Lanee's Legacy

Set your DVRs!

2011-04-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

We have some very exciting news to share with you!

Thanks to a couple of our mother's who support our organization, we were nominated and chosen to be the May, 2011 recipient honoree of an award called "12 Who Cares" from News Channel 12!

We are both honored and exited to participate in this and sincerely appreciate the opportunity to create awareness and involve others in our cause to support bereaved parents. We feel like this is a tremendous blessing to our organization and sincerely thank those who believed in us enough to nominate us.

So. . .the date is set for a week from today! Set your DVRs to watch Arizona Midday next Tuesday, May 3rd between 1:00 and 2:00. If your a News Channel 12 fan, you will also see a commercial going on and off for the entire month of May about our organization as well.

Also included in this award is a donation in the amount of $1,200.00 and a luncheon that we will get to attend. We're so exicted about all of this!

Sponsor a Box(s)

2011-04-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to assist and help our organization and we particularly love this idea and wanted to share. Although Lanee's Legacy began in remembrance of DeLanee, it is something that we would like ALL moms, families and supporters to feel a part of. Last fall, we received a very generous donation from a loving family who wanted to do something in their baby's honor, Gavin Macrae. We received a check in the amount of $1,000 to our organization. We were overwhelmed with their generosity and wanted anyone who received a box to know that the box that they were receiving was made possible because of Gavin. Since that time, we have donated 40 boxes in his name to our list of hospitals.

This is what 40 boxes looks like:

When a mom receives a box, she will notice on the bottom of the box that a fellow mom who has also experienced a loss gave back to her. I hope that when she sees this that she will know that she is not alone. That she will feel the love that Gavin's family had for her by helping her to receive a box.

One of the labels on 40 of Gavin's boxes:

If your interested in doing this, here is how the numbers break down. One box costs approximately $25.00 to create and fill. When we hold a box making, we put together 40 boxes. . .which equals $1,000.00. We welcome your sponorship in the form of just one box or you can host a box making night by helping us to complete 40 boxes. We have also received donations from businesses who would like to show mother's their support in this same way. Recently, Drs. Bock and Connel at American Family Chiropractic and Rehab also donated $1,000.00 in which we will put a label on the bottom of the box so that mother's know that their business is one that cares for them and what they are going through. If you have any questions about this or would like to host a box making night, please don't hesitate to contact us.

************************************************************************************ On another note, our two box making nights for the month of April will take place in Snowflake Arizona. A portion of the boxes we put together will remain in the White Mountain area at Summit Hospital and the rest will be distributed to valley hospitals. If you live in the White Mountain area and would like to come, here's the details of these box making nights:

- Thursday, April 28th at 6:30 p.m. will take place at the LDS Chapel by Pioneer Park in Snowflake, AZ.

- Saturday, April 30th at 9:00 a.m. will take palce at the LDS Chapel near the golf course in Snowflake, AZ.

Snowflake and Taylor is actually where a lot of the Lanee's Legacy board members have grown up and still have roots to. I just love how in small towns, no specific address is needed. Directions are always given in the form of "go past the big oak tree, turn right after the cattle guard and then left when you see Mr. Flake's old red horse". HA! Totally off the subject though, right?

Anyway, feel free to come, participate and bring whoever you would like. Can't wait to visit our home town and put these boxes together with so many familiar faces!

Box Making in Suprise, Arizona

2011-02-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we went to Suprise, Arizona to do a box making with Kami Perry and some of her friends who have also lost babies. You may remember Kami from her sharing the story of her sweet boy Kooper right before our breakfast fundraiser.

This was a different experience for us. It was very tender. We have been to box makings before knowing that their had been moms who had received a box, or, experienced the loss of a baby. What is different about this one is that their were 4 mothers who had all had a loss within the last 2 years!! We were so sad to hear this. They invited those women to tell the stories of their babies before we got started. We really enjoyed the opportunity to listen to them as they shared their stories. They all did so wonderful. I know it was very hard for some of them. Their was one lady who's loss was very, very recent and raw and we appreciate all of them. You could tell that they were very tight knit and you could see how their trials had brought them closer and how they have leaned on each other and helped each other through the challenging moments.

Below (left to right) in between the black shirts are:

Cheri, Jessica, Kami and Christy:

Kami's blog has much better pictures than what we ended up with, so I'd like for you to visit her blog to see how our night went and hear her perspective of doing the boxes. You can see it here. Christy, who has received a box, also has blogged about this night and you can view it here.

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If you are interested in attending a box making night like the one above, we want you to feel welcome to come. I know this is short notice, but we have two box makings in Feburary and they are coming up pretty quick

The first one is on Thursday, February 10th, in Queen Creek at 7:00 p.m. The address is: 22424 S Meridian Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142.

The second one is Tuesday, February 15th in North Mesa at 7:00 p.m. The directions I have is that it is at the 68th block of Preston in NE Mesa. 1 block west of Power and north of McDowell.

Happy Birthday DeLanee - 7 Years

2011-01-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

It's a special day for Lanee's Legacy. It was 7 years ago today that the inspiration behind this organization was born. Today, DeLanee would be 7 years old.

We had a box making a couple of nights ago where Sandy Harenberg who is the bereavement coordinator at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital attended. She experienced the loss of her daughter, Casey, 25 years ago. 25 years! Wow! I can't yet wrap my mind around grieving my daughter for that many years - although I know I will. She spoke for us that night and told us how each year has changed for her. Her eyes were full of tears as she told us, "this is 25 years you guys". "It's been 25 years and I am standing here crying". She went on to say that she doesn't cry every day, but that she is still very much effected by the life of her daughter. She says as a nurse that she must enter into the computer her patient's birthdates and that every time she enters a date of "1985" she remembers that it could be her daughter having a baby (or losing a baby). Those little reminders.

This is us with Sandy and also Brock Sherwood who helped

with this box making night to complete his Eagle Scout project:

I told Sandy that I had just passed kindergarten. She's not only has passed that stage, but also her daughter being old enough to drive a car, graduate high school, get married and now old enough to have babies. Old enough for her to have grandbabies.

I'm amazed at the past 7 years. How they've flown by, but at times, stood still. I'm thankful for every moment of this experience that I've been able to have. It has been the hardest sweetest experience I have ever had and believe I probably ever will. My daughter has changed me and made me into who I am today. I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned and who she's helped me to become. I know I have so far to go, but am thankful for where I am. She's brought our family closer together. She's changed not only me, but my living children, my marriage and those who have been touched by her.

Before she came into my life, I was a different person. I feel stronger in knowing that I was able to overcome one of the most dificult experiences in my life. Throughout these past seven years I have felt loved from so many different people and places as I've shared my story. This love that I have been so blessed to feel is the same love that we as volunteers hope to include in each one of our boxes that we donate. Losing a child is such an extremely difficult thing to endur, but I hope that by receiving one of Lanee's Legacy's boxes that they not only feel loved by a fellow mother who has walked their same road, but feel uplifted in knowing that they are not alone as they do.

When I had DeLanee, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, wasn't yet in existence. I am thankful for the pictures I was able to get and for my mom who was smart enough to coax me into getting some of the ones that I did. I do wish I could have had a professional there to help me capture some of our moments together. I also had always wished for a video. Well, this year, I decided to give myself a birthday gift for DeLanee's special day by making my own. So, although, it's not professional, I'm thankful for every little thing I have.

I'm sharing it here today with you. Happy Birthday to DeLanee!

"Loops for Logan"

2011-01-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts about being involved with Lanee's Legacy is that we get the opportunity to meet amazingly people who are strong, who care and have big hearts who want to help. Marlo Alder is one of these people. I met Marlo in May of last year when she contacted me and shared her heartbreaking story with me. Marlo's story is exactly the reason why this organization exists. Our mission and purpose is to ensure that parents don't have experiences similar to her's. Since meeting Marlo, we have cried together, planned together, worked together, laughed together and planned some more! She is an amazing person that has had an incredible loss, had a less than perfect experience in the hospital at the time of her loss, but has turned her grief into something good that has helped others.

I'd like to share a little bit of Marlo's story by doing so in her own words. This was Marlo's first e-mail to me:

My name is Marlo Alder and I have followed your blog for some time now. I lost my baby back in November at TMC hospital in Tucson. My experience was so hard, I had HELLP syndrome at 17 weeks. They had to take our baby, we found out that we were having a baby boy just hours before we had him. What makes this harder is that we had done invitro to have this our third baby. Well, long story short, because we had lost the baby they had me go to the women's center to recover for 2 days. It was the most awful experience. I felt forgotten, alone {My husband was there, and was awesome!!}, and that nobody cared that I had just lost my baby. They gave me a box that had a bear and some papers about how to grieve. We didnt take any pictures, and did nothing special. We had no idea what to do. So I am writing you and asking if there is anything I can do in my area, so that people don't have to go through, what I had to. I live in Pima which is by Safford. The hospital is Mt. Graham. It's a small town and I don't know if there is any program here. I didn't deliver here, so I am not sure. I think what you are doing is so touching. I admire you and your love. Let me know. Thanks, Marlo.

Marlo did NOT receive one of Lanee's Legacy boxes. She did not have any items to help her capture precious memories with her son. She wasn't even given the opportunity to see him. She was caught in a whirlwind, not doing physically well herself and didn't have anything to help. When she first shared her experience with me, my heart broke. I'd never met her before, but I just wanted to reach out, grab her and hug her.

As our conversations continued, she told me how she was determined to ensure that no other mom had an experience such as her's. We planned a box making night in her area and left those boxes for her to deliver to her local hospital (Mt. Graham Medical Center). She has already felt her efforts come full circle as she has had friends experience a loss. How amazing for her to know that because of Logan and her efforts, those friends have been able to feel the love that she had for them by helping to create the boxes to ensure they were available for them when needed. What an amazing thing she has done!

Here's some pictures of our box making night in Pima, Arizona back in September, 2010:

It was an awesome turnout! One of our biggest groups to do boxes with. Not only did she have the women from her church group there, but the nursing department from her local college was there too. We felt so blessed to be a part of this night and to meet such amazing people!

Although her story is heartbreaking, her son, Logan, has had a tremendous effect on her life. Marlo is full of faith and Logan remains a big part of their family. She has turned her experience into something good by helping others and has made sure that Lanee's Legacy's boxes are now in the two hospitals she was in with the hope that no other mother will have to experience what she did.

Don't think that her story ends there! She has also organized a fundraiser in her town where the proceeds of what is earned will benefit Lanee's Legacy. I told you she's amazing, didn't I?!?

On January 22, 2010, there will be a charity roping called "Loops for Logan" that will be held at the Alder arena in Pima, Arizona. For those of you who are not familiar with what a "roping" is - - its a cowboy thing! Think two guys, each on a horse, roping a steer for the fastest time.

Marlo and her Husband are country people (who just so happen to be some of my favorite kind of people) and when she was thinking of how she could help raise funds for Lanee's Legacy's boxes, she thought of something that would fit into her life, something she knew about and would work for her! I love it!! I can't wait to attend this event and be a part of this celebration of Logan, who he is and the amazing Mother he has in planning and coordinating something so great for the benefit of others!

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In the meantime, if you'd like to help out with a box making we have 2 opportunities left in January.

January 20th - Suprise 1st Ward, 14916 N Sarival Avenue, Suprise, Arizona @ 7:00 p.m.

January 25th - Gilbert 9th Ward, 1150 E. Guadalupe, Gilbert, Arizona @ 7:00 p.m.

Feel free to come and help out. Any donations you bring will be greatly appreciated!

The Ultimate Gift

2010-12-19T23:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas is just 6 days away. This past year has certainly flown by for me. I have a lot of memories that accompany Christmas. And it's interesting to me how Christmas changes for me a little bit each year.

As a child, it was all about the presents and the magic of Santa Claus. I was taught about the Savior's birth and true meaning of Christmas, but as a child I was focused on the material part of Christmas. Years later, I remember feeling let down as I realized Santa wasn't real but then excited to be my mom's elf to my little brother and sister. It was still about the presents though. Later, as I got married, it was fun to have my own little Christmas tree with my husband and create our own traditions. 3 years later, our first son came along and then it became ALL about him! That was so wonderful to experience Christmas through his eyes. It's truly a blessing to be able to see the magic come alive through a child.

