With all the Christmas rush of gifts, parties, dinners and last minute shopping, it is a wonder that we can all remain sane trying to get everything organized. But for some people, none of this excitement will be fulfilled because they are dealing with something that has taken a much larger priority. Parents that have babies born premature in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) don’t get an opportunity to celebrate Christmas as you or I would because their baby is struggling to survive in the NICU.
Imagine that the greatest joy of celebrating your baby’s first Christmas and you have to celebrate it in the NICU. This is why the Christmas Bear delivery to NICU’s in Central Florida started. The Gift of Life delivers Christmas bears that are knitted by the senior citizens of The Good Samaritan Village every year so that we can bring a little cheer to each and every parent and let them know that someone is thinking about them as their baby is recuperating. The Gift of Life also provided knitted Santa hats for the babies to wear on Christmas Day.
Getting the bears and hats ready:
This year The Gift of Life was able to donate over 150 bears to the NICU at Florida Hospital, a few parents at Winnie Palmer, parents staying at Ronald McDonald House with babies in the Winnie Palmer NICU, and to a few NICU parents in the state of Washington, Virginia, New Jersey, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Ohio. We were also able to donate this year over 600 Care packages to families in the NICU’s and those staying at Ronald McDonald Houses and individual families asking for support across the country. We can only do this through the donations of our sponsors and donations that come in to help with the packages and postage to send out the care packages. We were also able to donate this year over 600 Care packages to families in the NICU’s and those staying at Ronald McDonald Houses and individual families asking for support across the country.
Words from a preemie parent:
My son Emerson is a current patient at Florida hospital in the NICU. We received your teddy bear and it brightened our day.
Thank you so much for your kindness during this difficult time.
Delivering Bears and Hats to the Florida Hospital NICU
Delivering Hats and Bears to Parents at Winnie Palmer NICU
Delivering Hats and Bears to Ronald McDonald House for parents of preemies who are at Winnie Palmer NICU.
Watch as we deliver to Florida Hospital NICU the Love Bears this year. Celebrity singer Jody McBrayer, dedicated this special song to our families when he sang at our Charity Christmas gala this past year.
A big thank you to our volunteers Keitra Robinson, Jackie Pettit, Marcus Moore and Child Life Specialist Summer Bernath and our digital storyteller Bruce Reynolds.
A big thank you to Jody McBrayer for coming t our annual Gift of Life Charity Gala and dedcating this song to the babies.
Merry Christmas
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What will you do to celebrate World Prematurity Day 2016? Even a small gesture can make a big impact on the preemie community. We at The Gift of Life invite you to join us in observing this very important but lesser-known holiday.
Raising awareness for preterm birth helps bring support to preemies and their families. It can also assist in increasing the chances that more babies will be born full-term. Premature birth doesn’t always occur because of something the mother did; there’s no single cause that can serve as the reason behind every case. But when a child is born prematurely, his or her family will need all the help, support, and encouragement they can get.
What is the purpose of World Prematurity Day?
The purpose of World Prematurity Day is to raise awareness for the cause of prematurity and the preemie community. Approximately 1 in 10 babies born in the U.S come by way of preterm birth. This high preemie birth rate ranks the U.S 131st out of 184 nations and makes us as a nation tied with Somalia when it comes to our babies being born too soon.
The impact of being born a preemie doesn’t stop its effects once a baby becomes a young child. As the March of Dimes reports, “Premature birth is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide”.
With more awareness comes more support and prevention. For preemies and their families, World Prematurity Day also serves to acknowledge their challenges and their triumphs.
Celebrate World Prematurity Day on Twitter and Facebook by posting your related comments and stories, promoting the preemie support nonprofit organization of your choice, and/or just connecting with others, reading their stories, and voicing your support. You can use the hashtags #givethemtomorrow and #worldprematurityday.
On Your Own:
Can’t decide what to wear today? Well, World Prematurity Day is for wearing purple. This is the color of prematurity and by wearing it on this day you demonstrate to others your support for our cause. Don’t have a purple shirt to wear? Consider preparing for next year’s celebration by purchasing a purple t-shirt or Gift of Life polo from our online store.
You can also decorate your home and/or office in purple. Perhaps you may like to put a purple ribbon on your car. Purple is to World Prematurity Day what green is to St. Patrick’s Day.
In honor of World Prematurity day, please share your story or sentiments in the comments section below. Also, please consider making a donation to the Gift of Life as a way to help make a difference in the preemie community on this very special day.
World Prematurity Day 2016 – What will you do for it?
Happy National Teddy Bear Day! For The Gift of Life, this is a very important holiday, and we’ll tell you why.
While many see this day as a time to remember their soft and cuddly childhood friend, the day gives us one more opportunity to reflect on why we serve and how our service impacts others.
Are Teddy Bears Really So Important?
Just about everyone has a sweet memory of a favorite toy from their childhood. Some grown-ups are fortunate enough to hold on to that toy and share the fun of it with the generations that follow. The toy could be a doll, truck, yo-yo, or even a teddy bear.
Not many toys earn the honor of having a holiday designated just for them. The teddy bear is clearly an exception.
But National Teddy Bear Day isn’t just about how much people of all ages have come to be fans of this toy. To understand the importance of this day, we have to dive deeper into the matter and take a look at where the idea of teddy bears come from – let’s take a quick walk through the history of the teddy bear.
The History of Teddy Bears and Teddy Bear Day
It’s probably not common knowledge, but all teddy bears are named after Former President Theodore Roosevelt.
People who grew up in the 19th century missed out on the joys of teddy bear ownership. These toys didn’t exist back then.
In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt decided to go hunting in Mississippi. During the trip, Roosevelt had an opportunity to “bag” a bear cub, but he didn’t do it. He refused to shoot the cute little cub, sparing it.
