SGM Updates and Happenings
On October 12, close to 40 people gathered at SGM Headquarters in Deshler, Ohio, to honor the memory of more than 140 babies. There was a dinner, the viewing of the inspiring documentary, Transforming Loss, the debut of the Dreams of You song (music written by my son, Tim Gerken III and lyrics by me – Kelly Gerken), the reading of the names, and a sky lantern release.
In October and November, I presented the SGM Perinatal Hospice Birth and Bereavement Services training to the OB Staff and OR and ER staff at Defiance Regional Hospital. It was very well-received by the staff, and we are pleased to share that they are making some very groundbreaking changes in the care they offer to bereaved parents. They will be implementing our program of support and Dreams of You materials will be offered to each patient. We will be called to come alongside grieving parents, as we work together with the Defiance Regional staff to provide options and support to families walking through the loss of a baby due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. We cannot say enough about the patient-centered care offered at Defiance. They are even changing the wording on many of their forms to more sensitive to grieving families. Way to go Defiance! (This initiative has been funded by grants from the Defiance Area Foundation and the Defiance Hospital Foundation)
SGM has also been awarded a grant from the Henry County Community Foundation to provide training and services at Henry County Hospital.
Kelly spoke at the Maumee Valley Conference on October 19 and she and Tim performed music.
November Dates:
*Please note: All Saturday and Tuesday SGM Comfort Bear Work Days are canceled in November and December as we prepare for the Alpha Sig event. Also, there will be no in person Walking With You meeting in October or November. Resume December 9 for a special Christmas WWY. We will continue our online weekly WWY support series. Shipping continues every Friday at 1pm. We ship Dreams of You items around the world to grieving families each week. We currently have about five perinatal hospice families carrying babies to term with a life-limiting diagnosis and hundreds of others both local and abroad we are walking with. Please keep them in your prayers.
November 4, 6, 18, and 20 ~ Defiance Regional ER/OR trainings
November 9 ~ St. John Lutheran Youth Work Day at SGM
November 9 ~ One Way at Harvest
November 19 ~ 10am-5pm Alpha Sigma Phi presents Build a Bear for Moms at BGSU (Fundraiser and Comfort Bear making event)
November 24 ~ One Way in Deshler
We are very excited for the upcoming event on November 19 at BGSU. Our Comfort Bear team has been working very hard to sew over 100 bears for students to stuff. And, the gentlemen from Alpha Sigma Phi, led by Ian Melchor (one of the dear boys from my kitchen) have been making ribbons to give out to those who donate at the event. We are so humbled and blessed that a college fraternity would be so brave as to wade into the taboo waters of loss and take the time to support efforts to comfort grieving parents. What beautiful hearts from these young men. This is the ribbon they created for the event:
If you cannot attend in person, but would like to donate to this event, you can mail donations with “Build a Bear” marked in the memo to: Sufficient Grace Ministries; 300 S. Chestnut St.; Deshler, Ohio 43516. We are also in need of 10 lb. boxes of polyfil stuffing, which can be purchased at JoAnn Fabrics.
Coming in December: SGM Christmas Extravaganza 2013!
