Friday, April 5, 2013

A little update!

How I wish I was better at this blogging thing!  I need more hours in the day.  Between my family, my job (home child care provider to 7 small children), sewing and keeping up with facebook, there's not much time for too much else.  So today, as I sit here with my laptop, watching my little ones playing with blocks and asking me to look at their towers, I'm going to try to update on the progress of Project NICU.  I'm hoping to post a few entries today, we'll see!

On March 19, Project NICU delivered our first 40 blankets to St. Francis hospital. It was an exciting day for me, personally!  I talked with the NICU social worker about how project NICU got started and shared ideas as to help support and encourage NICU families.  I learned that a huge need is gas cards for families that live outside of Tulsa and are not able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house due to having jobs and other children at home or other reasons.  I was so fortunate that I live 2 miles from the hospital and could be there in minutes at any given time and never had to worry about how much money it would cost for gas to be able to see my baby. I honestly cannot image not being able to be there every day.   Unfortunately this is the reality for some families with a baby in the NICU.  As much as they want to be with their baby, they simply cannot afford the added expense of gasoline to travel to see their baby that is say 50 miles or more away from home.  Project NICU will now start raising funds and accepting donations for gas cards.  Any parent that wants to be with their baby, should be able to be with their baby!  It is crucial for a family to bond and a baby just does so much better when a parent is there with them!

My niece, Kim Patterson, has graciously volunteer to organize a fundraising event, Bunco for Blankets! It will be held at my house and we hope to have 24 people join us for a fun night of bunco and yummy desserts to support a good cause!  If you are in the Tulsa or surrounding area and you would like to join us, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/299153950212453/ for more info and to join!

We had an amazingly wonderful donation of $205, from the Sanders family.  They celebrated their beautiful, sweet daughter's birthday in March and in lieu of gifts they collected donations for project NICU!  I am so blessed to have this family in my life and honored to have them support project NICU!

We had to cancel our Saturday Sew Day for March.  Everyone was just too busy with the Easter holiday, myself included!  Another Saturday Sew Day is scheduled for April 20th! We desperately need sewing volunteers! But even if you can't sew there are many other jobs to do!  For more information about April's Saturday Sew Day visit https://www.facebook.com/events/159283410900673/

Project NICU is honored to be featured in the Springtime Online Vendor Event on Facebook, created by Kim Sanders!  There are several fabulous venders with amazing products being featured.  Check it out here https://www.facebook.com/events/598044883560505/

And just yesterday, my most favorite man in the world offered to donate $5 for every new "like" we got on facebook, up to $200 dollars and when I checked fb first thing this morning we had not only reached our goal of 40 new "likes" but surpassed the goal!  I think he thought we might get 5 or 10 new likes but a deal is a deal!  Cha Ching!

I also set up a fundraising page for project NICU through GoFundMe.  If you are interested in making a donation to support project NICU's efforts to provide blankets, hats, gas cards, etc to NICU families please visit www.gofundme.com/projectnicu.  It's easy and secure!

I think that is all of the new happenings for now! 

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