Every year, we choose a new theme for Parents of Preemies Day and this year is no different! Well, except that it IT different. In previous years the focus has been on local community events designed to bring parents of preemies together for a day of fun and new connections. These events were a total blast but they were also a lot of work for the volunteers who were our on-the-ground coordinators.
That’s why this year, for Parents of Preemies Day 2016, we’re changing the focus. May 1 will still be about honoring the strength and resilience of moms and dads whose babies are born too soon but in 2016 it’s all about bringing Parents of Preemies Day right to the NICU, where parents need it most.
Large local Parents of Preemies Day events are wonderful – and indeed there is one happening in LA – but we think we can do more good this year by asking parents of preemies who have walked the walk to visit their local NICUs on May 1 to show new parents of premature babies that they aren’t alone.
Maybe that means you take a bagel brunch and hot coffee to your home NICU to celebrate with the moms and dads of babies currently in residence. We have volunteers around the country dropping off story book donations on May 1 to help parents bond with their preemies through reading. And in some cases, parents will be bringing bags of Proud Parent of a Preemie buttons and bracelets to hand out to the parents visiting with their babies on Parents of Preemies Day.
On May 1 we at Graham’s Foundation will be visiting our closest NICUs to drop off treats and goodies for the next generation of preemie parents – and we encourage you to do the same. It’s amazing how big a difference something as simple as a button given by another mom or dad can make! But however you spend Parents of Preemies Day this year, we hope you’ll share it with us on the official event page.
For more information about Parents of Preemies Day, click here.
To enter to win a bag of buttons or bracelets to bring to your NICU on May 1, click here.
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