Fun and Friends

I really don't know where this summer has gone, especially the month of August.  We have been very busy this past month working on Ella's Halo, getting our last few days out on the lake, spending as much time outside in the sunshine and catching up with our friends. 

Our event with Reside, Cocktails for a Cause was a great success!  We raised over $1,000 in just a few short hours.  Nothing like meeting new friends over cocktails and appetizers at a fun bar and talking about Ella's Halo.  It was so much fun. Thank you to Reside for picking us for Cocktails for a Cause's nonprofit and for Ringo for being such great hosts.  And a great big thank you to all of our guests that came to meet and support Ella's Halo. 

Ella's Halo also set up an fund at Amplatz Children's Hospital.  It is called the Ella Jo Krumwiede NICU Fund and it will help the NICU at Amplatz to buy bigger items such as chairs and computers.  We are very excited to be able to put money into that fund to help the unit get items that help make the time in the hospital a little easier for families.  And I love that our board of directors wanted to name the fund after Ella since Amplatz was her home! 

We also had another board meeting this month to discuss a possible event late this winter.  We are throwing around ideas and figuring out some fun new ideas for our next event!  So be on the look out for another event this winter to help raise money for Ella's Halo.

Also Ryan and I got a tour of Children's Hospital-St. Paul's NICU.  We met with their patient care manager for the NICU unit and learned of ways Ella's Halo can help them and items they would like to have for their babies and families too.  It was a great visit and we had a good time seeing another NICU unit that we will be helping.  Can't wait to start giving them donations and working with them in the future.

The day after Labor Day, Ella's Halo will be serving dinner to families at the Ronald McDonald House.  We are excited to help families who have babies in the NICU or other children that are sick that are staying at the hospital.  It is such a good way to give back to another organization that helped many of our NICU friends.

Finally, Ella's Halo has another friend.  Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope, is another organization that is helping women who have lost a baby to find support.  If you go to their website at http://www.facesofloss.com/ you can learn more about their mission and also see that they posted my story on their blog too.  We know it is important to support other nonprofit and organizations.

This summer has been just full of fun and friends.  And now Ella's Halo is getting ready for the fall to help even more babies and families.

Day of Hope

Fourteen months ago our little girl left us.  There hasn't been a day that has gone by that I haven't thought about her.  It is still hard to think that people are slowly going to stop talking about her, wanting to hear about her stories or remember her short time with us.  These fears are something anyone who has lost a baby carries with them. 

However, Carly Marie, another bereaved mother has set up August 19th as a day to remember our babies.  In addition, she wants everyone to donate memory boxes to other families who share the similar pain of loss.  Check out one of her many blogs at http://august19thdayofhope.blogspot.com/.  Read the insert from her blog below:

People view the death of a baby as just a sad thing that happened. These babies that die are not sad things that happen. They are people, much loved and wanted children. They are brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, grandsons and granddaughters. August 19th is about openly speaking about these children and celebrating their short lives.

Every single day families all over the world leave a hospital with empty arms. Their hopes, dreams and plans for the future shattered by the death of their baby/ies. On Thursday August 19th 2010 we will be donating a memory box to the hospital.

There are days I feel sad and alone.  I hurt with pain of missing my baby girl.  But each time we do something for Ella's Halo and help other babies in the NICU I know that she is with me.  I know that Ella's spirit is with us each time a little baby in the hospital gets to snuggle in a soft cute little blanket that Ella's Halo donated. 

I think that is what today August 19th is all about, remembering our babies while helping other families get through the pain of having a baby die or be sick in the hospital.  And Ella's Halo does that every time we donate to the NICU, we remember Ella while helping babies.  August 19th is about spreading hope while remembering! 

Cocktails

Just a reminder about tomorrow.  Please join us for Reside's upcoming “Cocktails for a Cause” event this Tuesday, August 17th from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Ringo Restaurant in St. Louis Park with proceeds going to Ella's Halo.

There will be free appetizers, happy hour specials, wine samples courtesy of Pitatelli Wines and the chance to connect with other local business people who share a commitment to investing in the lives of local families and children.

If you plan to attend, please send your RSVP email to ahoefer@reside.biz.

Ella's Halo is looking forward to this event and to seeing you all there!

Ella's Friends

Recently we made a connection with another non-profit that is near and dear to our hearts, CaringBridge.  Their link is now posted on our website http://www.ellashalo.com/Ella_s_Friends.html.  CaringBridge provides free websites that connect family and friends during a serious health event, care and recovery. They are a bridge of comfort to many families.

We started Ella's CaringBridge site when she was first born. It become a connection to the outside world, a way to keep our family and friends informed about our little girl, and for us to get supportive messages during our stay at the hospital.  But most important it was our first time that writing became an outlet for us. It was a way to help us get our emotions, fears and love all out and into words.

During Ella's hospital stay, Ryan was the one who updated our site with all of the medical and technical information about her care.  I would update pictures and read the messages from friends and family.  It was a way for others to get to know our daughter, a way for them to read about her personality and her spunky little spirit.  CaringBridge gave us a way to tell about our life in the NICU, our life with a premature baby, and our life with Ella.

If you would like to read about Ella's story from the very beginning check out her own CaringBridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ellakrumwiede.

It just makes perfect sense that CaringBridge is now a friend with Ella's Halo.

Cocktails for a Cause

We are very excited for another Ella's Halo event coming up August 17th.  We were chosen as the guest non-profit for Reside's Cocktails for a Cause and are looking forward to working with them on this event. Check out the invite below and come join us for a fun night out.

Join us for Reside's upcoming “Cocktails for a Cause” event on Tuesday, August 17th from 5:30 – 7:30pm at the new Ringo Restaurant in St. Louis Park with proceeds going to Minnesota non-profit, Ella's Halo.

Attendees will enjoy free appetizers, happy hour specials, wine samples courtesy of Pitatelli Wines and the chance to connect with other local business people who share a commitment to investing in the lives of local families and children. Though this event is free, we ask that each guest make a minimum donation of $10 toward the cause. Donations of any amount, both individual and corporate, will be accepted and appreciated. Checks can be written to "Ella's Halo". All donations are tax deductible.

If you plan to attend, please send your RSVP email to ahoefer@reside.biz.  Hope to see you there! 

Also check out Reside's website at www.reside.biz to learn more about their company.