Giveaway for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day

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

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!

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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!!

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

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?

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

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!

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!