A Christmas for C.A.R.E.ing!
The Simply C.A.R.E Initiative
Comfort.Act.Relieve.Empathy
The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative has committed to providing stockings for families staying at the Des Moines Ronald McDonald House (RHM) during this Christmas season and we are asking for your help in stuffing them!
There are twelve rooms at the RHM and our goal is to fill each one with $50 of much needed items. Please remember that many of these families are far away from their homes and basic every day items that we might take for granted are greatly needed.
Please donate:
Cash
Gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart or Kmart
Gift cards to local Grocery stores
Gift cards to local restaurants
Gas cards
Phone cards
Toiletry items
Family games
Please email with donations or questions:
Melissa Winter
melwinter2@hotmial.com
OR
Maggie Crabb
maggiecrabb@gmail.com
The Simply C.A.R.E Initiative
Comfort.Act.Relieve.Empathy
The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative has committed to providing stockings for families staying at the Des Moines Ronald McDonald House (RHM) during this Christmas season and we are asking for your help in stuffing them!
There are twelve rooms at the RHM and our goal is to fill each one with $50 of much needed items. Please remember that many of these families are far away from their homes and basic every day items that we might take for granted are greatly needed.
Please donate:
Cash
Gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart or Kmart
Gift cards to local Grocery stores
Gift cards to local restaurants
Gas cards
Phone cards
Toiletry items
Family games
Please email with donations or questions:
Melissa Winter
melwinter2@hotmial.com
OR
Maggie Crabb
maggiecrabb@gmail.com
We will be stuffing the stockings on Sunday, December 20th at 4p.m. at the Sincera Solutions offices in Waukee. If you are interested in helping please contact us for more details! Thank you so much for your time and consideration to this initiative. If everyone will “simply care” a little, we are confident that we can make a huge impact this holiday season to those families living at the Ronald McDonald House!
*For more information about The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative please read the following:
Gabriel’s Story, Why We Care
God has laid upon my heart a great desire to help and “simply care” about families with sick children. The idea for this initiative was inspired by the generosity of others provided to my family during a time when my own son, Gabriel, was very ill.
Gabriel, my third child, was born February 4th, 2009. He was healthy, sweet and perfect. He was instantly adored by his big brother Cael and big sister Avery. It wasn’t long before Gabriel’s healthy start to life became a thing of the past. He started having problems breathing, and he would cough and choke and turn blue. At 7 weeks old he was admitted to Blanks Children’s Hospital for observation because he was experiencing “Acute Life Threatening Episodes;” within 24 hours he was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and placed on oxygen; a week later he was flown to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota and his care was transferred to the Mayo Clinic physicians. My husband Corbin and I were terrified. Our baby was very sick and no one could tell us what was wrong with him. We were miles away from home, far away from our two other children who were being shuffled between caring family and friends. We were surviving on very little sleep, and under enormous stress. It was truly God’s grace and other people’s kindness that got us through such a difficult time.
While in Rochester it wasn’t too long before we were connected with the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). The RMH is an amazing organization that provides a “home away from home” for families whose children are undergoing treatment in the hospital. It was such a gift to be able to stay there as they provided a nice room at very little cost, free food, and lots of support. The memory that sticks with me the most was that of Easter morning. Cael came up to see his little brother over Easter weekend and stayed with me at the RMH. Sunday morning there was a giant Easter basket outside our door. Cael was so excited and said, “Look, Mommy, the Easter bunny didn’t forget me here!” I was so relieved; because of everything we were dealing with I had totally forgotten about getting him an Easter basket. Hope does come in small packages…the surprise basket provided a special moment of excitement during a very confusing time for a little 4 year old boy and some much needed relief to an already stressed out mother. It was so comforting to realize that someone cared enough to know that such a small thing could mean so much to us… I can only imagine what those Easter baskets meant for the families that had spent weeks or even months living at the Ronald McDonald house.
Gabriel’s story has a happy ending. After intensive diagnostic testing it was determined that Gabriel had severe acid reflux coupled with a weak airway that would spasm shut and cause him to stop breathing. Thankfully, his condition is one that improves with time. All in all, Gabriel spent 28 days in the hospital during the first couple months of his life. We are so fortunate that Gabriel’s health issues have resolved and he is now a healthy, happy 10 month old baby.