Later on, Clifton Berryman created a cartoon about the event and his work was published in the Washington Post. When a store owner in New York named Morris Michtom saw the cartoon, it inspired him to create a brand new toy – the teddy bear!
This political cartoon by Clifford Berryman was published in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902. It depicts President Theodore Roosevelt’s bear hunting in Mississippi and refusal to shoot a cub. This is the cartoon that inspired the creation of the ‘Teddy’ Bear.
What Teddy Bears Mean at The Gift of Life
Perhaps you’ve noticed that The Gift of Life’s logo is a purple teddy bear. There are many reasons why this fluffy childhood toy was chosen to represent our organization.
For starters, we visit the NICUs in Orlando each year around Christmas time and hand out little teddy bears, which we call love bears, to the families that are there – that’s just one of the things we do to help the families of preemie know that someone does care about what they’re going through.
But in light of National Teddy Bear Day (indeed, for the sake of it) let’s bring some even deeper meaning forward, taking a lesson from Roosevelt – as I’m quite sure he would want us to. The baby cub was spared, so teddy bears came into existence. The teddy bear, therefore, is symbolic of respect and hope for life, which is what we at The Gift of Life are all about.
The cub was a baby. It was a baby bear, so Roosevelt refused to shoot it, even though he was there to hunt. From this, we can conclude that Theodore Roosevelt was for preserving the life of the young- even fighting to protect it.
Every day, in neonatal intensive care units worldwide, there are preemies fighting for their lives. They have the assistance of the medical team and the prayers of those who care about them. Although these babies were born too soon for full development, love makes a difference in their lives however long life may be for them.
In the words of our founder, Rosie Moore, “Our Gift of Life Bear Project is utilized to give parents and children support as they go home when the real challenge of medical appointments starts to happen. It is a reminder that they received The Gift of Life and they can make it through anything with a little faith. They were born premature, but they are making it going home…..”
How You Can Help Us Celebrate National Teddy Bear Day
The way to celebrate National Teddy Bear Day on Twitter is through the hashtag #NationalTeddyBearDay. We’d really appreciate it if, you’d care to mention The Gift of Life in your tweets. Your social media mentions can help us gain more support and awareness.
National Teddy Bear Day comes just one day before our annual galas. Consider making plans to join us next year at our 4th annual black tie gala and celebrate with us.
Another great way to help The Gift of Life celebrate National Teddy Bear Day is by supporting our organization. Whether you opt to volunteer with us or just want to donate funds. Your gift matters and it does make a positive impact on the lives of preemie infants and their families.
Like with most holidays, gift giving is often the first thing that comes to mind when Father’s Day rolls around. But the things that can be done to make this day extra special for dad aren’t limited to buying him presents – in fact, Father’s Day presents, for whatever reason, have a reputation for being quite awful. Of a truth, some gifts for dad are so bad that they’re just plain hilarious.
Men whose children have grown beyond toddlerhood are the ones most likely to suffer getting tacky neckties, musk-scented soap-on-a-rope, dress socks with “I heart dad” printed on them, or perhaps a toolbelt (so that he can remember just how much work is still lingering on his to-do list). Spectacular, isn’t it?
What happens when the only child a man has is still a baby, a newborn, by the time Father’s Day comes? What about if 2016 marks his first Father’s Day ever? How about those men whose child(ren) have passed on – such as if their baby was born a preemie and is either in the NICU or didn’t make it, and this is the first time this holiday has come since it happened? There’s no reason that any of these men should have to miss out on the celebration of their own fatherhood if they don’t want to.
4 Ways to Make Father’s Day Great for First Time Dads
Ease His Burdens
The ability to enjoy less stress on his special day can mean a lot more to dad than any new trinket or tool. While he likely has responsibilities that nobody else can manage but him, finding any way to take the load off his shoulders for the day is an excellent way to show him love and appreciation. For example, you might not be able to attend that business meeting with his pushy boss for him, but you can pick up his suit from the dry cleaners and take care of his other household chores. Note, however, that giving him the day off from responsibilities without having the work covered is not an effective way of easing his burdens – he’ll know full well that the work will just be waiting for him, all piled up for Monday.
Crown Him the VIP for the Day
Make his first Father’s Day, and every Father’s Day that follows special by treating him like a king. Let him have his way – even if only for this one day. Do those things that he’s been asking for but have yet to be done. Treat him like your very own VIP for the day. Giving dad this extraordinary care and attention may require laying your ego aside and biting your lip at times, but it’s worth it. He’ll feel the love and appreciation and you’ll have succeeded in achieving your goal of making his day great – hopefully, it won’t all go to his head!
Give Him Understanding
It isn’t just women and moms who crave to be listened to; dads like to have understanding too. Although every day is a great day to give fathers understanding, it should especially be done on Father’s day. This is especially important for first time fathers, even if they are the silent type, because their newfound fatherhood means that some big changes have taken place in their lives recently. It might be so that men are not always open to sharing feelings or emotions, but it doesn’t matter much if the dad in your life is this way. Just spend some time with him – even if it’s watching sports with him when you are anything but a sports fan.
Show Him Love
Real dads have earned their right to appreciation. They’ve earned their rest days, celebrations, honor, and respect – they give so much! They give according to what they have. It’s not the length of time spent as a father that matters, but the heart behind fatherhood that matters. Love is the best present that anyone could give, but sometimes the people that we love the most can go without feeling that love. On this Father’s Day, whether the man in your life is an experienced dad, a new father, or a dad whose child is gone, go out of your way to show him love and that will make this day one of the most special of them all. If you’re really focused on buying dad a great present this year, consider making a donation in his name to The Gift of Life.
