Happy Halloween

Strides to Saturday

There are only a few more days until Strides for NICUs 5K and Family Walk in Perham, Minnesota.   We are working on last minute details, finishing up goodie bags and gathering our volunteers.  We are excited, nervous and anxious.  Just a few more days until our second event!  Even the sun sounds like it is going to make an appearance.

Please join us this Saturday at Arvig Park located on Highway 51 in Perham, Minnesota.  Registration starts at 8:00 AM.  The 5K race will start at 10:30 AM and the family walk will follow.  This event is open to participants of all ages.  There will be two age groups for both Men's and Women's 5K divisions, under 35 and over 25.  The family walk is open to everyone and is a great way to get your family out walking to support a great cause. 

The cost of the race and walk is $20 for all particpants.  Kids 12 and under are free!

Check out our article in the Perham newspaper here and our article here in the Wadena newspaper.

See you on Saturday as we Stride for NICUs.

Radio Interview

On Thursday, Ryan was interviewed by Christopher Gabriel from WDAY 970 AM radio station out of Fargo, North Dakota.  We were selected to be one of Gabriel's Angels.  Christopher Gabriel takes nominations for someone in the community who is helping others and who is worthy to be recognized on his show as one of his Gabriel's Angels.

Ryan was live on the radio and he did an awesome job.  I am so proud of my husband and so glad he got to talk about our baby, talk about our experience in the NICU and to talk about Ella's Halo.

Check out the link here and hear the entire interview. 

Thanks Christopher Gabriel for helping us spread the word about Ella's Halo.  Check out his website here at http://cgabriel.com/. 

5K Fall Fun

This past fall has flown by but with tons of fun things on the agenda for Ella's Halo.

Last Saturday, October 16th, I went up to a race in Fargo, ND called the Filthy 5K.  30+ women came out wearing bright pink T-shirts and wearing Ella's Halo's logo on the front to help us spread the word about EH.  I wasn't sure what to expect as this 5K race is through the woods, in mud puddles and up hills but it was so fun watching them get their pink shirts full of mud.  It meant so much to watch these wonderful girls running in honor of my baby girl!  Ella's Halo team even won biggest group and I got to write Ella's Halo on the pig award.  Thanks to Mackenzie Blume for setting it up, organizing all of her friends and spreading the word about Ella's Halo. It is support like this that helps Ella's Halo to help babies. GO TEAM PINK!

We have been getting word out about our own 5K and family walk too.  Strides for NICUs was posted in the Fargo Forum.  Check out the link here.  And a writer from the Fargo Forum also posted a little blurb about Strides for NICUs on his blog.  We also have an interview scheduled today with Christopher Gabriel on WDAY AM radio show in Fargo to talk about Ella's Halo and Strides for NICUs. It should air on his show tomorrow.  Here is his website at http://cgabriel.com/.

Strides for NICUs is now only 9 days away.  Things are coming together.  Every time Ella's Halo hosts an event I always get really nervous.  Maybe it is the mother in me always hoping that everything we do for Ella's Halo is perfect.  We have our awesome sponsors, we have received some donations for our goodie bags and the t-shirts are getting printed. 

If you are interested in coming to our Strides for NICUs 5K and Family Walk, you can see all of the details on our website at www.ellashalo.com/Events.  Click here to download the registration form for our October 30th event.  See you in 9 days when we come together to walk, run, celebrate and support NICUs.

Flicker of Hope

Today, October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. We light a candle to remember babies who have gone too soon. We light a candle on this day to honor their short lives and remember their sweet spirits.  We light a candle to remind us of the flicker of hope that our sweet babies brought to our life.

 

We light a candle for Ella and all of her angel friends. We light a candle to shed light on the pain and darkness we have felt since our loss. We light a candle to remind us of the flicker of hope we have for our future as a family while never forgetting our past with our babies. 

Candlelight vigils are held with the Wave of Light ceremony at 7 p.m. We ask you to burn your candle for at least one hour, resulting in a continuous chain of lighted candles throughout the world on this day, October 15th. Join us by lighting a candle to remember our babies and to help us spread the flicker of hope.

Check out this website to learn more about October 15th at http://www.october15th.com/.

Little Bees

Wow, I can't believe all of the fun and exciting things happening with Ella's Halo.  We have been busy little bees.

1.  Check out our new facebook page here!  Like our page and send it to your friends.  Help us spread the word about Ella's Halo and keep up-to-date on what we are up to.

2.  Check out my Story of Hope on Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope here!  Scroll down a little to find my story about Ella's Halo and how it has been my hope and healing.

3.  Check out our website here!  We have been working to update more of Ella's story, more pictures and more about what we are doing.

4.  Check out our side bar to subscribe to get email updates each time we post a new story on our blog.  That way you won't miss anything.

5.  October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month.  We remember our sweet little girl and of course all of her angel friends.  Please light a candle on October 15th  at 7:00 pm to remember all of our little angels who have gone too soon. Find out about this special month and day here and here!

6.  I got to meet with the STEP Parent Group at Children's Hospital in St. Paul this week.  That team of parents gave us lots of good feedback and ideas that they would like to see in their NICU.  We are busy taking those ideas and will hopefully have a few new projects that Ella's Halo can provide to families in the NICU.  Learn more about Children's Hospital here!

7.  We are so excited about our next Ella's Halo event.  Strides for NICUs will be on October 30th in Perham, MN.  We are so excited to host our 5K and family walk in a city that has and continues to be so supportive of our family.  See where and what Perham Minnesota is all about here! Come out and join us at this event and don't forget to invite your friends.

8.  This weekend a group of girls will be running in the Filthy 5K in Fargo raising awareness for Ella's Halo.  We will be there cheering them on and watch them run by dressed in pink.  Go to the website here to see more about this awesome event.

So as you can see we have been busy buzzing around here.  So many fun and new things that Ella's Halo is working towards and even a few more not even on the list. Check back soon for even more fun and exciting things to come.

Hopefully our little ladybug in Heaven is smiling down on her busy bees of parents.

Strides for NICUs

Ella's Halo is hosting Strides for NICUs in Perham, Minnesota on October 30th.  Come out to support us at our 5K and family walk in Arvig Park and to help us raise money for NICUs. 

This event is open to participants of all ages.  Refreshments, games and prizes will be available before the event. Packet and number pickup begins at 8:00 AM and the race starts at 10:30 AM with the family walk following.

There will be two age groups for both Men's and Women's 5K, over 25 and under 25. The first female and male finishers in each age group will receive prizes for the 5K race.

Paying participants will receive a T-shirt and bag with other Perham goodies. Cost is $20.00 for each 5K participant.  The family walk is $20.00 for each participant but kids 12 and under walk for free! More information regarding pre-registration to follow. Event proceeds will help Ella's Halo bring comforts of home to babies and families in NICUs.

Come out and join us for Strides for NICUs and help us, help babies.