Thank You to our Wonderful NIN Volunteers

This new year brings additional opportunities to bless the lives of babies and their families in our area. The volunteers in our chapter are so generous and hard-working. We distributed 40,679 items throughout central and northern Arizona in 2007. This was up 11% from 2006. Members of our chapter gave 33,297.5 hours in 2007. Our donations included 1170 newborns kits, 703 burial layettes, 902 NICU layettes, 1225 NB quilts or blankets, 1028 preemie blankets, 612 beanie snakes, 639 memory cards, 3997 hats (in addition to those included in the NB kits, burial layettes, and NICU layettes), 1946 gently used baby things, and numerous other baby items. Working together we are making a difference!

We received two thank you letters from moms who received newborns kits at Phoenix Indian Medical Center. Trina wrote, “Thank you for starting us off with clothing and the blanket. We needed it.” Dianna penned, “Thank you for the gift. I’m so excited. I love the booties, they’re cute. You made my day. Thank you ♥.”

Cheryl Alexander, RNC BSN, Banner Children’s Hospital NICU, sent an E-mail, “Merry Christmas! Hope you all are well and happy and ready for the season. Thanks to all of your hard work and generosity we are, too! I want to thank all of you with Newborns in Need for all your time, talents, and devotion to the children and families we care for here in the NICU. Thank you is so inadequate… Your devotion, understanding, reliability and talent are unequaled. The children who have come through this unit have been so blessed to have your help ‘behind the scenes’ as we provide critical and recuperative care. You are an awesome group!” Later she sent a letter, “As another year flies by, I am again struck by the generosity and dedication of Newborns in Need to the NICU at Banner Children’s Hospital. So many infants and their families have been provided lovely handmade cloth items that offer comfort and a sense of normalcy to our families in crisis. The entire staff as well appreciates all the blankets, hats, incubator covers, clothing, booties, and especially the lovely quilts you all have made for the children being cared for here. Having a premature or ill baby is an extremely difficult time for families. The miracle of birth is often overshadowed by fear and worry and there are very few experiences that the parents planned for when anticipating their child’s arrival. The colorful, well-made handiwork you all have made makes an infant’s stay more homey. Often babies have to stay in the hospital for weeks or months before gaining the strength to go home. Having clothing and blankets the appropriate size makes things so much better! And do you all realize just how many items you have donated? Just in estimated value alone you all have contributed almost $12,000 in items! I look forward to our continued relationship. Words alone cannot express the gratitude to the families, the infants, the nurses, doctors and specialists here in the NICU feel toward each and every one of you. Again your devotion and skill have not gone unnoticed. May this holiday season and New Year bless you all.”

We also received a letter from Andy Kramer, President/CEO Banner Health Foundation, “On behalf of Banner Health Foundation, thank you for your thoughtful and generous newborn items to Banner Children’s Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center. Your giving spirit is greatly appreciated…Thank you for helping us help others.”

Barb Farmer, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Volunteer Services Manager, wrote, “Thank you for the newborn kits, layettes, Santa hats and quilts, and potpourri. We will make sure to share these beautiful items with the families who deliver babies at our hospital. Thanks for all your hard work!”

We received three letters from Diane Bishop, Maricopa Health Foundation Executive Director. One read, “The Maricopa Health Foundation gratefully acknowledges your donation of burial layettes, preemie sets, memory envelopes and cards, potpourri bags, NICU layettes, newborn kits, quilts, blankets, positioning snakes, afghans, hats and hospital procedure dolls, valued at $4,051.50, for use by the NICU at Maricopa Medical Center…Thank you for your kind and generous support of the infants at Maricopa Medical Center.” Another noted, “your donation of miscellaneous Christmas blankets, quilts, hats and gowns.” And the third mentioned, “newborn kits, beanie babies, cloth diapers, fleece blankets, position snakes, and afghans”.

Steven Schnall, Vice President of Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation, wrote: ”…We would like to express our deepest gratitude to you for Newborns in Need’s generous gift of quilts, afghans, hats, and booties.”

Loberna Monzon-Dinglasan, MD at Mesa Family Health Center, told us we are their “angels” when we brought our December delivery. Donations mean so much to their patients. Sometimes they have so very little, so they appreciate whatever they receive. The new and gently used toys were especially welcome since they could be shared with children who came with moms to prenatal checkups.

Christmas 2007 donations that went to eight area hospitals and Mesa Family Health Center.

With your continuing help, we will make a difference in the lives of many children!!