7 years ago I was experiencing a very difficult Christmas. DeLanee was diagnosed on December 2nd of 2003. As a new mom, I was so full of excitement for the following Spring and the little life that was going to enter our family. In fact, I was so excited that I had already sent out my Christmas cards, decorated the house and bought presents - all before December. My anticipation of this little sweet baby growing inside of me had me very motivated!! There's just something about the promise of new life. On December 2nd all of those feelings were washed away and replaced with many others. My heart was filled with sorrow, frustration and even anger. I can't even describe the intensity of these emotions that I was feeling. They were overwhelming and all-consuming and any "Christmas spirit" that I was previously feeling was gone. To me, I no longer felt in the celebrating mood. I had a 3 year old at the time, so of course I had to "fake" my way through the month, but inside I felt like crawling in a hole until it all passed.

There is one particular Sunday before Christmas that stands out in my mind. On this day that I went to church, a sweet lady from our church was singing a solo called "Mary's Lullaby". Rebecca Barney has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I was already in such an emotionally fragile stage, but the beauty of the song along with her incredible talent melted my heart and I found myself sobbing. A friend of mine was sitting a little ways down and noticed that I was not doing such a good job of holding myself together and very subtly passed me a kleenex. I was so embarassed of my lack of composure and tried to do the best I could to hold it together, but the fact that she was passing me a kleenex made it apparent that I was NOT doing a very good job of it. I'm sure it wasn't pretty. If you haven't heard this song, it's such a sweet and tender song about Mary and how she felt about this most important little baby she had just given birth to. The part that always sticks out to me the most are the lyrics that say: ". . .for you are a king, but tonight you are mine".

When I hear this song, I think of Mary swaddling and holding her sweet baby, knowing how special he is and some of what is in store for him but not worrying about any of that for now, because. . . on that special night HE was HERS and that's all that mattered! I believe that she must have relished in that moment and the opportunity she had to love on him, sing lullabies and study every little feature on her sweet boy. Knowing what an important mission he had and that he would save the world must have compounded that love. I wish I had a download of the song I could share with you, but couldn't find a good version of it on the web. It's so beautiful. I love instrumental music and have been listening to a piano version of it on a CD by Marvin Goldstein called "The Greatest Gift". But Elise Adams also has a wonderful version of it on her CD and you can listen to a little snipit of it here.

Anyway, on that day, I couldn't help but think of my own baby and how I knew what was in store for her. I knew I wasn't going to keep her. I knew of her struggles and challenges that she was facing. . .but I too wanted her to be mine. . .if only for a short time. I wanted it sooooo badly and prayed that I would get to have some time with her. I feel so blessed to have gotten that opportunity. I know God must have known how important it was to me and I feel so blessed that I DID get a night with her. I will never forget how good it felt to hold her in my arms that night. I knew my time was going to be limited, but I was given the gift to hold her, love on her and have her be MINE for that night. It felt so good.

Today I went to church and again listened to this beautiful song. I was so glad that it was a part of the Christmas program because it has such a special place it my heart now and I love listening to it during Christmas. It was interesting though how today I sat in church and listened to this same song, but with a different ears.

This year has been a bit more emotional for me for some reason. It has been 7 years since DeLanee has passed away. Of course that first Christmas was extremely difficult, but each year has slowly gotten better. I'm not exactly sure why this one has been harder. I love everything about Christmas (except how hectic it can get). But what I love most is the opportunity to focus on the Savior and what His birth and life means to me. Actually, I think over these past 7 years I have developed a stronger appreciation and love for my brother, Jesus Christ, and what he has done for me and ALL of us. He paid the greatest price to give us the ultimate gift. . .eternal life. Eternal life and the opportunity to be with our loved ones again. Words cannot express how grateful I am to Him for this. So, now when I think of Christmas, I not only think of the Savior's birth, but his life and more importantly his atonement for the world which means that I can be with my daughter again. . .and not just for a night - but forever, and that is the ULTIMATE GIFT!

This is the knowledge that I find rest in. This is the truth that comforts me. I know the burden of grief and how it can bring us to our knees. It's my prayer that if you are feeling the heartache and loneliness that comes from losing a loved one that you may be able to to feel the gift that our Savior gave us and that is the assurance that life is everlasting. In that we can find peace and comfort.

John 14: 7: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Opportunity to Serve

2010-12-12T21:40:00.001-08:00

We wanted to make you aware of an upcoming box assembly that will be taking place on this Thursday, December 16th, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Rebecca Smith, a fellow recipient of a box, has organized this project and has invited her friends and family but has also opened up the night to EVERYONE that would like to come and particpate. We would love to have you come and help us in this evening of service if you are able.

The project will take place at: 3580 E Houston Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85234. It is on Houston between Higley and Recker.

We will have everything we need to complete 40 boxes (20 boy/20 girl) on this night and it is not required that you bring anything to participate. However, if you would like to donate any items that are included in our boxes, we will have a donation bucket available and would love to have any support you are able to contribute to future boxes. If you would like to see a list of these items, you can find it to the right of our blog.

If you have any questions, just let us know. Hope to see you all there!

2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

2010-12-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has taken us a month to get the pictures up of our breakfast! I'm so sorry it's been so long. Not only was our 2nd annual pancake breakfast a success, but the 2nd annual sickness in the Norris household was too. UGH! Last year after the breakfast I got REALLY sick and this year was no different. . .except the rest of my family got it as well. Anyway, between that and Thanksgiving and being out of town, this last month has just flown by.

Our breakfast was wonderful and the day was filled with fun, remembrance, celebration and reflection. There are so many people that made this day possible, from our sponsors, volunteers, business owners that donated items, caterer, emcee and many, many others. It takes so many people to make something like this happen and we appreciate each and every one of you that came and supported us in whatever capacity you did.

Here's some of the highlights from the day:

One of our super cute helpers, Brock Sherwood:

We displayed this poster at the ticket line. It shows which hospitals we currently serve - 18 total. It also says that as of the date of the breakfast we had donated 421 boxes totaling $10,525.00. Those numbers are already outdated and we continue to climb.

Here's our breakfast set up before everyone arrived:

Part of the breakfast crew:

We displayed some of our boxes that we have donated this past year:

Here's a few of the girls who helped us sell tickets and raffles: Summer Shiflet, Bekki Webb and Charlee Haueter. Thanks so much girls!!

Here's some pictures of our silent auction. WOW! We ended up with over 20 different silent auction packages. This was a huge success and help for our fundraising! Thanks to our business owners for donating such great items and for everyone who bid on them!

Our raffle was great as well with approximately 55 raffle prizes. Here's a few of them:

Thank you to the Mesa Fire Department for bringing their fire truck and contributing to our event! Love you guys!!

We were so honored to have Kevin Burdick as our emcee and performer this year. What a great person he is! He has a HUGE heart and such a spirit of giving. We were certainly blessed to have him with us that day. Not only that, but he is SUPER funny! We were cracking up at him all day!

Here he is performing his song in honor of his daughter, Dempsey Burdick, called "Too Good For This World". Beautiful!

We heard from both a bereaved mom and a bereavement coordinator at our breakfast. We appreciated their words and support.

This is Jamilyn Craig. We just love her. She does so much within the baby loss community to support and give back. She so beautifully shared the story of her sweet boys (2 losses - 9 years apart) and her experience. We appreciate her so much and her willingness to open her life and let us be a part of her story.

Karen Lee represented the Banner Hospitals and spoke about her experience in giving the boxes to families. We appreciated her words of encouragement and support to us.

Have we mentioned how much we LOVE the Mesa Host Lions Club?? Oh my gosh. . .we love these guys! They have a been a huge support to us and we look forward to when we get to spend some time with them. Wonderful, wonderful people!

The rest of these pictures are fun pictures throughout the day. Jump and Shout Play Center provided our bounce houses. Arizona Game and Fish was there with animals including, snakes, birds, owls, lizards, etc. We had awesome balloon twisters and face painters that the kids absolutely loved! Here's just some random shots:

I love how this sweet boy is eating his pancakes and sausage sandwich style. Awesome!

A fellow mom that has also experienced a heart breaking loss. She drove a very long way to come support us this day. It means a lot! Kelly Hatch and her cute daughter, Jerzie.

Dr. Gandhi from Phoenix Perinatal Associates:

Last, but not least, we were both suprised and honored to have this young man, Nathan Helbig, arrive at our breakfast with BOXES of donations and $500.00 in cash!!! He did an amazing job in doing this project for his Eagle Scout. We were so impressed with everything he accomplished and thank him for everything he donated for our boxes!!

2 DAYS!!

2010-11-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! It has been a crazy but exciting week! We're so happy with how everything has come together for this event. It's amazing what just one year of experience can do! We can't wait for Saturday!!

Aside from being busy preparing for our breakfast, we got together last Saturday with some wonderful ladies in Tempe and created boxes that were delivered to two new hospitals, Phoenix Children's Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. That brings us up to 18 hospitals that we now serve throughout Arizona! Today, I received an amazing call from the bereavement department at Phoenix Children's thanking us for the boxes. She said that she "and the rest of the department has been looking at these boxes in amazement". This was their first delivery, so they had never seen them before. She talked of how well made they were, the effort and detail that went into them along with all of the items inside to help families. It was just really neat to hear from her and the feedback she had for not just us but ALL of you that help to make these boxes! A lot of women participated last Saturday to make both of those deliveries possible and we wanted to share this with you so that you would know the difference it made.

The Arizona Republic actually came to last Saturday's box making so that they could complete the story they were doing. That article ran in yesterday's paper in the Mesa edition. If you missed the article, you can read it here - just ignore the picture of me. I really hate pictures of myself. . .seriously hate it! I was so happy to see only volunteer pictures in the actual paper. Then, I saw the online one and really just cringed. UGH! I always look at them and think "do I really look like that"?!?

Anyway. . .

The lady I talked to today also asked me how we fund the boxes. So. . .I told her of our big event that is just two days away! I told her our organization is run solely from donations and volunteer efforts. When I told her that those efforts had funded 423 boxes this past year I heard her gasp on the other end of the phone. She couldn't believe it. Then she finished by saying that you need to continue to have your funding so we can receive these boxes.

. . . I hope so.

So, come out and see us at Red Mountain Park from 8 -11 this Saturday. When you buy your breakfast tickets the rest is free! Your kids will have fun with all of the entertainment we are providing. Our raffles are just $1 and our silent auction packages start at just $50.00! We have some of the best prizes this year!! Guys. . .we made sure to cater to you by having Phoenix Suns and Diamondback tickets, an autographed ball from the Cardinals, a really great golf package including professional lessons. . .you'll be amazed! Girls. . .we have a pampering package with all you would ever want as well as many, many others!

Thanks everbody for your continued support to us and hope to see you soon!

Date Night Giveaway Winner!

2010-11-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in our giveaway by getting your breakfast tickets and donating!! We appreciate your support so much!

This is my rainbow baby, Taryn. She was born just 16 months after DeLanee. She's a little kindergartner and doesn't go until the afternoon, so I let her do the honors of drawing our winner.

She thought it was pretty cool to get to do this:

And of course, she had to close her eyes:
And voila. . .
CONGRATULATIONS TO:

FARRAH NELSON!

Enjoy your night out on the town and thanks so much for supporting us!

Date Night is BACK!!!

2010-10-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last year we offered a date night giveaway to those who supported us. We brought it back again this year because who doesn't need an evening away from the kiddos. . .and if your anything like me it seems like you only get a night out about once a year anyway! So, not only is it back, but it is bigger and better than last year!!

I am so excited to offer this promotion (and will be super jealous of whoever wins it too)! I've had the opportunity to eat at The Capital Grille a few times (only on special occasions) and it is AMAZING!! The service is phenomenal, the food is the best you'll ever taste and you'll feel like the most spoiled couple in the world when you leave! If you haven't tried it, it is an absolute must and now is your chance! The gift certificate is for $100.00!! We are also throwing in a pair of tickets to the Cinemark Movie Theaters as well!

To get entered to win, it's simple. For every $10.00 you spend (breakfast tickets or donations) your name will be entered into our drawing. So, if you donate $100.00 your name will be entered 10 times. You must buy your tickets or donate starting now between next Tuesday, November 2nd at midnight.

Good luck everybody and if you win please be sure and eat a piece of coconut cream pie for me. . .it's to die for!

