"Helping families and communities prevent and cope with infant and young child loss, one baby step at a time"

John’s Charity adopted 3 families here in Central Iowa this year through Amanda the Panda for this holiday season.  Each family received a “Cheer Box” at the end of November.  In this “Cheer Box” are 25 gifts with a tag on each one that shows the date the gift should be open & the name of the family member who should open the gift.  These gifts are opened from December 1st until December 25th. 

Each of the families that John’s Charity adopted have infant baby boys that became precious angels during 2011.  We knew the angel’s name, age of death, parent’s and sibling’s names and ages.  This gives us a better way to personalize these gifts.  These families come to receive “Cheer Boxes” through being in one of Amanda the Panda’s support groups and other family names are given to Amanda the Panda through friends and family. 

At the end of last November (2010) John’s parents, Steve & Jes, came home on a Sunday afternoon & found a box filled with gifts on their front porch.  Each night when they got home from work the first thing they did was go into the living room to see what “John’s present” was that day.  This helped them get through the holiday season more than they can express.  Knowing how much it helped them, they wanted to help other families during the holiday season.  

Nothing can take away the pain or the tears or the hole in your heart, but for a few minutes each day it can make an aching heart smile & celebrate their angel together. 

Please consider reaching out or volunteering to help families not only during the holidays but all throughout the year! 

“If you know someone who has lost a child, and you’re afraid to mention them because you think you might make them sad by reminding them that they died–you’re not reminding them. They didn’t forget they died. What you’re reminding them of is that you remembered that they lived, and that is a great gift.” ~Elizabeth Edwards