NEWBORNS IN NEED
Mesa Arizona Chapter
April 2007             Volume 7 Issue 4

www.newbornsinneed.org

President’s Report

With much gratitude, we received a GENEROUS grant from the Community Partners program at Arizona Federal Credit Union.  Thanks to 5 volunteers, we got $250 ($50 apiece as each volunteer contributed at least 25 hours during 2006.)  This really is an easy – but needed – way to help our Chapter! Plan on helping us next year!  (Grant forms are available at the beginning of the year.)

We received several thank-you letters this month: Judy Fritz, RTS Coordinator at Phoenix Baptist Hospital, wrote to thank us for donations of burial kits.  She mentioned how grateful the parents were – even at this sad time.

The NICU Staff at Banner Desert Medical Center and Hospital sent their thanks: “for all your hard work and time!  We cannot express how much we greatly appreciate all you do!” 

We were surprised and sad to learn that Phoenix Memorial Hospital in Phoenix will no longer exist after May 31st. The RN that received the last donation was expressing her gratitude and said…..”You don’t realize what an impact you have made on the lives of our patients. Babies going to foster care wouldn’t travel with anything of their own.  Families that don’t have something  - their eyes light up when we give them your items.”   We have been blessed to be able to

Shirleen and Paul Daniels were able to make a delivery to St. Joseph’s Hospital on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) and meet a family who received some of our holiday donations. The father was a recent immigrant from Ireland. They were a super-patriotic Irish family – the father had a face painting of a shamrock for the holiday and they had an Irish flag and a toy shamrock in the baby’s incubator!  He raved over the “St. Patty’s Day” quilt and other items – couldn’t believe someone not Irish and didn’t even know them would care!  The mom was more interested in comparing experiences with Shirleen whose last child was also born at St. Joseph’s Hospital, was also a girl born 9 1/2 weeks early, and was within a couple of ounces of the same weight. She asked how our daughter did in school, and how she was doing now as an adult. What a blessing to be able to meet this family and provide not only physical and tangible support but emotional support as well.

Chapter Meeting

• Patriotic Hospital Items
• Show and Tell

Our next monthly meeting will be at JoAnn Fabrics, 965 S. Gilbert Road, Mesa, AZ from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, May 4, 2007. Patriotic items will be discussed and shared.  We will blanket stitch patriotic appliqués on NICU layette items and tie ribbon on sets of diapers, soap, and washcloths for newborn kits.

Continuing Needs

Now that the Valley is heating up, we need baby onesies! Memory items for our burial layettes are also in short supply. We always need newborn disposable diapers and Ivory soap (for the newborn kits).  Cash donations are always appreciated for postage and purchasing supplies that aren’t donated. Make checks payable to: Newborns in Need Mesa AZ Chapter and contact: www.newbornsinneed.org/mesa THANKS!

National Newborns in Need Convention

The Convention will be held in Bolivar, Missouri this year – May 3 –5, 2007.  Vivian Giumette and Marilyn Freeman will be representing us this year. Be sure and attend June’s meeting and hear all the exciting details and see the pictures!

Drop-Off Locations

If you can’t make it to our monthly work meeting, we have three drop-off locations.  Please call for directions: Northwest Phoenix, Rachelle (623) 399-6614; Southeast Phoenix, Frances (480) 706-4317; East valley, Shirleen (480) 892-5986

Mesa AZ Newborns in Need Board

President—Shirleen Daniels
Vice President—Marilyn Freeman
Secretary—Denise Young
Treasurer—Kathy Overturf
Work Director—Barbara Ward