While this midwest girl hates cold... I still think this is the most wonderful time of the year.
This time of year has intentionality behind it. Life speeds up yet slows down all at once. This time of year feels different. We put some things in place to make us break routine and spend more time together and with others. When we put the tree up each year underneath the tree we put the Little People nativity, A basket of Christmas books and a bin of Christmas movies. Our goal is that by the time the tree is down that we watch all the movies and read all the books. It makes us have more family nights even in the midst of a busy schedule. Our December looks crazy this year on the calendar so I put a few less books out this year, but I am still excited to dig into the richness of the books I did set out.
Something else this season does is it turns our eyes to others. Yesterday I wrote about Dressemeber and how Jilli and I are wearing dressed for 31 days this month to raise awareness and money to help end slavery. So giving to others will be on our minds a lot this season...
But there are other causes that also mean a lot to us too. There are so many causes and organizations that are doing great things in the world that I did not know about until someone told me about them. This is especially true about organizations that help families with medical needs. I think often there are people in the world who want to help and often time people don't know where to...
So let me help!
Here is a list of organizations that mean a lot to us:
Ronald McDonald House:
RMH has needs all year long! Some things they could use this time of year are
- New blankets
- Gift cards to resturants
- Toys for kids under 2 and over 8
- Board books
- Travel sized toiletries
- New stuffed animals
- snack foods individually wrapped
- panty/fridge staple items (if its something you use a lot at your house it is likely something they use a lot there too)
Make A Wish:
This year Jillian was granted a wish from Make A Wish. It was a magical experience! We were able to go to Disneyland in March which was just what we all needed after our hard February. It was time for us all to heal. We are so thankful for that time away as a family and the magical experience that was. To donate go to: https://wisconsin.wish.org/
Tubie Friends:
I volunteer with Tubie Friends to make stuffed animals for children who have medical devices. The main thing we do is place feeding tubes into stuffed animals for children but also add other medical items too. It costs a lot to buy new stuffed animals and pay for shipping. The waiting list at Christmas time is VERY long! There are hundreds of kids waiting for a stuffed animal that looks like them. Since I work with this organization I can tell you the money goes directly to making the animals for kids as none of us are paid. You could make a kids dream come true Christmas morning when they unwrap a stuffed animal that looks like them, and then in turn the animal can help them process their medical journey. To donate go to: http://tubiefriends.com/
Feeding Tube Awareness:
When we first found out that Jillian was going to need a feeding tube I turned to the internet to find all of the information I could. The place I landed was the Feeding Tube Awareness website and I am so thankful I did. It helped provide us with good information that was easy to understand and a support network of other families who also had feeding tubes. They are a non for profit run by families with children with feeding tubes and don't just work on the parent side of things but they also do a lot of education in the medical community about what life is like at home with a feeding tube because it is very different then in a hospital setting. To donate go to: https://www.feedingtubeawareness.org/
Tiny Superheros:
Tiny Superheros is a program where they send super hero capes to children with medical needs. But it doesn't just end with the cape, each month there are missions that help to teach kids copping skills and help them with a positive self image. Once the child completes the mission they are mailed a patch for their cape as a reminder. When Jillian is in the hospital her cape hangs on her IV pole as a reminder of how brave she is. To donate to help fund the patch program and get capes to kids go to: https://tinysuperheroes.com/
Kade's Klassic:
This year we had the honor of being chosen as the Kade's Klassic family of the year which is a golf outing that raises money for local families with medical needs. The experience was overwhelming in such a good way! The previous families of the year come together pay it forward to the current family of the year. While next year's family has not been chosen yet there is a donate button on the website to kickstart fundraising for next year's family. This is a great way to help local families. Ton donate go to: https://kadesklassic.com/
Team Up with Families:
This is a local organization that helps people with medical needs in multiple different ways. One of the largest ways is that they run a lending closet called Katies Kloset. We have been able to get formula from them when we were between insurance and during the 9 month battle with insurance too get Jilli's wheelchair they lent us a wheelchair to use. To donate go to: http://www.teamupwithfamilies.org/
Never Say Never:
Most playgrounds are not wheelchair accessible but there is a group that is trying to change that for a playground near our house. This would mean Jilli could play in her wheelchair which would be huge on days that her body is tired. Accessible playgrounds are very expensive but you can help make this dream come true! To donate go to: http://www.neversayneverplayland.com/
There are so many great organizations in the world... these are some that directly effect our family and we would love to have our community join us in supporting these great causes! Giving Tuesday is tomorrow and many organizations will have things going on to stretch your money even farther!
Thank you to everyone who partners with one of these organizations!!!!!!!
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