Introducing our Guest Emcee - Kevin Burdick

2010-10-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about our guest emcee this year and couldn't wait to tell you all about it! Not only will he keep our event moving and fun (seriously. . .he's hilarious), but happens to be a national recording artist who will also be performing for us! Yeah!

Kevin Burdick lost his daughter, Dempsey Burdick, in May, 2003 during open heart surgery to correct a birth defect. He knows first hand the heartache that comes from the loss of a child and I think it will be so great to have a Father's perspective to offer. He has an awesome foundation he created in memory of his daughter where he assists families in purchasing headstones for their children who otherwise would be unable to do so. How cool is that??

Dempsey Burdick:

He wrote a song in memory of his daughter called "Too Good For This World" that will be such a a treat for all of you to have the pleasure of listening to live at the breakfast. I can't wait for all of you to hear it. We are so grateful to Kevin for adding to our event in such a big way. A HUGE thank you to him!

So the questions is. . .HAVE YOU GOT YOUR TICKETS YET?? With just over 2 weeks until pancake flippin' time we are working hard to ensure that our 2nd annual event is awesome!

If you haven't looked at our list of prizes under our post "Save the Date", you have to check it out! We have added a lot of new prizes this past week. Raffles are a simple inexpensive way to contribute to our event even if you can't attend that day ($1 each or 6 for $5). No presence is necessary to win and with the overwhelming list of prizes, your chances are great at winning a fantastic prize! So contact one of us or visit a Phoenix Perinatal Associates location for your tickets:

Mesa: 1840 S. Stapley Dr. Ste. 131, Mesa, Arizona 85204. Phone: 480-969-5999.

Chandler: 600 S. Dobson Rd., Ste. D34, Chandler, AZ 85224. Phone: 480-857-0047. (open M/T/Th)

Scottsdale: 10210 N 92nd St Ste 105, Scottsdale, AZ 85258. Phone: 480-661-1332.

Phoenix: 3877 N 7th St Ste 400, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Phone: 602-257-8118.

Watch next week for another fun giveaway we'll do for those of you who haven't gotten your tickets as well. Thanks everyone for your support! See you soon!

Winner of our Giveaway (Kooper's Story)

2010-10-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

We want to thank ALL of you that participated in our giveaway last week by either sharing the story of your babies or buying your breakfast tickets for our upcoming fundraiser in honor of National Infant Loss and Rememberance Day. I know it's not always easy to share such precious memories and tender times and I want you to know that we don't take this lightly and consider it an honor that you would share your babies with us.

We had our drawing last night at our meeting and the name that was drawn was:

We contacted Kami last night to let her know that her name was drawn and she was willing to let us share the story of her son with you. We want to thank her for supporting us by both sharing her story and getting her breakfast tickets as well!

KOOPER'S STORY:

"I was so excited to be pregnant. I had a 2½ year old little boy and couldn’t wait for him to have a sibling. I was almost done with school and ready to have another baby in the family. My pregnancy was great and Kooper was such a mover. We called him our little monkey. My best friend (Jenna) and I were pregnant and only due 3 days apart. It was so fun to have someone to talk to that directly related to what I was feeling. She found out she was having a girl the same day I found out I was having a boy. We had so much fun being pregnant at the same time. We really wanted to have our babies on the same day. We had the same doctor and told him of our plan. My friend was definitely going to have her baby before me with the way she was progressing. I carry high and don’t really dilate so it wasn’t looking good on my end. The doctor sent me in to get the baby measured on July 1, 2008. We got to see our little monkey moving all around. Everything looked great. He wasn’t too big, so I wouldn’t be induced like I had hoped.
July 3rd came and Jenna and I were both having contractions. We both ended up in L&D, but unfortunately I wasn’t dilating so they sent me home although my contractions were consistent. My friend Jenna got admitted and ended up having her baby girl on July 4th. I was jealous and couldn’t wait for Kooper to come.

The following day I didn't really have any more contractions. So I just decided he would come when he wanted to. I prayed and prayed he would come soon. I had a doctors appointment on July 7th. Everything seemed fine. I was scheduled to be induced the following Tuesday. It was perfect. My Mom and sister would be flying in on Friday and we would get the weekend to spend with each other and then the baby would come. Thursday I was preparing for my families arrival and also for Kooper to be here soon. My husband Ryan got home from work a little later than usual because of the monsoon storm. I remember lying on the couch and Ryan coming in and then he asked me, “How’s Kooper doing?” That was when I really had to think back to the last time I felt him move. I started poking him and no movement. This had happened before. A few weeks before he wasn’t moving like he normally did so I went into the bedroom and laid in the dark poking him and he woke up. So I decided to try the trick I used last time. I would poke at him and moving from side to side. Still nothing. I started to get a little worried. I thought I would try to have something cold so I grabbed an otter pop out of the freezer, downed that. Nothing. I jumped (not literally) in the shower…that always got him moving. Nothing. I wasn’t too worried. I just wanted him to move. The thought of him being dead never really entered my mind. I called the L&D and asked if there was anything else I could try before coming in and they said to just come in. By now it is 11ish and we call our friends that live nearby…no answer. At first Ryan said to just go ahead and go and I tell him, “What if they have to do an emergency c-section and you aren’t there?” He says, “Right, we will bring Kade then.” Then I think of Kade already asleep and think about how I will get there and they are going to hook me up to the monitors and find his heartbeat and send me home. I tell him, “No, it’s going to be fine. I am sure I will get sent right back home. I will call you while I am there.” So off I went on my drive to the hospital. The whole time I was praying that he would move. I text Jenna to have her call me if she was awake. She was a new mom and I figured she was probably up with her baby. I wanted to tell her what I was doing and that I was hoping when I got there that they would check me and maybe I would be dilated enough to deliver. As I got closer I thought I felt him move but wasn’t sure. I even contemplated turning around but then figured I would go just in case, plus what if I was dilating and they decided to keep me? The roads were still pretty wet but it stopped raining and nobody was driving on the streets.

I got there and they didn’t waste any time. I didn’t have to pee in a cup or change into a gown they just put me in a room and hooked up the monitor. When the nurse was searching for the heartbeat I had no clue. My thoughts were, “Really you can’t find the heartbeat? How long have you been a nurse? It’s not that hard!” So she said she was going to have an ultrasound tech come up. I called Ryan and told him what was going on. The ultrasound tech took FOREVER! Probably because they knew the baby was already dead. I was optimistic. Ryan freaked out and was getting Kade ready. I kept telling him “It’s fine Ryan. I have a good feeling. I feel at peace and I am sure everything is going to be fine.” Now, I know what the feeling was. I know that Kooper was there with me. Telling me it was going to be fine. I am sure he had his arms around me telling me that he loves me and that it will be fine and I will make it through this.

The Ultrasound tech came into the room and was making small talk. Ryan was on the phone. He wanted to stay on during the ultrasound. She went right to his heart. I will never forget that image. There was no kicking or moving, there was a still baby. There was no beating of his heart. She typed "4 chamber heart" on the screen. I was hoping that they were still shots. But deep down I knew. I knew what it meant. I told Ryan that I think he better come now, trying to be brave, trying to sound brave so that he wouldn’t worry. He had already pretty much had Kade ready and in the car at that point and was on his way.

As I sat in the triage room waiting for results I prayed that what I just saw wasn’t what I thought. I thought "there is no way". "Not me!" "This isn’t happening to me." Bad things like this don’t happen. Then my doctor walked into the room with tears in his eyes said, “Kami, I’m so sorry!” It sounds lame but I said, “Tell me it’s not true!” I cried and I cried and he gave me a hug. We talked a little bit and Ryan called again. He was almost there. He asked what was going on and I couldn’t keep it from him. “He’s gone”, I said. Ryan didn’t understand and that is when I had to tell him that he died. Ryan was full of anger and sadness. I remember him saying, “We should have had him last week. No. I am so mad at the doctor!” I am sure he didn’t blame the doctor but he wanted to blame someone. Before he got there my doctor did an ultrasound to see if he could see any causes for Kooper’s death. He had good amounts of fluid and everything looked ok. Now we would just have to wait and see. Ryan got there with Kade and Ryan and I just held each other and cried. Poor little Kade was confused and not really understanding what was going on.

They induced me that night. I got an epidural to make me as comfortable as possible. Then they started pitocin and broke my water. The doctor was surprised to see that there was no meconium in the amniotic fluid. This means that Kooper wasn’t in distress before he passed away. It was finally time for me to push. Once the head was out they noticed that the cord was around his neck fairly tight 2 times. Then his body emerged and he was perfect. The one thing that wasn’t was the cord. There was a true knot in the cord that was tightened completely. You could see that from the knot to his body the cord was completely white. From the knot to the placenta you could see blood. So the knot must have tightened and completely cut off his blood supply. This brought back a memory from when I had Kade. I remember the doctor pointing out that Kade had a knot in his cord but it wasn’t tight enough to cut off blood supply. He also said that it looked like there had been a knot that had come undone.

The moments following his delivery were so special. I stared in awe at his perfect body, his head full of dark hair. He was perfect in every way. It felt like at any moment he was just going to start crying or breathing. We spent quite a while with him. The nurse bathed him and Ryan helped dress him in an outfit. We had a volunteer photographer come from Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep to take his pictures and our family pictures. The hospital where we were at didn’t have much to give grieving parents. We got a little booklet to put hand and fingerprints on and they gave us a beautiful blue crocheted blanket. I so wish that they had the boxes from Lanee’s Legacy."

Giveaway for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day

2010-10-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

In October, 1988, President Ronald Regan, proclaimed October as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. This Friday, October 15th, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. All of this was made possible by a woman named Robyn Bear who envisioned a day where grieving parents could come together in love and support from their friends and family. Also, a day where the community could better understand their pain and reach out to families who are grieving.

On September 28, 2006, House Resolution #222 was passed in the House of Representatives supporting the goals and ideals of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, the clerk read the following:

"Whereas each year, approximately one million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn baby;

Whereas it is a great tragedy to lose the life of a child;

Whereas even the shortest lives are still valuable, and the grief of those who mourn the loss of these lives should not be trivialized;"

Soon thereafter they agreed to pass the House Resolution. You may visit the official website of this day at http://www.october15th.com/. You can see the entire transcript of this day along with many other ideas of how you can remember your baby and commemorate October 15th.

The part of this transcript that really stood out to me was "whereas even the shortest lives are still valuable". Oh. . .how I agree!! These lives, no matter how short they are, impact those of us that they have touched in such huge way that we will never be the same. These little live are valuable and significant and should be remembered! I think it is so wonderful the work that Mrs. Bear went to to create this month and day (Oct. 15th).

So, as this month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States, we too would like to join in this national rememberance day.

There are two ways that you can participate in this giveaway that we are doing. Our fundraiser is vastly approaching in less than a month and I'm going to say it again of how important it is that you buy your tickets PRE-SALE! So, anyone that buys their tickets today through Friday, October 15th will be entered into the drawing. The second way that you can enter into this drawing is to leave a comment to this post or e-mail us with the story of your baby and that will also get you entered into the drawing. If you buy your tickets AND send us your story, you are entered twice!! We will do our drawing on Sunday evening at our meeting and post the results here next Monday.

Here's what you'll receive if you win. This is my necklace that my sister made for me. We will have a custom made charm that is in beveled soldered glass with the butterfly and YOUR BABY'S name on it that is identical to this charm. I wanted to show you the rest of my necklace so that you could see what it looks like. If you'd like my sister's information she will be happy to make you a necklace for it to go on, or, you can put it on whatever chain you would like.

If you haven't experienced a loss, this would make a great gift for someone you know who has, or, you can add your own baby's name, or, just have the charm without a name. It is a custom order, so you can do what you want. Good luck this week and get those tickets!!

Elizabeth's Story

2010-10-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share a story with you about one of the mom's I've been so blessed to have met this past year, Rebecca Smith. I first met her at last year's 1st annual pancake breakfast fundraiser. She then came to one of our box making nights that we held at Phoenix Perinatal Associates. Now she is doing a wonderful thing to help Lanee's Legacy and I want to let you know how you can participate in it. Before I get to Elizabeth's story, I need to give you a few updates about the breakfast.

