So much to be proud of

Gus's Goods got off the ground officially in November of 2018 with the idea in mind of providing TLC to families suffering the heartbreak of the loss of an infant or child. It's an amazing thing to watch your idea morph from what you thought it would be to what it actually has turned into. Oh the power of being open to the needs of each community! Here's how it all unfolded.

Our first blanket samples.

Some blanket samples ready to showcase.

After talking with the family, the accountant and the lawyer, we decided to go ahead and proceed with the nonprofit and the 501c3. Thanks to the soft heart of both the lawyer and the accountant, they both agreed to offer their services pro bono. My daughter Christianna agreed to be the President and Media Coordinator. We were set! This was happening!

The board of directors was next. Assembling that team was easy: Three smart, energetic, devoted women were recruited to bring their wisdom, talents and experience to help Gus's Goods move forward in a positive way.

Thank you to Misty Decker, Susan Walls-Bortman and Dia Madden. Check out their bio's!

In November I met with the perinatal loss nurse at my local hospital. We worked on what the needs of our hospital were and came up with a few pretty amazing solutions tailor-made to suit their needs.

Thank you Kylie for all your great ideas and dedication to our community.

I then started discussions with our local mortuary. We talked about the various was to soften the sharp edges of grief when a heartbroken parent arrives to discuss a funeral they never ever thought they'd have to plan. After much discussion with the amazing Melissa, we came up with some solutions like soft, cozy viewing blankets, and a solution for taking some of the shock away after the decision for cremation is made in the form of flannel cremains pouches. Heartbreaking, but much needed.

Melissa at Hatfield Funeral Home

We had our first board meeting on December 12. Mostly, we used the time to brainstorm and look at where we are and where we want to go. Plus we needed that meeting to ratify our new bylaws, review our articles of incorporation, and put some minutes together before we could open the checking account and start receiving donations.

So much to learn! But look we are so coming along!

Armed with a checking account and a pending 501c3, it was time to think about fundraising. But we decided to wait until after the holidays to tackle that one. See you in January!