SHARE Atlanta

These SA members joined me, Marcia McGinnis, for “cookies and brainstorming” on Sunday, 9.8.2013, as we looked to SA’s future! Since 1984, our ALL volunteer members have come together in many different ways..weekend retreats, day long retreats, 2 to 4 hour meetings, etc. to first establish and then continue our mission of healing for families who have experienced pregnancy or newborn loss. We have been a non-profit since the mid-80s. What we built years ago, with no resources except respect and care for one another..and love for our babies, quickly grew into a stable ongoing organization. It was hard work, but very worth it.

On Sunday, we reviewed our base structure, mission, goals, and looked at our recent successes. Then, we brainstormed ways to make us more viable in today’s world. I so appreciate those who joined me on Sunday as well as those who continue to fulfill the many different roles within our organization. There are some links below to pdfs and website pages that highlight the MANY contributions our SA members have given through the years. We ARE SA because of our ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS! We are VOLUNTEERS..PARENTS who have healed or who are healing that wish to reach out to others in memory and in honor of our own precious babies. We do this because we understand the need for support and understanding. It is a lonely walk if no one is there to lean on. Our mission is healing for bereaved parents, their family and friends. We do this by offering many different options for healing. We also support Advocacy and Awareness for the Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community. Hugs to SHARE Altanta members!!! (Marcia McGinnis)

Our group has members fulfilling the basic core jobs: president (Marcia M.); treasurer (Pam S); secretary (Betty M)(thank you notes, etc.); mails anniversary cards (Emily J); material and resource mailing person (Lynne A); telephone committee—8 to 10 people -with coordinator (Leah B.); parent packet mailer (Karen V.); memorial brick pathway coordinator (Jen G.); maintains garden and place the bricks (Polly and Joe K); gets the bricks (Reece R); MODS’ team co-captains (Cindy I. and Marcia M); group facilitators. (Tammy W. and Marcia); We also provide inservices, memorial services, workshops, online newsletters and updates, CBRS, and a website and FB page.

Other members contribute to our program as the need or suggestion arises. For example: Together we have brought the Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth (CBRS), in 2008, with Erin Dickerson and Marcia McGinnis moving this bill into a law. Our 5Bs Outreach (Blanket, Buntings, Booties, Bonnets, and Bracelets) was begun by Kelly Mishkoff and continues as one of our most important "Outreach for Healing" projects.

Our recent successes include:

1. 6th year in a row #1 Family MODS’ Downtown Team and for the 4th time in 10 years a placingm 8th Nationally for Family Teams!! SA mom, Tamara Pfeifer-Partis, was a top walker downtown and will be recognized as one of the Top Ten National Walkers at the National Volunteer Convention in Washington, DC at the end of Sept. So, Tamara, Cindy and I will all be there to accept awards! We raised $46,000 for healthy babies as we “Walked to Remember” our precious babies. The most dear award is finding answers to why babies die.

2. 4 well attended and highly rated inservices in the last 2 years which continue our Inservice program started in 1985.

3. Angel Garden Memorial Service with close to 100 in attendance with a mixture of members from the past as well as present.

4. Women’s Candlelighting Service: My family room was filled with sharing and caring women this past year.

5. 5 B’s items coming in and 6 hospitals receiving them. This is down from the 15 hospitals of the past (due to lack of people to take them to the hospitals.).

6. Sips and Strokes in Feb.—attended by 20 moms

7. Angel of Hope Garden for Sandy Hook, CT—$1000. Donation from SA to support this outreach. The dedication of this angel will be Dec. 6, 2013.

8. Active FB page

9. Though our groups are small (once again), now, we had a sizable group come through with many new babies who are around one year old and younger now. We need to have a Family Reunion to celebrate these little ones.

10. SA’s Angel Garden is well kept by Joe and Polly and we had 25 memorial bricks ordered this fall.

11. Anniversary cards go out to those who attend our meetings.

12. Phone Committee working

Needs and/or Suggestions:

1. Private FB page so parents will feel freer to express feelings and needs.

2. Family Reunion to bring new babies together and many of our “older” members will join in with their families.

3. A telephone group: for our Subsequent Pregnancy Group and for our Grief Group

4. Workshops for 2014: Sips and Strokes; Blanket making; As before both would include mementos and sharing as well.

5. Keep: MODS; Groups; Anniversary and thank you cards; Memorial Services; Inservices; Public FB pages

Volunteer Needed for:

1. Blanket Distribution and SA Materials: to a hospital near you—once or twice a year.

2. Family Reunion: Centrally located or easy to get to home with area for older children to play. Simple refreshments on a Sunday afternoon - We need someone whose house would work for this. 10 to 20 families might attend.

2. Phone Committee—two weeks twice a year. Light calling.

3. FB support

4. New Baby Arrivals kept and shared with members. We have always done this in the past, and we need to do this again.

5. Set-up or plan workshops

6. Facilate, as needed, a Subsequent Pregnancy Group by phone.

Links about SHARE Atlanta - Many of which contain pictures and descriptions of the MANY Volunteers and what they have accomplished since 1984!:

SA's Story since 1984

SA in the NEWS and Past Successful Outreaches as "Healing Happens."

SA Pictorial Timeline - Advocacy and Awareness since 1984 in pdf

SA Brief Overview - SA Member's Make A DIFFERENCE since 1984 in pdf

Inservices for Awareness and Advocacy..Marcia McGinnis' "The Circle of Healing" provides information for nurses, social workers, chaplains, student nurses, Stephen Ministry, etc.

SA's FB Page FULL of pictures and Information

SA's Mini-Newsletters Covering Our Activities - Mother's Day Celebration, MODS, CBRS, 5Bs - that can be Ongoing when we have parents who wish to participate in them!

Archived Online Newsletters

Archived SA Updates

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