First of all it is very important that you buy your tickets PRE-SALE by clicking on the paypal button to the right and we will put your tickets in our "will-call" to be picked up on the day of the breakfast. OR you can now physically get your tickets at Phoenix Perinatal Associates office locations which are:

Mesa: 1840 S. Stapley Dr. Ste. 131, Mesa, Arizona 85204. Phone: 480-969-5999.

Chandler: 600 S. Dobson Rd., Ste. D34, Chandler, AZ 85224. Phone: 480-857-0047. (open M/T/Th)

Scottsdale: 10210 N 92nd St Ste 105, Scottsdale, AZ 85258. Phone: 480-661-1332.

Phoenix: 3877 N 7th St Ste 400, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Phone: 602-257-8118.

You can also buy your raffle tickets at these locations too. Our list of prizes is rapidly growing and we have added some great stuff this week to our list. Check out our previous blog post for our new items and remember you do NOT have to present to win!

************************************************************************************

When a mom receives one of Lanee's Legacy's boxes, it is always our hope that they will understand that these boxes were created by other mom's who have also experienced a loss. It is our hope that when they receive a box that they will know that they are not alone and that other's mom's have been in their shoes (even if they are not the same shoes), and have survived. For these reasons I also love to share other mom's stories on our blog. I hope that if you have experienced a loss that when you read these stories that you will feel that you are not alone and can somehow relate to these mom's who have also had a loss.

This is Rebecca Smith with her husband Brian and their sweet daughter, Elizabeth. She has forwarded to me the story of her daughter's birth in her own words which I'd love to share with you.

"Like every parent we were excited to be expecting our first baby together. I was a Physical Education teacher and the school year had just ended. I had only 2 ½ more weeks to go until our daughter was due. We had just enjoyed a relaxing Memorial Day weekend and I was feeling the need to get some last minute baby preparations completed. I had been having more Braxton Hicks contractions that day but did not think a lot of it. That night when I went to bed the contractions kept getting stronger and closer together. I felt I should wait until they were about 5 minutes apart which I had learned from my birthing classes. Within a 1 ½ hour time span they got too strong and close that I knew it was time to head to the hospital. So at 11:00pm Brian and I drove to Banner Desert to have our little girl. When we got there my contractions were intense and they had me get changed and got a monitor to check the baby. They were having some difficulties finding the heartbeat which had never been a problem in the past. They brought in an ultrasound machine and there were more nurses than normal in the room. Then the dreadful words came out of their mouth, they could not find a heartbeat. Our baby girl had died while I was in labor at home. The only probable cause the doctor could think of was the placenta had abrupt but I had no previous bleeding to warn me. Everything seemed like a blur, as we were waiting to delivery our baby that was not living and having to start preparing for her burial. The staff at Banner Desert Hospital is amazing and made the experience more bearable. We were able to deliver our baby girl at 10:25 am on May 30, 2007. She was 6 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long. From how she had looked she had only passed about 12 hours before she delivered. Her body was perfect, she was beautiful, and she looked so peaceful. We named her Elizabeth, which means God’s Promise, Promised by God, and Consecrated to God. We cherish the memories we have of her and I am grateful that we received one of the special boxes. We were blessed to have a healthy baby boy just 11 months after we had Elizabeth and also have been blessed with another baby girl. Our trial of loss has been heartbreaking but we feel stronger as a family and look forward to the day we can see our precious girl again."

Becky and Brian Smith

Here is what Rebecca is doing to help Lanee's Legacy and all the information you need to participate:

A Special Fundraiser Offer From:

Becky Smith & Fitness Works Athletic Club
In Support Of Lanee's Legacy

Rebecca Smith and Fitness Works are happy to present the Fitness Works Fundraiser to help raise funds for Lanee's Legacy. You get a 3-month membership for only $20.00. It's a bargain you don't want to miss out on. Ask your friends, co-workers, or even your spouse to join you!

You say you already have a membership? Well, don't miss the opportunity to save big this year. This is a 2 for 1 fundraiser! Take a look at the 75 attached coupons from Local Area Businesses valued at $500.00. The total fundraiser package is valued at over $750.00.

ALL THIS FOR $20.00!

But Hurry! This fundraising offer ends Oct. 30, 2010!

Here's what you'll receive:

* 3-month full membership to any one of the 4 valley Fitness Works Athletic Club locations with no obligation to join.
* Includes 10-free Fitness works Club tans
* Includes 5-free Kidzone visits
* Includes 4-free Group PT Classes
* 75 value saving coupons from Local Area Businesses. (click here to view the coupons included on your fundraiser pass (East valley coupon sheet).

Your purchase will help Lanee's Legacy receive 50% of all proceeds from fundraiser sales.

Fundraiser Info:

All orders placed can be delivered immediately. Only 50 on hand, so hurry before they're gone.
Please make all checks payable to Becky Smith.

Contact Becky Smith at: 480.332.5134 or email: http://us.mc389.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Beckyecsmith@yahoo.com

For all additional fundraiser questions and information, please contact the Fundraising Team Department at Fitness Works Athletic Club.

Your Fundraiser Representative
Joel Marsden @ 480-710-5783
http://us.mc389.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=fundraising@fitnessworks.com

Thanks Rebecca for sharing not only your story but your time and efforts to help Lanee's Legacy continue to donate memory boxes to hospitals throughout Arizona.

Save the Date!!

2010-09-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again!!! We are full speed ahead and in total anticipation of our:

2nd Annual Lanee's Legacy Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser!!

So. . .save the date for:

November 6, 2010, at Red Mountain Park, Mesa, Arizona

(Power/Brown)

from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

You can purchase tickets by clicking on our paypal button to the right.

The cost is:

$10.00 for adults

$5.00 for kids (4 or more kids per family eat free

in other words, just pay for your first 3 kids)

Because of park restrictions, we are not allowed to sell tickets at the park. So, please, get your tickets in advance by buying them online and we will place them under your name in our "will call" for pick-up on November 6th. You can also purchase tickets from anyone of us as well.

Kevin and the crew at Mesa Gatherings Events and Catering will be servin' it up for us and our food is sure to be super delicious!

This is a family event and, like last year, there will be plenty of entertainment and fun for everyone! Jump and Shout Play Center will be onsight with plenty of inflatables to keep all the kids having fun.

We will also have balloon artists, face painters, fire truck, balloon release and much more. . .ALL FOR FREE!

Don't forget to get your raffle tickets as well! If you attended our event last year, I would dare to bet you that you walked away with an item from our raffle? We had over 80 prizes and it sure kept our emcee busy just pulling names for prizes, so be sure to get your raffle tickets from anyone of the board members of Lanee's Legacy. We will make sure and get them to you anyway we can (mail, delivery, pick-up etc.). You cannot buy raffle tickets online because it falls into a "gambling" category and paypal will totally shut us down! So please. . .don't do that.

Cost of Raffle tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00

Some of our prizes currently include:

5 open play passes from Jump and Shout;
5 coupons for a dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme;
$15.00 Safeway gift card;
$100.00 gift card from QT;
5 coupons for a free 16 oz. smoothie from Bahama Bucks;
10 coupons for a free 12 oz. shaved ice from Bahama Bucks;
2 $25.00 gift cards from Cheesecake Factory;
$50.00 gift card from Wal-Mart;
2 free passes to Phoenix Zoo;
1 pizza, 4 drinks and 50 tokens for Chuck-E-Cheese;
Dozen cupcakes from Sprinkles;
Tea party for 4 from Girly Girlz;
1 month tanning membership from Planet Beach;
$10.00 gift card from Fry’s;
Garment bag and charm from Contagious;
Cupcakes from Sugar Mama Sweets;
2 boxes of Cake Pops from Heavenly Cake Pops;
5 Bounce U open play passes;
Free carpet cleaning for 3 rooms from Castle Carpets;
"Monopoly on the Go" family game;
“The Price is Right” DVD game;
2 Super Soaker Water guns;
“Sort it Out” family board game;
Crayola Washable Sidewalk Spiral Chalk Blaster;
3-D Lightning Dip and Blow Bubble Set with 128 ounces of miracle bubbles ;
Basket from Whole Grain Breads;
5 free kids passes to Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium;

AND

. . .more to come!!

The day of the event we will also have "themed" silent auction baskets to bid on with beginning bids starting at just $50.00. What is super cool is some of the hospitals we donate to will also be providing baskets for our auction on top of the ones Lanee's Legacy will be showcasing! So there will be lots of great items available for bid. Some of our themes so far will include:

1. “Fun in the Sun” package including tickets from Wet-n-Wild water park, 2 months of free swimming from Aquatots, $25.00 gift certificate from Golden Spoon Yogurt, swimming lessons from Mrs. Carolyn Campbell-Westphal, Snapset Swimming Pool, 2 Nerf Water Guns, 7 lifejackets, 24 Fabric Dive Sticks and more. . .

2. “Relaxation” package including facial from Tantrum Salon, pedicure from Elite Nail Salon and more. . .

3. “Outdoorsman/Hunting” package including a free year at Caswell’s Hunting Range, 2 $25.00 gift certificates from Sportsman’s Warehouse, 4 in 1 emergency battery free flashlight, and more. . .

4. “Golf” package including a foursome from the Raven Golf Club and more. . .

5. “Memories are Forever” photography package from Pied Piper Photography and Matage Custom Framing

6. “Sports” package including 4 Diamondback Tickets, Triple Header Motion Video Game, half hour of free batting cage at Robo Pitch and more. . .

7. “Family Fun” package including bowling, shoes and drinks at Brunswick Bowling Center, 5 open play passes at Bounce U and $50.00 off a party at Bounce U, 6 individual passes to the Arizona Museum of Natural History, 5 free kids passes to Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium, family board games including Rhino Rampage, Piranha Panic and 1-2-3 Stomp and more. . .

8. “Twilight Saga” package including Twilight Scene-It DVD Game, Twilight Bella and Edward Barbie Collector Dolls and more. . .

9. “Guitar/music” package including an acoustic guitar from Milano’s Music, gift certificate for guitar lessons from Linton Milano’s Music and more. . .

10. “Toy Story 3” package including Toy Story 3 DVD, Toy Story 3D Washable Sidewalk Activity Set, Toy Story Connect Four, and more. . .

11. “Jump and Shout Play Center” package valued at $218.00

12. “Spa” package from Scottsdale Healthcare;

13. Silent Auction package from Banner Desert Medical Center

14. Silent Auction package from Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

15. Silent Auction package from Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center

Last, but not least, we are offering sponsorships this year to those businesses that would like to become an official sponsor of our fundraiser. There are different levels of sponsorships, so if you are a business owner, or, know of someone who may be interested, they may contact our sponsorship representative, Jamilyn Craig, at: 1-520-609-8138 for more details.

Stay tuned and keep checking back for lots more details!

Lanee's Legacy Movie

2010-07-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We've been busy this week getting ready to attend the Freedom Festival in Mesa, AZ. They expect between 15,000 - 20,000 people over the course of two days. Steve Wright is the public relations guy for the City of Chandler and also the event coordinator behind this HUGE event in Mesa this weekend. He has been extremely busy in preparing for this weekend, but also took the time to make sure Lanee's Legacy was in attendance AND was armed with everything we need to spread the word! He provided us with 1,000 brochures that HE designed and then passed on to Americopy to have printed for us - all free of charge! He also got us a screaming deal on some new t-shirts to sell! He has been such an amazing help to Lanee's Legacy all along. THANKS SO MUCH STEVE!! He created the powepoint presentation that is shown at the beginning of this video we made to show this weekend. We have been using this presentation to pass out to businesses, and anyone who is interested in donating and would like to learn more.

Anyway, here's what we've been working on this week to have for not only this event, but any others in the future! I think we did pretty good for amateurs! Let us know what you think!

If anyone would like a copy of our powerpoint presentation to pass on to anyone you think would be interested in donating, please don't hesistate to contact us and we will be happy to get you one.

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!

Broken Windshield?

2010-06-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

It's summertime. It's the time where we take long road trips and family vacations and. . . .come home with a broken windshield as a result. Summertime is peak time to get windshields replaced because of baseball games that land a ball in your windshield, or, a rock that gets flung at you while on your way out of town. You have to get it fixed, right? Why not help your favorite charity in the meantime?

Invision Auto Glass has been in business since 2002 and is a fan of Lanee's Legacy. They would like to see us continue to do what we do and have come up with a plan that they would like to offer to all of their customers. It's a plan that will enable you to make a donation to us with absolutely NO OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE FOR YOU!!

