As many of you know, when you first join this club that no one wants to belong to, The Bereaved Parents Club, you do not know where to turn for support. For my family, NILMDTS has been there since our precious angel, Andrew, was born sleeping.
Starting with the portraits of him that we now cherish and continuing with the walks we participate in every year. This will be our 4th Walk in Columbus, Ohio. The Walk always provides a sense of community with other loss families as we all gather to remember our babies together.
The first walk we attended, we were unsure what to expect, but NILMDTS made it a very special, healing experience. The walk is an opportunity to remember Andrew, as well as to support and connect with other families who are unfortunately on a similar journey. There is something very cathartic about that. I became passionate about the mission of NILMDTS after attending the walks and seeing firsthand the opportunity for healing that they have provided for so many families like mine. My passion for NILMDTS has rubbed off on our very supportive and loyal friends and family! They too recognize the community of support that NILMDTS has created for loss families.
We love to keep Andrew’s memory alive all year-round by creating fundraising events to benefit NILMDTS. My main focus is to bring together the people that I love for some quality time to remember Andrew. Some events I’ve hosted in the past include:
Dine to Donate
A percentage of the restaurant’s sales from your group’s guests will be donated to your charity. We like to host these events at local restaurants. Groupraise.com is a wonderful resource to research which restaurants give the highest donation percentage. Another best practice is to check Dine to Donate availability with local restaurants. We like to focus on being together as family and friends while celebrating that Andrew is at the heart of the event.
In-home product parties
For example, I have hosted jewelry parties where the jewelry company will donate a percentage of sales to your charity. There are a wide variety of product party companies to choose from, just be sure to ask if they are able to do a fundraiser. Having the parties in our home allows us to display our NILMDTS portraits and other mementos that keep Andrew a part of our everyday life.
Employer Matched Donations
Check with your employer to see if they offer a donation-match program. You could double your impact for NILMDTS!
Baby Tribute Fundraising Page
Be sure to personalize your Tribute page; add your baby’s story and a photo. Share your fundraising page and let your friends know how much their support means to YOU.
Ultimately, it’s about being passionate about preserving our Andrew’s legacy, which goes hand in hand with the NILMDTS mission. Your loved ones will know how important it is to you and want to support you.
Register for the Ohio Virtual Remembrance Walk today!
