Stephanie Grimm

What is your glue during difficult times? How do you hold yourself and your life together during stressful times such as these? Kintsugi is the Japanese are of repairing broken pottery by mending the cracks with lacquer (glue or resin substance) dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. The art reflects a method or technique that allows the cracks and crevices to tell a story of an object, rather that disgusing a blemish, flaw or imperfection. The focus…

A check of the calendar or a walk down the aisles at the store will tell you that the holidays are quickly approaching. From Halloween to Thanksgiving and Christmas, holiday buys from candy, costumes and holiday decorations are ready to be purchased. Many families are already planning their holiday celebrations as are many work holiday parties. For many people all of this brings excitement, joy and happiness while for many bereaved parents it can bring feelings of sadness, of missing out,…

  After the death of your baby, receiving advertisements for baby products in the mail can bring many different emotions. Now you can have your name removed from product mailing or telephone lists by sending a request in writing to the following addresses:   Mail Preference Services c/o Direct Marking Association P.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale, NY  11735-9008   Phone Preference Services c/o Direct Marketing Association P.O. Box 9014 Farmingdale, NY  11735-9014   You can also visit www.dmaconsumer.org for more information.

This year, several families served by The Haven Network sponsored our Forever In Our Hearts Dinner and Auction Benefit through a family sponsorship in memory of their baby. The stained glass hearts were made by Mrs. Linda Lombardo of Cutting Edge Stained Glass Studio. Each person who was part of the family sponsorship was able to take one home as a keepsake not only of the event but of the sweet baby they were there to celebrate. This is the Bartel…

Our annual Forever In Our Hearts Dinner and Auction Benefit was held this year on St. Patrick’s Day. Mr. Ralph Kreissler and the Swedish American Foundation were the Premier Sponsors of this event again this year. Both have been outstanding supporters not only of this annual event but of The Haven Network itself. We are deeply honored by their support.  Mr. Jon Krause, Board President and Mr. Mark Henderson were the auctioneers for the live auction.    Mrs. Sandra Knabe and…

  “Nursing is a work of heart”  This saying applies to every nurse we have ever worked with, at every hospital we have been at. Nurses put their heart into caring for each patient they are with, during the good times and the bad. They put their heart into supporting the work The Haven does, both in the hospital and out.  The nurses pictured above are some of the brilliant nurses we have had the honor of working with over…

Each individual heart bears the name of one baby gone too soon in 2016. Hearts of Love. For our annual Forever In Our Hearts Dinner and Auction benefit last year, one of our sweet volunteers wrote the name of each baby cared for by The Haven on a little heart and glued it to a votive candle wrapped in beautiful ribbon. These were prominently displayed at the event to give the 200+ attendees a visual representation of all the little…

72 As of today, 11/30/17, this is how many families The Haven Network has cared for this year in Rockford and the surrounding communities. 72. Seeing this number written….72….is a lot different than seeing each baby’s name individually written on cards. And you know what, some of those baby’s are twins. So the actual number of babies The Haven cared for so far this year is 76. 76 babies in Rockford and the surrounding communities that are gone too soon.…

Festive celebrations and traditions surrounding the upcoming holiday season can be all that more emotional and overwhelming to bereaved parents. The pain, grief, and sadness they are feeling over the death of their child can be amplified by the holidays, no matter how long or how recent their loss has been. Be understanding. Be gentle. Be the grace they need as they navigate the upcoming holidays. Be their safe place and their comfort. Let them be sad and be there…

Grieving the death of your baby during the holidays can be challenging. The thought of being surrounded by happy friends and family celebrating the holidays, feeling sad amongst a group of people who just want you to be happy, wanting to stay home in your comfy clothes instead of dressing up, braving the cold and going elsewhere to celebrate, bracing yourself for when a well-intentioned person says the wrong thing….all that and more can just add to the challenge of…