What’s the best way to get the most enjoyment from the Christmas season? For some, it’s all about the presents. For others, it’s about spending time with loved ones. And if you’re anything like me, then it will be (at least slightly) about the break from routine pressures. But do any of these things capture the true pinnacle holiday enjoyment?
It does my heart well to send loved ones special greetings. And I can’t say I don’t take pleasure in getting a gift of two (or three). And having those precious extra moments to reflect mean the world to me, but my focus during Christmas and New Years isn’t to slack off but to capture opportunity. Of a truth, it’s a tradition for The Gift of Life team.
Because getting the most enjoyment out of the holiday season means to get down to it’s true meaning. It’s more than get-togethers and gifts. It’s more than well wishing. The holidays are about doing as much as you can to fill as much of the world with love as you can.
It’s about letting that love from others flow through you (especially if you’re prone to be a grump). It’s about being a source of love for those who need to be filled up. It’s about allowing yourself, even if you have to expend precious energy, to serve as an integral part of the outpouring and overflow.
The holiday season is always a busy time at The Gift of Life. This year is no different. In fact, it may prove one of the busiest Christmas and New Year seasons we’ve seen yet. Though many get overwhelmed this time of year, we find the rush is inspiring as we look forward to achieving great things in 2020.
Our annual Christmas teddy bear and preemie hat delivery to the NICU was a grand success. As for me, it was my first visit there. Now though for me, as mentioned, I tend to go into isolation and reflection mode around this time of year, I don’t think any greater insight could’ve been bestowed upon me than that which I found right there in the NICU.
Of all people, it was the receptionist that did it, as she was checking my ID and taking my picture for the visitor badge. We had just brought in all the gift bags and sat them around the large Christmas tree. The receptionist was in near tears.
“You see that rack behind me?” she said, “oh it’s always full with toy donations for the children… Nothing for the preemies, though. Rarely does anything ever goes to that side.”
“So what we do is needed?” I asked, shocked.
“Very much.”
Normally, when I tell people about The Gift of Life and who I am in the organization and what we do they don’t cry.
No.
Many don’t show any emotional response at all because they can’t relate. When someone’s life has been touched by premature birth, I can often tell before they speak up because of their response to our mission.
She didn’t tell me, but I’ll bet the receptionist has seen countless preemies and their families and come to know their stories. She’s one of us; a person with a heart for the tiniest of us all and those that love them.
Have you ever held a baby that could fit in the palm of your hand? Have you ever seen one up close – tubes and tape and all? I was given one of their diapers as a souvenir.
And while we were there we were able to introduce ourselves to a few of the preemie parents. All of them were exhausted. All welcomed our visit.
Like the receptionist and other hospital staff, like the much-needed smiles we inspired on the preemie parents’ faces that day, I’m thankful for The Gift of Life.
I’m thankful for the blessing of the opportunity and ability to extend love in a much needed area, to a group that often goes overlooked, especially during the holidays.
It was the experience of the isolation and need in the NICU that inspired Rosie and Marcus Moore to found our organization. And, however ironically fitting, Christmas season around here kicks off with Rosie’s birthday.
As Rosie most-notably always says, “Remember to dream because dreams do come true”.
And I say, “One person can make a difference” (though I think she said it first). Rosie proves every day what one person can do.
Since founding The Gift of Life, Rosie has become an author, speaker, mentor (especially to me), beauty queen, pageant coach, doula, and nurse consultant. She was already a mother, wedding planner, and passionate tap dancer. I, like many, am proud to call her friend.
And I have to confess we had a spectacular time celebrating her birthday this year.
How will You Transform Lives in 2020?
You can expect a lot of great things to be going on at The Gift of Life this year. Our goal is to raise the funds we need to both continue and expand our outreach operations. To this end, we’ve got a lot of great events planned for the soon-upon-us year. The biggest being our Black Tie Gala that’s set to take place at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort.
You’re going to be there, right?
Join us!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Gift of Life’s team
It’s become a tradition here at The Gift of Life to celebrate the birthdays of our team. And, of course, Rosie Moore’s birthday could hardly be an exception! For those who don’t know, Rosie is our founder. She’s also the mother of our very own “Miracle” Kaleb Moore, the preemie who started it all – it’s still amazing to us that he’s now a just a few years from being a preteen! Rosie is also an author of children’s’ books and romance novels, Mrs. Michigan International, and is even a doula, having earned her doctorate in nursing – yup, that’s Dr. Rosie Moore to you! Rosie’s career as a motivational speaker is also on the rise.
Do you think she does enough? Too much? Well, we haven’t even begun to dig into her wedding planning business. Rosie’s not only an impressive, master wedding planner, but also travel agent. If Rosie plans a trip for you, rest assured it’ll be top notch! And, if you missed having her plan your wedding, maybe it’s time to renew your wedding vows!
What an amazing person. To us, Rosie Moore is a true inspiration. I mean, she really stays on her toes ;).
To the families we help, she’s a blessing. She’s a blessing to us and thanks to her we get to be a part of being a blessing to countless families right when they need a friend the most.
What gift could you give such a person as Rosie for her birthday? Rosie loves to give back. Her passion for The Gift of Life’s mission keeps her focused on the needs of the organization and the families it serves. The best gift to her is to help that mission succeed. This you can do either through a monetary gift or by donating your time. A simple social share or a note on your calendar to join one of our events are also ways to help further The Gift of Life.
We at The Gift of Life thank you for taking this moment to join us in celebrating Rosie’s birthday and hope to see you at our 2019 Black Tie Gala which takes place annually in September in Orlando (weather permitting!).
