If you have lost a baby and are currently pregnant or parenting after your loss(es), feel free to join in the first PALS meeting tonight.
Pregnancy after loss is scary, causing us to have thoughts and behaviors not like our typical selves.
Parenting after loss is often filled with anxiety and questions that seem unable to answer.
This group is to support both stages of your life.
If you need support please come. 7pm, in the community room of the Whiting Library - Chester, Vermont.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
National Share Newsletter and Submission Opportunity
If you are a bereaved parent you may already be sent the Sharing newletter put out by the National Share office.
If not, we will link to it here every two months for you to access. Each issue has a topic.
The January/February 2010 Sharing newsletter is now available online at http://www.nationalshare.org/Jan-Feb_2010_with_cover.pdf. The topic is Meeting Milestones and we hope you enjoy it.
The editors are always looking for sumbissions to match a future topic. If you experience fits the topic, feel free to send in your piece.
The topic for the March/April 2010 issue is Recurrent Loss. If you have experienced recurrent pregnancy losses, we invite you to share your experiences with other readers. We are looking for stories of how you coped, any answerers you received, and how you eventually felt hopeful for the future. The submission deadline for this issue is February 1. Please send your submissions to rcarlson@nationalshare.org.
If not, we will link to it here every two months for you to access. Each issue has a topic.
The January/February 2010 Sharing newsletter is now available online at http://www.nationalshare.org/Jan-Feb_2010_with_cover.pdf. The topic is Meeting Milestones and we hope you enjoy it.
The editors are always looking for sumbissions to match a future topic. If you experience fits the topic, feel free to send in your piece.
The topic for the March/April 2010 issue is Recurrent Loss. If you have experienced recurrent pregnancy losses, we invite you to share your experiences with other readers. We are looking for stories of how you coped, any answerers you received, and how you eventually felt hopeful for the future. The submission deadline for this issue is February 1. Please send your submissions to rcarlson@nationalshare.org.
Monday, January 4, 2010
PALS - Pregnancy & Parenting After Loss -- A New Support Group Founded by Share Southern Vermont
A year ago, when Share Southern Vermont held it's first grief support meeting, we knew our mission: to support grieiving parents by meeting them where they currently needed the most support.
This 'place' changes over time. Just as some parents weave in and out of meetings depending on how they are feeling that month, others reach a place where attending the support group becomes uncomfortable for a time. This typically happens when the couple becomes pregnant again, especially when the mother begins to show.
Although your grief for your angel baby is by no means diminished, it is now coupled with intense fear and anxiety about the baby you now carry. As one mother recently put it, 'censoring' which emotions and feelings are appropriate for support meetings when the couple across from you may be struggling to concieve is too hard.
We, the founding directors of SSV, have always known this day would come. Loss cripples us for a time, then - for most of us - leads us to a place where we have a desire to try again. And so, the new year leads us to a place of natural growth. We are adding a a PALS group to our support services. It stands for Pregnancy / Parenting After Loss Support. It is an additional service, because, sadly, new parents will always be joining us in our second-Wednedsay support meeting.
If you are currently pregnant with your Rainbow baby, actively trying, or are parenting your child after loss and find you have overwhelming emotions you would like to share with others going through the same thing we offer you to have a safe place to do so.
Gretchen Lunderville, mother to Noah - 9 years in heaven, and two living children has lovingly agreed to facilitate this group. The first meeting will be Tuesday, January 19th, 7pm in the Community Room of the Whiting Library in Chester, Vermont. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email her.
Please understand, you are welcome at both meetings. Just because your focus is on health, pregnancy, and delivering a healthy baby does not mean that you have 'finished' or even 'taken a break' from grieving the baby who left you. We only want you to feel like there is a forum to express your pregnancy and parenting related emotions without taking on any additional concern or guilt about others in the group.
Whatever you need...when you need it. If you need to come and share, please do.
This 'place' changes over time. Just as some parents weave in and out of meetings depending on how they are feeling that month, others reach a place where attending the support group becomes uncomfortable for a time. This typically happens when the couple becomes pregnant again, especially when the mother begins to show.
Although your grief for your angel baby is by no means diminished, it is now coupled with intense fear and anxiety about the baby you now carry. As one mother recently put it, 'censoring' which emotions and feelings are appropriate for support meetings when the couple across from you may be struggling to concieve is too hard.