If you have a windshield that needs replaced and have full coverage insurance in place, simply call them and their very experienced installers will come to you, replace your windshield and in turn donate $50.00 to Lanee's Legacy!!

Here's a few things you would want to know about a windshield company before choosing them to work on your car:

Do they use certified technicians? YES

Do they use all original equipment manufactured parts (OEM)? YES

Do they guarantee their work 100%? YES

Are they a preferred provider by ALL insurance companies? YES

Do they offer free mobile service? YES

How easy is that? They handle all the paperwork. They deal with your insurance company. They come to you wherever you are. This is not just an offer for valley residents. They offer their services to most Arizona cities. So, if you live in the White Mountains, Flagstaff, Tucson, or almost anywhere else in Arizona, please call. Don't forget to tell them that you want them to donate $50.00 to Lanee's Legacy in return for using their company!

CALL: 480-278-6203

Boxes and more Boxes

2010-05-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this year, Lanee's Legacy set a goal that we would have the means (i.e. financial support and manpower) to make at least 40 boxes per month to distribute to hopsitals and individuals who need them. Here we are into May now and feel very blessed to say that so far, this goal has been met. It has been a busy few months for Lanee's Legacy as we have added additional hospitals to the list (I'll give you the update in a minute). We feel blessed to continue to get to do what we do. We are currently scheduled through June, but if you have a group or organization that would like to participate in this service project, please don't hesitate to contact us! It is so wonderful to get to know and work with amazing people that join us in our passion for service and helping those who stand in need.

We were lucky enough to have a photographer at one of our box making nights who graciously provided us with a CD of pictures from our night. Thank you to Megan Klug at Rosemary and Me Photography for donating your time and talents to documenting this night for us. I wanted to share some of these pictures and the wonderful women who contributed to this night:

At the beginning of the night, we have tables that look like this:

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers. . .

We then had tables that looked like this:

To update you on the list of hospitals we now serve, here it is:

Banner Desert Medical Center
Casa Grande Regional Medical Center
Scottsdale Healthcare (Shea Campus)
Scottsdale Healthcare (Osborn Campus)
Banner Thunderbird
Banner Estrella
Banner Baywood
Banner Gateway
Flagstaff Medical Center

We are doing our best to make contact with other hospitals. The trick is finding the correct person that oversees this department. If you notice a hospital you currently live by, work at or are connected with in some way NOT on this list, please help us by getting us in touch with the right person and we will be more than happy to add them to our list of hospitals we serve.

The perk for all of us in doing this is getting to take road trips together! We always joke about "the further the better" and the idea of being jetsetters! Although, I don't really know why they get a look of skepticism on their faces when I suggest a shortcut. Sheesh. . .it's not like the last two I suggested haven't worked out so great?!? Alright, well they haven't been so short, but they've been fun, right girls? It makes me happy to hit the road with two of the greatest gals I know! It was just two weeks ago that we all traveled to Flagstaff for our first visit with the women who volunteer for the TLC (To Lose a Child) Program at Flagstaff Medical Center.

Rayel: "the navigator":

Our "shortcut" took us through payson and pine area. It was such a beautiful drive, but the higher up we traveled, we noticed this:

Then we saw this:

Keep in mind that we did this on the last day of April! There was no spring in sight! Rayel insisted that we pull over "play" for a minute: Kat's making a snow angel:

Snowbowl Mountains:
When we arrived in Flagstaff, we met up with the girls from the TLC program at Pita Jungle for a yummy lunch and then on over to the hospital for a tour and to donate boxes. We had a such a great time making this trip and was especially impressed with Flagstaff's program and the awesome work they are doing to help families who are experiencing a loss. Good job!

Thanks to everyone from those who are helping us make these boxes to those who are requesting them for their hospital! This is what it's all about!

The Birthday Challenge and PF Chang Marathon!

2010-02-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

First, we wanted to update you on the many donations we received from our challenge for DeLanee's birthday. We had so many people participate and it turned out great!! We feel so blessed at how many items we received that will go inside our boxes. Here's what we received:

Jewel Cases: 50
Packets of Kleenex: 116
Journals: 51
Brag Books: 4
CDs: 250
Pens: 93
Forget Me Not Seeds: 10
Chocolate Bars: 36
Hard Tack Candy: 7 bags
Cameras: 66

Monetary Donations $89.00

We were also donated new (and improved) glue guns with carrying cases. So awesome!!

We assembled 60 boxes last week with the help of the Gilbert 9th Ward as well. As we've said before, it is a humbling position to be in to watch of all these donations come (in whatever form). Thank you to everyone who participated in our challenge and encourage you to not stop now. These boxes will be delivered off of our shelves in no time, so please. . .keep them coming.

We want to introduce you to a very special person. A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of ours, Dr. Sonal Gahndi, participated in the PF Chang Marathon.

This was her first marathon to compete in and I can't imagine the amount of work and training that goes into participating in one of these. What a sense of accomplishment it must be to complete something so amazing though. She not only ran for herself, but also Lanee's Legacy! We had the opportunity to sit down with her last week and hear all about the run and thank her for her support to our organization. She is a doctor at Phoenix Perinatal Associates and sees families everyday who are facing unfortunate circumstances with their pregnancies and babies. She spoke of how hard it is to become close with her patients and want so badly to give them the outcome that they want, but sometimes, is unable to do so. She has so much compassion towards them. How blessed we as patients are to be in such good hands of not only very qualified doctors, but understanding and kindhearted people as well. We had a good time at lunch getting to know her better and hearing about the martathon. Thanks to her hard work and effort, she raised over $600.00 for us!

Thanks Dr. Gahndi! Lanee's Legacy LOVES you!

A Special Day to Remember

2010-01-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day for Lanee's Legacy and especially for me. Today, 6 years ago I was blessed with a sweet little girl who would change my life forever. Each morning on the 28th of January as soon as I open my eyes and my mind settles into reality, it starts to replay the events of 6 years ago. This year was no different. The first thing my eyes saw on the morning after I had DeLanee was her. I was laying on my side facing her tiny baby bed and when I opened my eyes, I saw her little profile. She had a very cute little nose that looked like her brother's and I remember thinking how similar their noses were. This morning when I woke up, I wished so badly I could see that little nose again. I had her at 12:58 a.m. on the morning of the 28th and so waking up to the night's events were so blurry and almost like a dream. It was a terrible reality to wake up to. Everything that we had been privileged to do with her the night before was now over and now we had to move on to the stuff that nobody wants to face. We had to take care of the "details" and I wished we could just rewind time.

I'd like to share some of the moments we were able to capture with DeLanee in the short time that we had her. Thank heavens for pictures and that we can, in a way, "rewind" time to replay moments that are precious to us. I realize I have never shared pictures of DeLanee on this blog. Many mom's who have lost babies prematurely sometimes are hesitatant to share their babies because they don't always look the same as full term healthy babies. They are smaller, not developed fully, and their skin is so fragile. If they have medical abnormalities that are visibile this can be uncomfortable for some people and the last thing a mom wants to see is the look on someone's face or hear a comment that is hurtful when they are looking at their precious baby. DeLanee's condition caused her entire body to become hydropic. The cyst she had developed in utero filled her entire body and major organs with fluid which is what caused her demise. Her skin was also very dark from this as well. She weighed 4.6 ounces at birth of which 2 lbs of that was fluid. To me though, she was perfect. My entire pregnancy I cherished her every move and prayed that I would be able to hold her for even a moment while she was alive. I wanted her to feel of the love I had for her. I knew I couldn't take away the challenges she had been given but I needed to be able to love her through it. So, when I was able to finally hold her and love on her, it felt so good. We were so blessed to have an amazing night with a special little girl. We gave her a name, a blessing, bathed her, dressed her and loved on her until it was time for her to go. Almost my entire family was in that room and their was a lot of love going on! I will always long for more. . .but I am thankful for what I was given.

This is my sweet little DeLanee. It looks like I have gigantic hands in this picture, but my hands are really quite small. When I look at her hand clutching the tip of my finger, it reminds me of just how tiny she was.

This is DeLanee's older borther, Garrett. I know these two have a special bond. He called her "TeLanee" and I think he too was eager to give her the love he had as well. Do you see the two noses? Garrett is 9 years old now and loves her just as much.

In this picture, he was helping zip up her little outfit after we had bathed her.

The following pictures are just some of the family that was in that room:

The quote that goes on the top of Lanee's Legacy's boxes read:

Some people come into our lives
and quickly go…
Some stay for awhile and leave footprints in our hearts.
And we are never ever the same.

These are DeLanee's footprints:

Today was a wonderful day. New memories were made and her footprints continue to be in not just my heart, but others. I know her little footprints and have made it into many lives and I'm so thankful for that.

We had an AMAZING response to our challenge. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! We are still tallying up the numbers and are anxious to share them with you. It is such a humbling position to be in to witness the generous hearts of so many wonderful people that show their love to those they don't even know. Because of your donations, these families will also be able to capture and preserve vital memories that they too will be able to "rewind" when they feel like it.

6 Years of Change (and a challenge)

2010-01-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

We have a challenge that we hope you are up for and that I want to tell you about, I hope you'll endur with me for a minute as I explain why.

Very soon it will be what would have been DeLanee's 6th birthday - in 9 days to be exact. Every year at this time (actually starting on December 2nd), my thoughts and heart are reminded of everything that we were going through during that time. Why December 2nd? December 2nd is the day I had an appointment with Phoenix Perinatal Associates. I remember being so sad and afraid of the results that I was about to find out. I was praying for a miracle but preparing myself for whatever the outcome may be. I knew no matter what that I would carry the pregnancy to the very end, but I hoped that we would be given a favorable outcome. I didn't get the prognosis we had hoped for that day. In fact, it looked very, very bad for my daughter's fate. I layed on the ultrasound table and listened as the ultrasound tech told me one by one everything that was wrong with my little girl. I had never felt more heartbroken than what I did that day. The diagnosis day, December 2nd, is what started a whirlwind of events that lasted until January 28th. Actually, anyone who has lost a child knows that it lasts much, much longer than that.

Here I sit, almost 6 years later, thinking of my sweet daughter, how I miss her and wish I could just hold her and love on her. I wish I could be attending a ballet recital she was participating in. I wish I was going to visit with her kindergarten teacher at parent teacher conference when I visit her brother's teacher. I wish she could have gone and rode horses with me and my kids last week at their grandparent's house. I wish for this and so much more.

Last week the Lanee's Legacy board had a meeting. We always start our meetings with what we call a "Lanee's Legacy moment". This is our time to share any stories or feedback we have received from anyone who has contacted us. We have found that by starting our meetings this way, it motivates us and inspires us to continue moving forward. A couple of weeks ago we were contacted by a mother, who had lost not just one, but two babies. Her kids are all grown now and she is blessed with 21 grandchildren so far. She lost her first little boy to an umbilical cord accident and was born still many years ago and then a few years later gave birth to a baby boy, Nathan, who was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 and lived for 7 weeks. She had 9 children in all and told us that she knows great joy but also knows the meaning of grieving the loss of her children. She told us that "my arms still feel the loss, even though my life is full as I've been so blessed with many children and grandchildren." She also told us that after she delivered at Mesa Lutheran Hospital she felt like the nurses and staff were very kind and helpful, but still remembers how empty her arms felt coming home.

Smith Family with baby Nathan 2 days before he passed away.

So now, as I am coming upon my 6 year anniversary of DeLanee's birth and death, I am thinking of my new friend, Linda Smith, and what it might feel like when I am in her shoes and have been a mother of an angel baby for nearly 20 years.

I also have been thinking about the boxes and how they have developed over the past 5 years as well. I came across pictures of the very first boxes that were put together on DeLanee's first birthday. Oh, how they've changed! If I remember correctly, I donated just 20 boxes in 2005 on her first birthday and they were just the boxes - nothing inside of them. Every year since then, they have developed and grown into something more and we donate more often than just her birthday. We feel so blessed that we have been able to help so many families since her first birthday (somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 boxes) and can't wait to see how many more families we can help - especially after 20 years.

What they looked like the first year:

In the last few weeks we have been able to add 4 new hospitals to our list of those we donate to. They are:

Casa Grande Regional Medical Center;
Scottsdale Healthcare (Shea Campus);
Yavapai Regional Medical Center; and
Banner Baywood.

