SHARE Atlanta

I am busy here at SHARE Atlanta bringing in the new year of meaningful outreaches and options for healing. I want to thank those who remembered SHARE Atlanta during the holiday season. Many season's blessings were given to us as a result of people's love for their special baby and in hopes of continuation of SHARE Atlanta's support for newly bereaved parents and families. We thank those who shared (in so many different ways!) with our group this season and during the last year!

I am going to save some of the wonderful stories of "gifts" for our next newsletter, but I know that some of you most likely would like to know a few exciting facts!

Festival of Tree's 2005

Festival of Tree's 2005

4B's ~ Blanket of Love - Mark your calendar's for January 28 from 10 to 1. Join us to learn how to make these blankets.

At our Women's Candlelighting meeting in November, Kelly Mishkoff and her friend, Jennifer, brought some of the beautiful SHARE Atlanta blankets. They highlighted how much the 4B's project has meant to those hospitals that have received our donation of blankets for bereaved families. Kelly suggested that we needed fleece or monies to buy fleece so the senior citizens can make more of these tiny blankets.

As a result of this sharing, we had several families donate money and/or fleece toward this outreach! Several others got their family, workplace, and friends involved in actually making blankets (both fleece and knitting them!). Their stories will be shared in our next newsletter.

I, personally, am greatly touched by the response that we have received with this project. I believe that this "outreach" will help so many newly bereaved parents begin the process of grief knowing that they have families who love them and who support them from the very first moments. Together we begin to heal...we do not have to walk this path alone.

Please join us (Kelly will be here, too.) at my home on January 28th to learn how to make these blankets. Bring some fleece with you if you can. We will have some here - ready to be made into blankets. Debbie Bader (who will also be here) has been busy buying and cutting fleece for our seniors and for our workshop. We thank her very much for that!

If anyone would like to knit a blanket, please bring samples with you and help others learn how to do this as well.

Please RSVP for Blanket Workshop to Marcia if you can join us. Though, if you are not sure and find you can be here - do come!

Details about Outreach and more about blankets - colors and type of fleece, etc.

MOD's WalkAmerica on April 22, 2006 with "Family Team" SHARE Atlanta #562 at 9 am. in Centennial Olympic Park

Cindy Ivey, who has shown (with her friends and family) so much support for the MOD's walk in the last two years, is ready to be the main Team Captain again for this year. We are grateful to her for this! It would be nice for another parent to join her as a co-captain. So if you are interested, let me know. The annual kick-off luncheon is in February, and we will be there!

When we walk with SA (and wear our SA shirts), we let others know that a group such as ours exists to support bereaved parents and their family and friends. We show that our group extends beyond ourselves to an outreach for others. We let others know that we walk in honor and in memory of a child that means much to us (no manner how long we carried him/her...this baby's presence is important) and will be "forever in our hearts."

A letter with details will be coming out soon. Most of the information will be on our website and on the MOD's website. We encourage you to do your fundraising online - it is in place - right now- on the WalkAmerica site. MODs states that more monies are raised because it IS easier to do - both for the fund raiser and those who wish to donate to MODs.

Sidenote: We donated our very old car to MODs two years ago and had the donation go for our Team #562. It was a great boost to our donation level. So, if you know of anyone who is considering donating a car, suggest MODs (and us..). The process is quick, they came and got the car. Most of the paper work was via the internet with a few phone calls.

For review of what we have accomplished in the past.

To sign up to walk with SHARE Atlanta #562, "Family Team," in WalkAmerica (more later about this...)

Groups ~ Please join us at our groups. (See end of note for listings and directions.)

January Meeting Topic: Grief and Secondary Losses

Our primary loss is the death of our baby. Our grief begins as soon as we know that our baby is going to die or has died. Secondary losses arise as we move through our grief. It helps to recognize these losses so we can better cope with them in order to heal. They include: loss of - innocence, hope, role of parenting, communication with others, self-worth, etc. As we share in the group, we will see how these secondary losses influence our grief and how to cope with our feelings and reactions to all of these losses. Grief is a process, and it helps us when we learn more about it.

Please join us at our groups. Our volunteers are there to help support you. Tammy White is joining Lynne Anderson at our Acworth group this Thursday the 12th. We are thrilled that she is going to be a co-facilitator for this group.

Please RSVP to Lynne if you intend to join them on Thursday. Thank you!

Online Parent Packet...with information about our groups and directions to our meetings!

I have revised our "SHARE Atlanta (SA) Parent Packet" to include more of "who we are and what we do." It is now offered on our website! Please visit this page - it includes the directions and information about our groups.

Online Forum - January 16th

We are happy to announce that our online forum will begin "anew" as of January 16th. Several moms and I will be the monitors for this forum. We invite you to visit and participate.

Just like our groups and programs, it is important for us to come together and be active in this outreach for it to be meaningful for our parents. Sharing our thoughts and needs on the forum helps us realize that, though our loss is unique to each of us, there are some common reactions and feelings after our loss. Sharing these feelings and reactions bring them out into the open and we can work to resolve them.

Our website gives us a place to write out our stories and leave lasting thoughts for us to share. The forum gives us a place for quick "check-in" moments, finding someone immediately that might share, and keeping up with each other in a more general way. If we have good participation, I would like to schedule some online "topic" chats. I hope you will come and be a part of this important outreach for healing...

In closing...

I hope to see you on the forum, at our groups, and/or at the 4B's workshop. But, if you are not ready to join us, know that we understand. We offer these as "options" to help you to heal. We are blessed to have such wonderful and willing members that do pull together to make these happen. Each person is important and we do the best we can to send out support to you. Our group could not be a "group" without its members coming together...thank you!

Take care,

Marcia

The love stays...forever in our hearts.

Archived Online Newsletters

Archived SA Updates

Group Information:

Karen Verner

From I-75: Take I-75 North to Exit 235, Old Dixie Highway, turn left across the bridge then right at the end of the bridge. This is the intersection of 19/41 & I-75-go straight through this light. After approximately 1 to 1 1/2 miles Southern Regional Medical Center will be on the right. *** Continue going straight and to through the next light, which is Roy Huie Road. The church is on the left. There are two lots, park in the lower parking lot. The meeting is in the first room to the right as you enter the breezeway.

From I-85: Take I-85 North to I-285 West to I-75 South. Get off at the Griffin/Jonesboro exit and turn right. After approximately 1 to 1 1/2 miles Southern Regional Med. Center will be on the right. Now follow the directions above (***) .

Please RSVP to Lynne if you intend to join them on Thursday. Thank you!

From I-75: Go 75 North. Exit at the Wade Green Road exit and go left Go to the 3rd light which is Jiles road and go right Go to the next light which is Baker road and go right Take a right at Moon Station Road. There is a sign at the corner that has the name of the church. The church is immediately on your right. Turn into the second driveway. Summit Baptist Church is about 2 1/2 miles from 75.

Enter through the door all the way on the left with the sign "Church Office" on it. Our room is the third door on the left.

Email Marcia's for directions to her home.

Email Robin Cash

From South of Atlanta: Take I-85 or I-75 to I-285 West to exit #7 - Cascade Rd. Make a right onto Cascade Rd. The church is approximately 1 mile on the right side of the street.

From North of Atlanta: Take I-85 or I-75 South to I-285 West to exit #7 - ***Cascade Rd. Make a left onto Cascade Rd. The church is approximately 1 mile on the right side of the street.

From West of Atlanta: Take I-20 East to I-285 South to exit #7 - The same as above ***.

From East of Atlanta: Take I-20 West to I-285 South to exit #7 - The same as above ***.