We, the founding directors of SSV, have always known this day would come. Loss cripples us for a time, then - for most of us - leads us to a place where we have a desire to try again. And so, the new year leads us to a place of natural growth. We are adding a a PALS group to our support services. It stands for Pregnancy / Parenting After Loss Support. It is an additional service, because, sadly, new parents will always be joining us in our second-Wednedsay support meeting.
If you are currently pregnant with your Rainbow baby, actively trying, or are parenting your child after loss and find you have overwhelming emotions you would like to share with others going through the same thing we offer you to have a safe place to do so.
Gretchen Lunderville, mother to Noah - 9 years in heaven, and two living children has lovingly agreed to facilitate this group. The first meeting will be Tuesday, January 19th, 7pm in the Community Room of the Whiting Library in Chester, Vermont. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email her.
Please understand, you are welcome at both meetings. Just because your focus is on health, pregnancy, and delivering a healthy baby does not mean that you have 'finished' or even 'taken a break' from grieving the baby who left you. We only want you to feel like there is a forum to express your pregnancy and parenting related emotions without taking on any additional concern or guilt about others in the group.
Whatever you need...when you need it. If you need to come and share, please do.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Shaws Community Rewards Program
As part of our New Year inititive, we have been looking for ways to raise money without soliciting direct donations. They are always greatly appreciated, but with the economy still so tentative, we've looked to large company's exisiting charity programs to partially support us.
Recently, we announced how you can earn money for SSV simply by downloading the Goodsearch and Goodshop toolbar to your computer and selecting Share Southern Vermont as your charity of choice. The estimated numbers are astounding.
Today we received confirmation of another earning opportunity.
If you live in the Northeast and shop at Shaws or Star Market, please consider linking your store rewards card to Share Southern Vermont's Community Rewards ID # 49001024535.
Simply go to www.shaws.com/communityrewards and follow the linking directions. 1% of any purchases you make on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday will be donated quarterly to Share Southern Vermont!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to link your card! Feel free to forward this link with our rewards number to any of your friends, family or co-workers.
We can make a difference! Together, one cart at a time, we can raise much needed funds for Share Southern Vermont so no family has to walk their grieving road alone.
Recently, we announced how you can earn money for SSV simply by downloading the Goodsearch and Goodshop toolbar to your computer and selecting Share Southern Vermont as your charity of choice. The estimated numbers are astounding.
Today we received confirmation of another earning opportunity.
If you live in the Northeast and shop at Shaws or Star Market, please consider linking your store rewards card to Share Southern Vermont's Community Rewards ID # 49001024535.
Simply go to www.shaws.com/communityrewards and follow the linking directions. 1% of any purchases you make on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday will be donated quarterly to Share Southern Vermont!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to link your card! Feel free to forward this link with our rewards number to any of your friends, family or co-workers.
We can make a difference! Together, one cart at a time, we can raise much needed funds for Share Southern Vermont so no family has to walk their grieving road alone.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy Birthday SSV!
A year ago today a large envelope arrived in the mail. As I slid out the thick crested paper a tear fell from my cheek. We did it!
I read, "The office of the Secretary of State heareby grants a Certificate of Incorporation to SHARE SOUTHERN VERMONT, INC. a Vermont domestic nonprofit corporation, December 22nd, 2008."
It would be a few more months and a ton of paper work later before the IRS 501 c 3 certificate arrived, but it did.
I wrote the by-laws tentatively, wording things so that if no-one else found this cause worth supporting, I could be the solitary board director for the first year. I needent have worried.
Over the course of the last year four other beautiful, talented, motivated, and selfless greiving mothers have found places on the board. Each fills a need the others cannot. Their grief journies span from 1 year to 24 years.
We are strong. Together we have accomplished more in the last 24 months than even I dared to imagine and big doors are opening for us in the new year!
Tonight we, the five board members of Share Southern Vermont, will sit around a table in a fancy resturant. We will reminise. We will share stories never told. We will pat each other on the back, just a little, knowing lives have been changed. We will raise our glasses high in memory of the babies who brought us together, hoping they are looking down on us, smiling.