We are confident that this list will continue to grow not just here in Arizona, but other states as well. (Hopefully we'll have some updates on out of state hospitals very soon)! But as you can see, we are growing to meet the needs of other hospitals as they attend to those who are grieving the loss of their baby. Now more than ever we are in need of donations that are listed on the right of our sidebar. Not only do we want to make sure that a mother's arms are filled with something as she leaves the hospital, but that they are also provided with necessary items to help them through their grieving process. We recently heard from a mother that told us if she had not been given a camera in her box, she would not have any pictures of her daughter. When I heard this I cried. The impact of what that means for Lanee's Legacy and what we need to continue to do is enormous. The pictures of my daughter are so priceless to me and I can't imagine not having them. Every mother must be given the opportunity to take pictures of their babies if they want. We want to make sure that this happens!

So, the challenge is this. As DeLanee's birthday nears in just 9 days, I would like to pose a challenge to any who would like to participate in seeing just how many items we can collect for the boxes that will be donated to these new hospitals that are requesting them. You can drop off any donations to Phoenix Perinatal Associates located at: 1840 S. Stapley Drive, Ste. 131, Mesa, Arizona 85204, or, you can contact any one of us at our e-mails listed on the right and we will make arrangements for your donations to be picked up. We also have a pay pal button as well as a PO box that you are more than welcome to use for monetary donations or otherwise. It is: Lanee's Legacy, P.O. Box 601, Queen Creek, Arizona 85142. Let's see how much "change" we can make from that first year we donated to now. We'll update you with our success!

What Have You Done For Someone Today?

2009-12-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

For those of you that have been checking in on our blog and waiting for an update, we're sorry it has been so long. Ever since our event it has been a bit of a whirlwhind. We have been in the midst of organizing, organizing and more organizing. Not only are we forming our non-profit and working on executive proposals and prospectuses (all terms we are learning about), but we have also been busy doing LOTS of boxes. This, of course, is the part we love! We have made a delivery to Banner Desert Hospital and have even seen our boxes reach as far as Australia and North Dakota.

We have been working on teaming up with an AMAZING group of medical professionals - Phoenix Perinatal Associates. They are specialists in the area of obstetrics and gynecology with advanced training in the management of high-risk pregnancies. I was referred to their office when I first learned of the news with DeLanee and have had 2 babies with their office since then. I have felt so blessed to have been in their care during one of the hardest times of my life as well as the happiest. I cannot say enough good about the level of treament you receive as a patient as well as the compassion they show you as an individual during a difficult time. I am so happy at the interest and support they have shown in sponsoring Lanee's Legacy and appreciate all they've done so far. We recently used their offices to assemble boxes as well as being able to store our supplies. I (and my family) are so happy to not have my living room stacked to the ceiling with boxes!! They currently are storing many boxes that are completed and ready for delivery as well as those that still need completed. Those who are in need of one of our boxes can now go to their offices to pick one up. They will also be happy to receive any donations anyone would like to offer.

We also were recently invited to a Winter Wonderland Festival in Kearny, Arizona that the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce hosts. During this event they do a luminaria honor walk where those who want can buy luminarias (lighted paper bags) in honor of a lost loved one. Christine Hartin and Nathan Broyles are residents of Kearny and lost a son, Zayvian David Broyles, to fetal hydrops. They were given the opportunity to choose which charity would receive the proceeds from the luminarias. We were so honored that they would select us. We had such a good time participating in their festival and were happy to meet so many awesome people!

Thank you Christine and Nathan!

Their son's luminaria:

I would like to share a story with you I recently heard. Its about a man named Dr. Jack McConnell. He was 1 of 7 children who lived in a humble home and grew up in the hills of Southwest Virginia. His father was a methodist minister and his mother a homemaker. Every night around the dinner table, his father would go around the table and ask each of his children the question "what have you done for someone today?". This became so engrained in the children that they would look for opportunities to do a good turn for someone else each day. As the children grew their motivation changed to an inner desire to help others.

Dr. McConell came to have a distinguished medical career and acheived wonderful things throughout his life including the development of the tuberculosis tine test, participated in the early development of the polio vaccine, supervised the development of Tylenol, and was instrumental in developing the magnetic resonance imaging procedure, or MRI. But what Dr. McConnell calls his greatest accomplishment is that he created an organization called "Volunteers in Medicine", which gives retired medical personnel a chance to volunteer at free clinics serving the working uninsured. Dr. McConnell made this statement: “In one of those paradoxes of life, I have benefited more from Volunteers in Medicine than my patients have.”

I don't want to compare us to Dr. McConell (we can't all be that great, right?), but what I can relate to is that we often feel this same way in that we benefit far more than any recipient mother of a box. What I have learned is that in one of the darkest times in my life it was helping others that ultimatally helped myself. It was by attempting to look outside of myself to notice someone else and what they may be going through to realize I am not alone.

I am reminded of a scripture in Luke 9:24 that states: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

I believe that what this scripture is trying to say is that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. I have certianly found this to be true in my own life.

Recently we have had SO many people help our organization to ensure that no mother leaves the hospital empty handed. We appreciate those that have taken time from their lives to help us. It is my hope that anyone who participates in assembling boxes, making donations or providing service in any other way may also experience some of these same feelings that Dr. McConnell was talking about. We certainly thank everyone that has helped us recently in furthering our cause and helping those that need it.

Making Boxes!

2009-11-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

We have been busy trying to get boxes ready to assemble. With everyones kind generosity we have been able to buy most of the stuff to make the boxes, however we are finding out that we are running low on a few items that go inside the boxes. Our goal is to never let a mom leave the hospital empty handed. We have a 160 boxes that we are trying to get completed, but are in need of the following items:

*journals

*indoor disposable cameras w/ a flash

*small packages of kleenex

*ink pens

*mini photo albums

*memorex jewel cases

*hard candy (ie butterscotch disc)

If you would like to donate any of these items please feel free to email anyone on the board. Giftcards to Scrapbooks Etc. and Hobby Lobby are also appreciated.

We feel extremely grateful to all of you who believe in Lanee's Legacy and are willing to help.

Pics of our Breakfast and our Winner

2009-10-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to share the highlights of our pancake breakfast with you. Amy Lytle donated her time and awesome photography skills and we love the pictures she got back to us. What a great day it was and again want to thank everyone who contributed to making this a success!

Before doing that though we wanted to announce the winner of our necklace and brooch. We used http://www.random.org/ to generate a random number which came up with #1, so, Stephanie, if you will e-mail me with your address I would love to get these in the mail to you.

So. . .here are the highlights from the breakfast:

Do you know that all of these guys had to go and take a food handler's

test to be able to assist our caterer with the food? Thanks guys!

(Chris, Tom, Ian, Josh and Ryan)

Not sure what was so funny here, but I felt like it showed what a good time we all had.
(Suzanne, Rayel, Becky and Kathryn)

These girls ran our greeting/will call table and did an awesome job!
Thanks to Lisa, Bekki and Aimee.

The Lanee Legacy crew: Kathryn, Heather, Becky, Erika and Rayel

We really appreciated Suzanne Helzer, Bereavment Coordinator at Banner Desert Hospital coming and speaking. One thing that stood out in her talk to me was when she thanked everyone from future parents who would receive a box. It really is EVERYONE who came, donated, volunteered and supported us that makes this all possible!

Lukas from Movin' 97.5 was so awesome!! He really kept things fun! LOVED him!

The next pictures are from our kids area. Bounce U provided our face painter and Twisty Kristy did an awesome job with the balloons. She couldn't tie those balloons fast enough. The octupuses were a HUGE hit with the kids. Thank you to Arizona Jump for discounting the jump systems.

Thanks to Kilee, Nicole, Amber and David for taking care of our balloon release.

That was a lot of balloons and butterlies to tie!

It was so sweet to see the kids write their personal messages to their loved ones and release them into the sky. I thought this pictures really captured the sweetness of it. These are actually my nephews (Braeden and Cole) and my own children (Garrett and Taryn).

Garrett doesn't quite know how to spell DeLanee's name yet. But still so sweet. The kids LOVED the fireman and firetruck. Thanks Queen Creek Fire Department!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (giveaway)

2009-10-15T09:55:00.001-07:00

First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE that showed their support by coming to our 1st annual pancake breakfast event and to everyone who volunteerd, donated and sponsored as well. It was a huge success and it would not have been possible without you! It was so wonderful to meet many of you that had wrote to us by e-mail and get to hear the stories of your sweet babies and feel the connection that has brought us together. It was such a great day.

We have already placed orders with our vendors for boxes and supplies and are very anxious to get started distributing them to hospitals and those that need them. As soon as we get the pictures back from our photographer we would love to share the highlights of the event with you.

Today, October 15th, has been proclaimed by the United States Congress as the National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It's sad that a day like this needs to exist, but I am glad that it does. Healing does come through remembering. If you would like to visit the website of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day you can find it here.

Here, in Arizona, Banner Desert Medical Center has organized a "Walk to Remember" that coincides with the National Remembrance Day for parents to walk in memory of their babies. For those that are local and would like to participate in this event, it is this Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. at St. Timothy's Catholic Community Church located at 1730 W. Guadlaupe Road, Mesa, Arizona (between Dobson and Alma School).

I have done a little research myself concerning pregnancy/infant loss and wanted to share some of my findings:

- According to emedicine, in 2004, 2,246 deaths were certified as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accounting for 8% of infant deaths. SIDS is the most common cause of death in infants aged 1 month to 1 year.

- Also according to emedicine, the overall miscarriage rate is reported as 15-20%, which means 15-20% of recognized pregnancies result in miscarriage. Note that these are just the "recognized" pregnancies. Recurring Misscarriage Syndrome (RMS) affects more than 500,000 women in the United States per year.

- In the United States, there is approximately one stillborn baby for every 115 live births, which is roughly 26,000 stillbirths each year.

- According to the March of Dimes, in 2002, about 19,000 babies died in their first month of life(called neonatal death).

Simply put, many, many people are affected by stillbirth, miscarriage and infant death each year. If you are one of these people, I want to tell you that your babies life counts! I want you to know I grieve with you - and not just today. When I began this project 6 years ago, it was to validate a life. DeLanee was not alive for very long, but it was very important to me that she was not forgotten and to know that her life counted. The box I was given and everything inside it did just that. . .validated her life. It is my hope that anyone who receives one of our boxes feels that same way. That their babies lives count. Because these precious babies that are sent to us for only a short time are significant. They touch us so deeply and profoundly in a way that we will never be the same.

In honor of October 15th, Lanee's Legacy would like to hold a giveaway. Heritage House '76 is a wonderful company that is known as the "precious feet people". They have donated necklaces to go into our boxes for quite some time now and are a company that Lanee's Legacy loves. The saying that we use on top of the boxes is one about feet and we also include a metal plaque that goes on top of the box that has baby feet on them. So, the necklaces fit very well into our bereavement boxes. They have graciously offered to donate this brooch for our giveaway. We will also give you one of their matching necklaces as well.

By leaving a comment and sharing your story you are automatically entered into this drawing which will end tomorrow October 16th at 10:00 p.m. Anyone is welcome to leave a comment whether you are the parent, grandparent, aunt, friend, sister, etc. You are certainly welcome to continue leaving a comment and sharing your story after this time as we would love to hear from you.

So, I will start. . .

My name is Becky. In January, 2004, we lost baby #2 to Dandy-Walker cyst at 28 weeks gestation. We met our precious daughter at 12:54 a.m. where we bathed, dressed and loved on her for 2.5 hours before she passed. We miss her everyday.

Silent Auction PREVIEW

2009-10-09T00:41:00.000-07:00

We have had some really devoted and hard working friends and family who have spent lots of hours to ensure our silent auctioned items are a hit. They have put together some pretty amazing "themed" packages for you to bid on on Saturday.

All of our auctioned packages will start at a minimum bid of $50.00 except for our "camping/outdoor package" which will have a $200.00 minimum.

Here is a preview of what they are:

PLUM CUTE BABY
GIRL PACKAGE

VALUE: $160.00

Pillowcase Dress, Fabric Flower pin, Minky Blanket, Bib,

3 burp cloths, Taggie, Changing Pad, and Wipes Case.

PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE

VALUE: $380.00

Family Photo Session for 6 from Pied Piper Photography

Decorated Frame from Heidi Lynn @ Scrapbooks Etc.

RELAXATON/PAMPERING PACKAGE

VALUE: $340.00

Pedicure from Elite Nail, European Facial from Tantrum Salon, Massage from Linda Durney Cut and color from Blossom Salon, Gold Canyon Candle and Bed Head Products.

HOME IMPROVEMENT PACKAGE

VALUE: $520.00

(Must live in East Valley)
Pest Control, Carpet Cleaning, Home Depot Gift Card, Professional Housekeeping

Services by “Cynthia’s Cleaning,” 1 Month Free Pool cleaning by Aqua Pool Co., and

Black and Decker tool box.

GOLF PACKAGE

VALUE: $720.00

Two (2) nine hole punch passes good for 10 visits at Terra Grande Golf Club, Four ½ hour golf lessons from Michael Arrigoni at Western Skies Golf Course,
18 hole good for two at Las Colinas Golf Club, $20.00 gift card and custom golf club fitting from PGA Superstore, putter, head cover and golf puzzle from Joe’s Golf Shop.

FUN IN THE SUN PACKAGE
VALUE: $206.50
$25.00 Gift card to the Golden Spoon, up to 12 free children’s swim lessons from Carolyn Campbell-Westphal, free rounds of golf for six from Golfland, free punch pass to any Gilbert public pool after May 22, 2010 from Gilbert Aquatics, and beach buckets and towels.

CAMPING/OUTDOOR PACKAGE
VALUE: $250.00
Sportsman’s Gift Cards: $200.00
Dutch Oven

BIKE PACKAGE
VALUE: $60.00
20” blue Abyss children’s bike
* Band Aids
* Neosporin

GOURMET CATERED DINNER PACKAGE

VALUE: $500.00
Dinner for 10 from Arizona Party Wizards

So, don't forget your checkbook!!

. . .and the WINNER is!

2009-10-07T22:33:00.001-07:00

Before I announce the winner of our contest, I just wanted to add a quick note here to tell you that anyone who has bought tickets to our pancake breakfast on Saturday through our paypal account, we will have your tickets available for pick-up at our "will call" table.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our "Night Out on Lanee's Legacy" contest that ended today at noon. It was a HUGE success and we were so lucky to get to fill our bucket quite full!

I didn't realize how much fun this was going to be!

Congraulations to Tyler Shelley! We will have your prize at the "will call" table and you can pick it up on Saturday morning. If you would like for us to get your prize to you another way, just let us know.

Now all you have to do is find a babysitter!

Announcements and Reminders

2009-10-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

I have some big news! It's awesome news! I am so excited to tell you that each and every dollar that is donated at our upcoming fundraiser will go directly into the making of the boxes and donating them back to Banner Hospital because. . . .

WE ARE NON-PROFIT!!

Okay, well technically it's takes time to complete all the paperwork, but our needs that way are completely taken care of and we will be "official" in the very near future! Thanks to some very generous and tender-hearted men, we have both our legal and accounting needs taken care of and therefore freeing up any legal fees we would have paid towards becoming non-profit. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that all proceeds will go right back into helping grieving families. It's amazing! YEAH!

While keeping that in mind, I just wanted to remind you of a few things before Saturday. We still have our contest running right now where every $5.00 you spend enters your name into our drawing for a night out on Lanee's Legacy! Time runs out on Wednesday at noon to enter. Just use one of our paypal buttons to the right to play. As we've mentioned before, NOW is the best time to get your tickets for our breakfast because they'll double at the door!

Have I mentioned that we have over 70 raffle prizes included for Saturday's drawings? Your chances are great at winning some awesome prizes. Our silent auction is amazing as well, check back soon as I will be posting our "themed packages" available for bidding. They are truly great!

I am so excited and anticipating Saturday's event for many reasons. Knowing that all proceeds will directly benefit Banner hospitals as well as many grieving families is one of the reasons. But, Rayel, Erika, Heather, Kat and myself can't wait to meet so many of you that we have gotten to know recently and thank all of you for making this happen! You all are great!

. . .see you soon!

Babysitting NOT Included

2009-10-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Need a night out?

Who doesn't right? Well, this is pretty simple and all for $5! As promised, we are beginning a contest right now where all you have to do is click on one of our pay pal buttons and do your thing! For every $5 you donate (pancake breakfasts or donations), we will enter your name into a drawing for a night out on us!! Which will include:

$25.00 gift card to:

2 movie passes at:

and 2 shaved ice drinks from:

Sounds fun, right? So, each $5.00 you spend gets you entered as many times as you want. You have until Wednesday, October 7th at Noon. Good luck!

By small and simple things. . .

2009-09-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Alright you guys, we are on the final countdown - 10 days to be exact! We have had some amazing things happen recently, including our story being written in the East Valley Tribune. If by some chance you weren't able to catch it, you can find it here:

Because we are on our final countdown, we have come up with another contest that we will announce very soon that will be sure to please! You won't want to miss this, so be sure and check back as we will post ALL of the details real soon!!

The picture above is a picture of Rayel Smith, a member of our Lanee's Legacy team. She and I have been friends since Jr. high and could definitely tell you some crazy stories that go way back - we'll keep those dirty little secrets to ourselves though! What we are sharing is a story from our lives as moms and the loss of our children. Little did Rayel and I know that this would be something that we would have in common as mothers. I know this story was not an easy one for Rayel to tell. Some things are just so personal that they are difficult to talk about at times. She is such a wonderful mother (to 6 children - yes 6!) and that includes the wonderful job she is doing at mothering her angel baby, Garrett. She has been a source of strength for me as she too joined this club that neither of us wanted to be in, but thankful for each other as it has brought us closer together as we've shared in this grief.

Although many boxes had been donated to many grieving moms, most of them I did not know personally. When I heard of Rayel's loss, it really hit home for me as she was someone I had grown up with and loved. I think that many of us upon hearing of a loved one's tragedy immediately ask ourselves "what can we do to help?". It is such an empty helpless feeling to know that someone you love is hurting and to feel useless in helping to ease their pain. I'm not just talking about the loss of a baby, but any sort of personal tragedy or challenge that a friend or family member is facing. We take cards, flowers and even meals into grieving families offering our love and support during difficult times. . .and then we search for more that we can do. As hard as we all try to help, it is so difficult to watch our loved ones grieve while we watch from the sidelines. . .helpless. Sometimes, simply being there is as much as we can do. This is how I felt when I heard of Rayel's loss. Helpless. I had personally experienced the loss of a baby just as she had and yet I still felt this way. Aside from my love and support, the box was all I had to offer.

I knew of how simple my Christmas box was, but yet so special and significant to me at the same time. I know the boxes we donate can never completely take away the pain of losing a child. We've heard from many mom's telling us that the boxes they have received are significant to them as well. Honestly, when I began making the boxes I felt like they were more for me and my own way of dealing with my grief. I really did not know how much they would help until I began hearing from others. I just thought it was something simple for a mom to hold onto as they leave the hospital. Sometimes it is the small and simple things that mean so much.

So, in the LONG round about way of this post, the point in this. We have had so many people contact us asking this same question: "what can I do to help". It really is just the small things that we need. Simply buy a ticket to the breakfast. We have close to 550 members on facebook. Can you imagine the difference it would make if each person would buy just 1 ticket at $5.00 each (or donate $5.00 if you can't make it)? We are hoping to put as much as we can from the profits that we make right back into the donating of the boxes. We don't want any mother to not receive a box as they leave the hospital. They are just a small and simple way of helping a grieving parent that will be made possible by your small and simple donation.

Other ways for you to help are coming. We will have a volunteer sign-up sheet at the breakfast and hope to have many of you sign up to help with the actual assembly of the boxes. This will give us such a great opportunity to connect as parents, offering support to each other while giving back. I can't wait to meet many of you and work on this together. Thanks to all of you who are so willing to get involved and want to help out. I truly hope that this hasn't sounded trivial or too simple of a resolution of how you can help. Sometimes it really is just the small stuff.

One Family's Story

2009-09-25T09:43:00.001-07:00

Do you ever think that you were meant to meet certain people? That there was a purpose for your paths to cross? Have you ever watched the effect and role they play in your life that confirms to you that they were meant to be there at that specific time and even for a specific purpose? And then after you do, you can't imagine your life without them? There are so many people in my life that I feel that exact way about. When I was pregnant with DeLanee and after she passed there were so many people that played critical roles in my life. I can't imagine having to navigate through that tremendous trial without the friendship, support and love of so many people. Each played a different role, but every one so important to me.

Recently, I have been blessed similarly. There have been so many amazing experiences in the last few months as Lanee's Legacy has been organized. Many stories where people have been brought into my life and become a part of this cause that is so touching. Many stories that confirm to me that they were meant to be a part of this and that now is the right time for Lanee's Legacy to be formed and really grow.

Heather at JB Promos is one of those stories. The logos you see here on our blog, she designed. The tickets you have purchased from us, she designed. The postcards that were sent to each mom that has ever lost a baby at Banner Desert Hospital, she designed. The t-shirts that we will be wearing on the day of the event, she designed. The banner that will be displayed at the breakfast, she designed. She has put so much time and effort into making sure that all of our marketing needs are taken care of. AND she has done ALL this at little or no cost to us! What a blessing she has been! Unfortunately, her family has been touched by the loss of a baby as well. She too has a personal connection to the grief and sadness a family experiences after losing a baby.

Three months ago, her brother and his Wife, Jon and Rayalee Davies, were expecting twin girls. Sadly, their babies suffered from a condition known as twin to twin transfusion which ended in the loss of both of their precious babies. Heather told us that she was in the room when they brought two pink boxes into Jon and Rayalee for them to put their daughter's belongings in. She said they cried when they were given to them. When Heather told me this story, I cried too. Each time I hear of a family beginning this grief journey my heart just aches for them.

This is an e-mail I received from Jon and Rayalee Davies which tells the story of their sweet daughters in their own words:

As any parents would be we were overjoyed to welcome a new baby to our family, we were twice as happy that we got to add two more babies. We were blessed to have identical twin girls. Our joy was to be short lived as we found out that our twins suffered from a syndrome called twin to twin transfusion. At 27 1/2 weeks the babies werent moving as much as normal, so we rushed to Mercy Gilbert hospital where an ultrasound was performed and found that twin B now known as Nichole Ray Davies had passed away inside of me, but that baby A now known as Ashley Marie Davies was fine so far as they could see. We were then rushed to Banner Dessert Hospital where I was put on bedrest for two weeks, and then released to go home on strick bedrest. I was home for one week and on sunday June 14, 2009 our little babies were born Nichole weighing in at 2lbs. 7oz.and 15in. and Ashley at 2lbs. 15oz.and 17in. Nichole was handed to her daddy and Ashley was rushed to the NICU where we soon found out that because of Nichole's eariler death Ashley had sustained some very severe brian damage and would not survive. Jon and I were given the choice to leave her on the machines or take her off, with pain management. Our hearts broke as we choose to take her off the machines. We were told we would have 15-30 secounds of time before she would be gone, but Ashley fought and held on for an entire hour till I told her that mommy would be ok, and after 13 hours and 41 minutes of her life she, surrounded by Jon and I, both sets of grandparents, and her favorite Aunt Heather, peacefully rejoined her sister. During what has been the hardest thing that we have ever been through, we have been blessed with the sweet memories of our girls, and the knowledge that they are well and safe and fufilling a mission far greater than we can know.

Jon & Rayalee Davies

Thank you Jon and Rayalee for being so willing to share the story of your sweet girls with us. Thank you Heather for your amazing talent and willingness to help Lanee's Legacy with all of our promotional items. This is definitely one of those paths that I know we were supposed to cross. I am so sorry for the losses you have had to endur, but am so thankful for the effect you have had in my life as well as Lanee's Legacy's.

Butterfly Babies (and Parents)

2009-09-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, we need to announce the winner of our QT gift card and thank all of you who worked so hard to help launch Lanee. The recepient of our $50.00 QT gift card goes to:

KATHRYN HALLSTED

Please keep referring your friends and family and get your tickets early. They are going fast, so make sure to grab them up soon!

