According to givingtuesday.org, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. It is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since its inaugural year in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year and a growing catalog of resources. To learn more about #givingTuesday, click here: https://www.givingtuesday.org/about.

This year I’m asking people to consider donating to the  Angel Baby Network for #givingTuesday. NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL! Over the last 11 months, we’ve provided support for families who have endured the devastating effects of infant and child loss. Over the course of only 5 meetings, we have directly helped 30 babies’ parents. People come to our gatherings sad and they leave with hope because of the different programming we provide and because of the sense of community that we cultivate.

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate asking for money–but I’ve also learned that pride gets in the way of progress–so–here is what we need money for and what we use money for:

-our most important need is $1,750 to file our official 501(c)3 designation paperwork. This will allow us to have tax exempt status for the IRS. This also means when people donate to us they will be able to write it off on their taxes.

-our goal as a group is to start providing “parent packs” that will consist of a grocery store gift card, a gas gift card and a monetary gift card as well as other resourceful information for parents immediately following the death of their child. Why? Because most bereaved parents have enough to think about-including their medical bills and their child’s medical bills-after their child has died. It is nice to not have to think about gas and groceries after your child has died. Trust me-I know. Over the last two months, we have become aware of at least five different families who could have used these types of resources but we didn’t have the finances to provide these items to them.

-at all of our meetings we provide food for our families. Why? Because let’s face it-food makes people come to events and people are happy when they eat . 

-at some of our meetings we participate in nation-wide or international activities of remembrance where we honor our children through different activities. *For example, in August, we participated in an international flag day and right now, we are participating in a national ornament exchange with other families who have lost children. Why? Because child loss can be isolating and our families need to know that we are not alone.

-at some of our meetings we have medical professionals such as counselors, psychologists, medical doctors and community workers come in and talk to our group. None of them have ever asked for anything but it would be nice to provide them with a small token of appreciation. Why? Because after you lose a child, you can feel like you are losing your mind and medical and community resources are helpful for a person’s emotional and psychological well-being.

-throughout the year, we would like to host at least one to two events where our families don’t have to worry about the price of admission. For example, every year in June we will be hosting our butterfly release. Why? Because it would be nice if the families didn’t have to worry about the costs associated with joining other families who are like them to help them honor their children.

If you’d like to donate to us, please go to this link: https://angelbabynetwork.org/donate/

Thanks for your time and consideration!

-Written by: Danielle Jones