Not all families are so fortunate. During our journey I met so many parents who are taking care of sick children who will never get better. Parents who have been living at the Ronald McDonald House for months on end and were hours away from home. I met one particular mother who was going on day 156 of having a child in the hospital battling cancer all the while trying to care for her other children back at home. All of the stress and the worry that our family experienced while Gabriel was sick was only a fraction of what these other families experience day after day.
Someone must help to care for these families while they care for their sick and sometimes dying children. The Ronald McDonald house provides a great service but they, too, need help and volunteers and so much more can be done. This has become the mission of The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative; to provide Comfort and to Act to help Relieve the stress and uncertainty that comes from the struggles these families are facing, all based on empathy and compassion.
This Christmas season we would like to provide stockings for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Des Moines. The house has twelve rooms and The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative is committed to preparing twelve stockings worth $50 for each room. Just like the Easter basket for Cael…we don’t want any child or family to feel forgotten on Christmas morning. Please help us if you can.
Merry Christmas,
The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative
Melissa Winter and Maggie Crabb
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Gabriel, my third child, was born February 4th, 2009. He was healthy, sweet and perfect. He was instantly adored by his big brother Cael and big sister Avery. It wasn’t long before Gabriel’s healthy start to life became a thing of the past. He started having problems breathing, and he would cough and choke and turn blue. At 7 weeks old he was admitted to Blanks Children’s Hospital for observation because he was experiencing “Acute Life Threatening Episodes;” within 24 hours he was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and placed on oxygen; a week later he was flown to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota and his care was transferred to the Mayo Clinic physicians. My husband Corbin and I were terrified. Our baby was very sick and no one could tell us what was wrong with him. We were miles away from home, far away from our two other children who were being shuffled between caring family and friends. We were surviving on very little sleep, and under enormous stress. It was truly God’s grace and other people’s kindness that got us through such a difficult time.
While in Rochester it wasn’t too long before we were connected with the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). The RMH is an amazing organization that provides a “home away from home” for families whose children are undergoing treatment in the hospital. It was such a gift to be able to stay there as they provided a nice room at very little cost, free food, and lots of support. The memory that sticks with me the most was that of Easter morning. Cael came up to see his little brother over Easter weekend and stayed with me at the RMH. Sunday morning there was a giant Easter basket outside our door. Cael was so excited and said, “Look, Mommy, the Easter bunny didn’t forget me here!” I was so relieved; because of everything we were dealing with I had totally forgotten about getting him an Easter basket. Hope does come in small packages…the surprise basket provided a special moment of excitement during a very confusing time for a little 4 year old boy and some much needed relief to an already stressed out mother. It was so comforting to realize that someone cared enough to know that such a small thing could mean so much to us… I can only imagine what those Easter baskets meant for the families that had spent weeks or even months living at the Ronald McDonald house.
Gabriel’s story has a happy ending. After intensive diagnostic testing it was determined that Gabriel had severe acid reflux coupled with a weak airway that would spasm shut and cause him to stop breathing. Thankfully, his condition is one that improves with time. All in all, Gabriel spent 28 days in the hospital during the first couple months of his life. We are so fortunate that Gabriel’s health issues have resolved and he is now a healthy, happy 10 month old baby.
Not all families are so fortunate. During our journey I met so many parents who are taking care of sick children who will never get better. Parents who have been living at the Ronald McDonald House for months on end and were hours away from home. I met one particular mother who was going on day 156 of having a child in the hospital battling cancer all the while trying to care for her other children back at home. All of the stress and the worry that our family experienced while Gabriel was sick was only a fraction of what these other families experience day after day.
Someone must help to care for these families while they care for their sick and sometimes dying children. The Ronald McDonald house provides a great service but they, too, need help and volunteers and so much more can be done. This has become the mission of The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative; to provide Comfort and to Act to help Relieve the stress and uncertainty that comes from the struggles these families are facing, all based on empathy and compassion.
This Christmas season we would like to provide stockings for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Des Moines. The house has twelve rooms and The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative is committed to preparing twelve stockings worth $50 for each room. Just like the Easter basket for Cael…we don’t want any child or family to feel forgotten on Christmas morning. Please help us if you can.
Merry Christmas,
The Simply C.A.R.E. Initiative
Melissa Winter and Maggie Crabb
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
1 comment:
Oh, Missy, this is a wonderful idea!! My sister and BIL stayed at a RMH in Omaha for 6 weeks when my niece was in the NICU/PICU after she was born. Can I mail you either some $$ or a gift card (and a Christmas card?) Email me with your address.
Post a Comment