We have been asked why we chose the butterfly to use as part of our logo and thought that we'd answer that question here. In general, the butterfly is a powerful reminder of change and transformation. It is a strong symbol of metamorphosis, with distinct stages. So, for obvious reasons the butterfly was chosen as part of our logo to represent these things.

But the butterfly has also been a part of DeLanee's story from the beginning. When DeLanee was born, her older brother Garrett was just 3 1/2 years old. He expressed a desire to be as involved as he could with what was happening with his baby sister and we were counseled to let him take the lead with this. So, we didn't pressure him to participate or do anything particular, but by his own account he was very involved with her. At her viewing he chose to bring a small little stuffed puppy to put in her casket - his puppy's name was "Sara". He didn't even think twice about leaving that stufed animal with her. He was so thoughtful to the little sister he had only spent a short time with here on earth. But, there is no doubt in my mind that the two of them had a very special relationship with each other before coming to earth.

Garrett did so good at her graveside by being as patient as possible while the talks and songs were being done. About halfway through though he started to get restless and he left his chair and started to roam and play nearby. It wasn't too long before we noticed that he was following and playing with a butterfly. Butterflies have a sense of lightness and joy and to see Garrett being so carefree and happy with his butterfly he had found was so sweet to me.

As a bereaved mother, I have found it healing to be able to link any memory or experience to my baby as possible. Which is why my Christmas box was so special to me - it contained every item that I had that was linked to her in some way. Anything that touched her skin was in that box. Any photographs I had of her was in that box. Any cards or ID tags that had her name written on it was in that box. Garrett's experience with the butterfly is another memory that I link to DeLanee and will continue to remind me of her whenever I see one.

When I first lost DeLanee, I asked the question "why me" many times. Why must I have to feel the pain of losing a child? Why do I have to be planning my daughter's graveside and burial? Why do I have to pick out a headstone? Why does my son have to continue to be an only child? Why do I have to learn to answer the question "how many kids do you have?". Why do I have to go through this adversity? The "why" question can go on and on.

But I wonder if the caterpillar ever asked the question: "Why must I suffer? Why cannot I simply, in the twinkling of an eye, become a butterfly?" It's the struggle to break out of the cocoon that develops the butterfly to be able to fly. Without that adversity the butterfly would never have the strength to achieve it's destiny. It would never develop the strength to become something extraordinary. As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people. When we are given these really hard trials, I think it's important to remember that it is the adversity that is shaping us into who we are. The trials that we experience are a temporary chrysalis that if we can only endure we can become as the butterfly - free to grow, change and become something beautiful.

When we were choosing the name for this organization, one that we contemplated was "butterfly babies" to represent the change and transformation that our babies go through as they pass from this life to the next. I believe that DeLanee did go through a big change when she passed and when I think of her now I think of somone who is beautiful, full of joy and happiness. I feel that the struggles she had while I carried her and during her short time here on earth she no longer has to deal with. I am proud of her for the mission that she was willing to accept and the change that occurred not only in her but for me as well. I am thankful for the trials and adversities that have been sent my way that cause me to struggle, grow and transform. I don't think that I am quite like a "beautiful butterfly" yet - maybe more like a moth, but I do know that it is through our challenges that we can become as beautiful as the butterfly.

Help Launch Lanee!

2009-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

If you've been following our blog, you've been able to see our recent updates including our awesome caterer who has come on board. Every week we also update our list of prizes in our very first post. This week we have added: Cheescake Factory, Sprouts, Bounce U, Bahama Bucks and Avon! Wow!

It has really been quite unexpected to see the amazing growth that has happened to this event. So, to better assist our caterer, we are encouraging everyone to buy their tickets in advance at the $5 price (or 6/$25) so that we can provide our caterer with a more accurate head count for food. For this reason, we will still be selling tickets the day of the event and you are more than welcome to buy tickets that day, however, they will be sold at $10 a ticket at the door.

Now, because we have been given soooo many awesome prizes AND in an effort to encourage you to get those tickets early, we wanted to provide you with a little incentive! Who doesn't like a little friendly competition right? So, here's our first ever Lanee's Legacy contest! This contest begins RIGHT NOW and will end at midnight on Tuesday, September 15th, announcing our winner on Thursday, September 17th.

Here's the details:

1. Tell your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors about the breakfast.

2. Have them visit the Lanee's Legacy blog to purchase a ticket via pay pal.

3. Make sure when their tickets are purchased, they click on "add special instructions to seller" and leave a comment telling us who their ticket sale credit goes to (first and last name) so we can track it.

The winner will recive a $50.00 Gift Card from:

Ready, Set LAUNCH LANEE!

Lanee's Legacy goes to the Parade!

2009-09-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some good friends in Northern Arizona, Lanee's Legacy was able to spread the word this past weekend at the Taylor Sweet Corn Festival Parade. Unfortunately, two of these women pictured here, Kelly and Tara, have lost babies as well. They went all out for us by wearing our t-shirts and finding balloons and candy to distribute along with our flyers about our upcoming breakfast.

A BIG thanks to our crew in Snowflake/Taylor for the work they did on our behalf!!

We have a caterer!

2009-09-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Another week has passed and what a week it was!! When we started Lanee's Legacy, we didn't know exactly how we were going to accomplish all of our goals, but just went ahead and jumped into it with both feet - full of hope and optimism that "it would happen". It has been so humbling to see the generosity of SO many people support and donate to our organization because of their belief in Lanee's Legacy. We now know how "this will happen" and it will be because of wonderful people who support us in whatever way they can - big or small.

Speaking of people with big hearts, this week we had another HUGE donation come to us. We had a well known caterer here in the valley offer to cater our event - for free!

We want to introduce you to Nick at Arizona Party Wizards:

Last night, Heather, Rayel and I had the pleasure of going to a tasting that Nick put on at his restaraunt in Tempe where our tastebuds were delighted. After leaving (with satisfied tummies), there is no doubt in our mind that our breakfast will be fabulous down to the detail!

Nick has not only ensured that our breakfast will be completely delicious, but he also took a huge weight off of our shoulders so that we can concentrate on others things like. . .

ENTERTAINMENT!

For our adults, we will keep you busy winning prizes from our raffle and silent auction while listening to not only our emcees, but our special guest speaker Suzanne Helzer, Bereavement Coordinator at Banner Desert. We wanted to be sure and have plenty for your kids to do as well, so we have lined up: a bouncy castle, Queen Creek Fire Department firetruck, face painters, a balloon artist, coloring pages, games and a balloon release. There will be no boredom on October 10th! We don't want you to come ONLY to eat, we want you to come hang out, learn a little more about our organization and have some family fun!

Our list of raffle prizes keeps growing and growing. This week we have added Sprinkles Cupcakes and Chili's to name a few. So, don't forget to get your raffle tickets so that you don't miss out on one of our awesome prizes.

For those of you who may have had a problem with our paypal button, it is now working perfectly and should be no problem, so please get those tickets NOW!!

Midnight Oil = Success!

2009-08-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

We are moving forward with amazing progress and have some EXCITING news to report. But before we get to that, we felt you should get to see some behind the scenes from Lanee's Legacy and how we are pulling this all together.

Becky's kitchen table is surrounded at least a couple of nights out of the week with her greatest helpers: Heather, Erika and Rayel. Meetings usually commence around 9:00 p.m. lasting several hours as everyone works to pull this together. QT has been our greatest companion keeping our ambition fueled on through the night (yes, we'll plug them - they're donating too)! We received a wonderful letter from them telling us that they "value the work" and want to "help further the cause". It is so amazing to see our organization progress and we have all agreed that it has taken on a life of it's own and we are are just holding on for the ride!

First things first. If you haven't already gotten your tickets to our pancake breakfast through our paypal account, we have our actual tickets printed and ready to sell!! You can contact us through laneeslegacy@hotmail.com with how many tickets you want ($5 for one, or, $25 for 6) and how to contact you and we will make sure they get to you. Keep in mind that we accept cahiers check or money order through mail only. If you want to pick them up, we'll take cash.

Okay, so on to some amazing news. If you listen to Movin' 97.5, your familiar with the morning show Lukas and Nina. Lukas has graciously offered to attend our event as our emcee. We're confident that he's sure to keep us "movin"! (Sorry, we couldn't help ourselves!)

If you've seen us on facebook, you'll notice our group has grown to over 300 members in just 9 days, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. We are truly humbled, and our e-mail continues to swell with people offering donations and support. With just over 6 weeks until pancake flippin time, we are anxiously burning the midnight oil to make sure it is a success!

Don't judge us too harshly, we took this at 1:00 a.m.!

Breakfast For A Cause!

2009-08-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Since beginning the project of the bereavement boxes, Lanee's Legacy has been able to donate over 400 to Banner Desert Medical Center. The intent was to only donate on DeLanee’s birthday each year, but as a result of the response from both Banner Desert Medical Center and a number of the recipient mother’s, the project has progressed to more than just once a year. As the years have gone by, Lanee's Legacy has donated more and more each year, but unfortunately cannot continue to meet the growing need for the boxes. It is not only financially difficult to meet this need, but being able to manage the necessary resources and manpower to continue to make these boxes is tremendous. Considering that there are 15 - 17 infant deaths per month at just this hospital alone, many families are left without. Each delivery that we make to Banner Desert consists of 40 boxes (20 boy/20 girl). The estimated cost of each box is approximately $20.00 totalling $800.00 per delivery.

It is for this reason that we ask for your assistance in helping Lanee’s Legacy to continue to grow and expand.It is our hope to be able to not only deliver boxes to Banner Desert more frequently, but to also serve other hospitals as well. In order to accomplish this we need to become a non-profit organization. It is through becoming non-profit that large businesses can make monetary donations that will allow us to meet the demand.

So. . . how can you help?

BUY A TICKET TO OUR FIRST ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST!

DATE: October 10, 2009
TIME: 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Desert Mountain Park
22201 S. Hawes Road
Queen Creek, AZ 85242
(Hawes/Ocotillo)

Click here for directions
COST: $5 per ticket or 6 for $25

BUY RAFFLE TICKETS AT OUR EVENT !!!

(Please do not purchase tickets through our paypal account for raffle tickets).

COST: $1 per ticket or 6 for $5 (presence not necessary to win)
PRIZES INCLUDE:
Chick-Fil-A
Krispy Kreme
Ned's Krazy Subs
Starbucks Coffee
Massage by Panda Myotherapy
Haircut by Ann Cooper
European Facial by Tantrum
Yard Service by Mother Earth Landscaping
Manicure by Leslie Yontz at Just For You Salon & Spa
Scapbooks, Etc. teachers

-Amy Totty/Kelli Collins: 12 Squared

-Pam Black: Long Tall Sally

-Susan Mast: Master Mini Books

-Jamie Andersen: Welcome Home

-Angie Dunn:Scrap It Simple

-Lesli Spafford: Love Notes

-Jenny Packard: Shabby Scrappin'

-HeidiLynn Schrieber: Here's Your Sign
Haircut & Color by Blossom Salon & Boutique
Cooking classes by Chef Tess at FOX 10
Hair Bows by Jenaye's Junque
Bling Jewelry by Teresa Bitter
First Time Visit from Shiflet Chiropractic

Jennifer Wyeth Photography

2 $50.00 gift cards from QT

Basket of assorted breads and gift card from Bread Basket

Gift Certificate from Sprinkles Cupcakes

Tutu skirt from RazzBerry Pie Boutique

Gift Certificate from Chilis Restaraunt

Bracelets from Doodleedoo Creations by Gaye Higley

Purse from Amy Perkins

Massage from Linda Durney

$50.00 Gift Certificate from Sprouts

10 free 16oz smoothies coupons to Bahama Bucks
10 free 12oz shaved ice coupons to Bahama Bucks

Three sets of "5 open bounce" passes from Bounce U

2 $25.00 gift certificates from Cheesecake Factory

Gift Certificate from Avon

. . .more to come!

PARTICIPATE IN OUR SILENT AUCTION!

Our silent auction will consist of themed baskets that have a minimum bid of $50.00. Must be present to win.

To purchase breakfast tickets or to make donations to Lanee's Legacy you may do so by clicking on our paypal buttons on this sidebar, or, e-mailing www.laneeslegacy.hotmail.com.

There is sooooo much more to come with this event including a special guest MC/auctioneer. Be sure and check back for our future blog posts for details.