Raising my glass will be like blowing out a candle for me, as I doubt there will be cake. I share my wish with you.
I wish that in 2010 every hurting family in southern Vermont learn of SSV and uses our services. I wish that by the end of the year on-site hospital grief care is happening, creating good grief practices from the very beginning of familiy's journies. I wish that every rainbow baby in our group will be born, alive and screaming cries of joy into their parent's hearts.
This is my wish.
Thanks for a great first year! If you would like to leave us a birthday wish...please do! Perhaps it will come true...
I read, "The office of the Secretary of State heareby grants a Certificate of Incorporation to SHARE SOUTHERN VERMONT, INC. a Vermont domestic nonprofit corporation, December 22nd, 2008."
It would be a few more months and a ton of paper work later before the IRS 501 c 3 certificate arrived, but it did.
I wrote the by-laws tentatively, wording things so that if no-one else found this cause worth supporting, I could be the solitary board director for the first year. I needent have worried.
Over the course of the last year four other beautiful, talented, motivated, and selfless greiving mothers have found places on the board. Each fills a need the others cannot. Their grief journies span from 1 year to 24 years.
We are strong. Together we have accomplished more in the last 24 months than even I dared to imagine and big doors are opening for us in the new year!
Tonight we, the five board members of Share Southern Vermont, will sit around a table in a fancy resturant. We will reminise. We will share stories never told. We will pat each other on the back, just a little, knowing lives have been changed. We will raise our glasses high in memory of the babies who brought us together, hoping they are looking down on us, smiling.
Raising my glass will be like blowing out a candle for me, as I doubt there will be cake. I share my wish with you.
I wish that in 2010 every hurting family in southern Vermont learn of SSV and uses our services. I wish that by the end of the year on-site hospital grief care is happening, creating good grief practices from the very beginning of familiy's journies. I wish that every rainbow baby in our group will be born, alive and screaming cries of joy into their parent's hearts.
This is my wish.
Thanks for a great first year! If you would like to leave us a birthday wish...please do! Perhaps it will come true...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
DECEMBER'S SUPPORT MEETING POSTPONED
DUE TO THE STORM AND THE DISTANCES MANY DRIVE TO SIT WITH US DECEMBER'S SUPPORT MEETING IS POSTPONED.
MAKE UP DATE IS NEXT WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH, 7PM COMMUNITY ROOM AT THE WHITING LIBRARY IN CHESTER VERMONT.
IF YOU NEED SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE CALL.
IF YOU WERE PICKING UP ANGEL ORNAMENTS AND WANT THEM MAILED, EMAIL ME.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT NEXT WEEK, AND WANT SOMEONE TO CHECK IN WITH YOU BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, EMAIL US.
STAY SAFE...
MAKE UP DATE IS NEXT WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH, 7PM COMMUNITY ROOM AT THE WHITING LIBRARY IN CHESTER VERMONT.
IF YOU NEED SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE CALL.
IF YOU WERE PICKING UP ANGEL ORNAMENTS AND WANT THEM MAILED, EMAIL ME.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT NEXT WEEK, AND WANT SOMEONE TO CHECK IN WITH YOU BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, EMAIL US.
STAY SAFE...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Show and Tell: What Do Technolgy and Philanthropy Have In Common?
Besides ending with the same sound? GoodSearch apparently.
A board member alerted me to this awesome internet based service.
GoodSearch and GoodShop are charity funding sites fueled by yahoo that literally shake the penny tree all year long for worthy causes. And all we have to do is, what we already do.
Hmmm, sounds too good to be true? That's what I thought at first too. Then, I read this.
http://www.goodsearch.com/press.aspx
New York Times, Oprah Magazine? Must be the real deal!
So, it's official! Share Southern Vermont is in the GoodSearch and GoodShop database! If you would like to support us all year long just for searching and shopping online, click here to add the toolbar to your browser. or cut and past the link (http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/share-southern-vermont)
It's that easy and the best part is that people who have wanted to support us but live too far away to attend any functions, can do this from the comfort of their own home, on their laptop, as they search for the lastest ball game scores!
Funny, the first thing I noticed when I clicked over to research them was their slogan, You Search - We Give.
Sounds an awful lot like ours, so I'll say it yet again. Because You Give, We Share!
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