When parents are in the NICU, it is a roller coaster ride day in and day out. There will be good days that the baby is doing well and then there are the days when the baby’s life is in danger because the baby’s condition has taken a step backward. Many times it is infections that will cause the baby’s breathing needs to increase so they have to remain on life support longer, other times it is surgery, making the baby’s progress unknown. It is a day to day management of the baby’s needs. This type of stress takes its toll on a parent where they lose hope on those days and they do not have anywhere to turn. Family and friends are there for the parents, but after a while, the support becomes less and less and the parents only have each other to hold on to. When both parents have lost hope and do not have a place to turn, it becomes daunting and unbearable.
As a parent of a preemie myself, I had those days and each and every time when my husband and I went out to our car we would walk saddened to the car in the long walk through the parking garage wondering what will become of our baby and how will we cope. However on those days without fail, every time we got in our car to drive home, we would listen to Z88.3 a contemporary Christian radio station that offers support to listeners through positive radio music and the song that each and every time came on was “The Voice of Truth.” The song speaks about having faith to stand before a giant and the strength to carry on. The song gives encouragement that any trial we face God has the last say. We took that song to heart and each time we received bad news remembered it at the very moment the bad news came and we would listen to it on the radio when it came on. We had nothing else but our faith to hold on to.
Regardless of what your religious beliefs are, this song will encourage you through the difficult times.
It was such a powerful song, that it was performed at our charity gala twice by two different performers to give hope and encouragement to the preemie parents attending that year.
What can you say about a person that took a traumatic experience and transformed it into a blessing that continues to touch hundreds of lives? When we look at ourselves, our perceived shortcomings and limitations, and then consider the great people we know, it’s a humbling experience.
If you don’t know, Rosie Moore is a remarkable woman. We’ve come to think of her more like the superhero she dresses up as each year during the Super Run than as an ‘everyday’ person. She may never confess it, but she has moved her entire life from average to extraordinary. She’d never confess it because instead she’ll give all the glory to the God she serves – and that’s just another instance of her greatness.
Since starting The Gift of Life, Rosie has become a well-published author, local celebrity, and even transformed her own physical fitness to earn the crown of Mrs. Windermere International. Through her annual galas, 5k runs, and other events, she has brought together Orlando’s business community, local community, and preemie community. All of this, and Rosie’s story has still just begun.
Happy Birthday Rosie! We love you. You’re our mentor, leader, and a great inspiration.
This year is at it’s close and we’re now eagerly awaiting what 2018 will bring. Looking back on 2017 we can see the achievements and the challenges of our organization. The Gift of Life has not quite yet made 5 years old. Still in it’s infantile stage, we are ever aiming to take this organization to new heights for the sake of the families and communities we serve. We did more than ever but we have more work to do still.
The 5K Super Run took place in February and we could see the growth when compared to the previous year. There were crowds of runners all dressed up in their superhero costumes, having an awesome time for a heart-touching cause. Then, throughout the year we delivered preemie hats to the NICU and shipped out stacks of preemie care packages, both for families who were admitted and discharged. Our black tie gala was as elegant as ever, with it’s red carpet entry, silent auction, celebrity performances, and delectable cuisine. Everyone put on their best to give their best to those in need.
Even The Gift of Life’s website saw some major changes in 2017. We performed a total redesign to make it run faster, smoother, and provide a better user experience so that it could be the tool we needed in order to reach more people and do more good.
We have set our goals for 2018, including securing an office space that can house our administrative offices as well as serve as a donation drop off and preemie family mentoring center. We also aim to improve our outreach efforts and add more volunteers to our team. And of course, we’re always looking to improve the efficiency of our processes, growing ever better at fulfilling our mission, which states, “The Gift of Life offers hope, encouragement, and support to the parents of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
Will you help us in celebrating Rosie’s birthday and preparing to achieve 2018’s goals? Join us on Facebook for Rosie’s Birthday fundraiser to make a contribution to cause.
Happy Birthday Rosie. May you celebrate countless more! You’re living proof that one person can make a difference
Some people go all about for their birthday, buying themselves expensive gifts and expecting others in the life to do the same. Funds aside, there are people of all ages, walks of life, and status levels who consider their birthdays to be all about them and insist, even take great pleasure, in celebrating them as such – there’s nothing wrong with that, right?
It’s true that there are those who don’t celebrate birthdays at all, rather for religious reasons or lack thereof. At The Gift of Life, birthdays are extremely important, not due to some philosophical reason, but because of the condition in which some enter the world, namely preemies. For a preemie to survive that first year is a big deal because that baby had a high chance of not making it even that far in life. So, when his or her birthday comes, it’s celebration time, regardless.
But what about those who arrive in the world fully formed? Life is still worth celebrating. Much like the high level of wonder and interest that is given in the lives of those who have longevity and make it beyond 100 years of age, each year is precious and counts. That life has its ups and downs through the years, that people make mistakes, is irrelevant here; the value of a person is gestalt – greater than the sum of his or her parts. Every person has the right to celebrate the years they survive, one at a time. How do you celebrate yours?
Today, December 22nd, is our founder’s birthday. Happy birthday Rosie! We love you! And Rosie does enjoy celebrating her birthday, indeed…
Being the mom of a preemie son as well as the leader of an organization that cares for the families of preemies, understanding the value of life and of surviving the years comes to Rosie effortlessly and gracefully. For her, the celebration of her birthday is not just about herself, but of life. All human life.
On your next birthday, consider celebrating it by doing good for someone else. Make your birthday celebration not about you and experience the great reward from so doing. For Rosie’s birthday, we ask that you join us in celebrating it the way she loves to do; giving to the preemie cause and community – make a donation to The Gift of Life. Even the smallest amount counts.
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