunities to serve the needs of Haiti’s suffering children.”

Martin said that the web traffic generated by Conan’s stunt was only 200 visitors short of the site’s biggest day following the quake. “I am blown away by the power of celebrity. To see so many people wanting to help because of what Sarah said is simply astounding. We are really grateful. My only hope is that they will see the value of what we do and continue to give generously, with or without a tweet.”

Sophia L. Gokey (the late wife of Danny) was born with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD).  Throughout her life, she faced multiple surgeries and difficulties.  Her outlook in the midst of these incredible challenges would never lead you to believe that she faced such obstacles.  Her heart for people always outshined every hardship she faced along the way.

At SHF, they know firsthand the struggles associated with CHD.  The strain this can cause emotionally and financially can at times be hard to bear.  It is for this reason that Sophia’s Heart Foundation is committed to helping bring awareness to and help the community that is daily affected by CHD.

CHD stands for Congenital Heart Defect (also referred to as Congenital Heart Disease).  These are structural problems with the heart that are present at birth.  About 35,000 babies are born in the United States each year with a CHD.  Congenital Heart Defects claim almost twice as many children’s lives in the U.S. as those that die from all forms of childhood cancers combined.

By joining our voices and resources, we can help further advance this cause and bring a renewed sense of hope to all that are affected by CHD.

Follow Danny on Twitter: @dannygokey