Giving Back

It's November - a month of thanksgiving and the start of the giving season! So what better time than to launch our own giving effort?

In anticipation of our annual visit to St. Louis Children's Hospital to meet with Alivia's heart team in December (and hopefully maintain our good-luck streak with great news!), Andrew and I want to bless a part of the hospital that was a big blessing to us: the Ronald McDonald Family Room.

Most of you are likely familiar with the Ronald McDonald House charity, which provides lodging to out-of-town families whose children are hospitalized. We were offered a spot at the RMH in St. Louis when Alivia was ill but were fortunate (if you can look at it that way) enough to be able to bunk with her in her room, so we passed and gave our spot to another family.

However, at Children's, there is a Ronald McDonald Family room tucked away on a floor with mostly administrative offices that provides a peaceful escape for family members who are there for a variety of unfortunate reasons involving their child. The room has a lounge area, kitchen area, free snacks, and, our favorite part: the BEST showers in the building.

This year, we'd like to drop off supplies to the Family Room during our visit. We'd love to invite our friends and family to help us collect supplies. According to the room's website, it welcomes non-perishable food items and any new toiletries. We are focusing mostly on the toiletry part - I know Andrew has been collecting all those mini soaps, etc., he gets when traveling. The room basically has a closet full of anything you might need to freshen up: soaps, shampoos/conditions, razors, shaving creams, tooth paste, tooth brushes, etc.  Travel or hotel-sized items definitely work best. So root through your bathrooms, ask your eye doctor for an extra sample of contact solution, your dentist for one more mini toothpaste tube or toothbrush, and start building your collection to donate!

We don't have a date yet for Alivia's appointment, but it's usually in mid-December. So let's set a goal of Dec. 1 for collecting these items. We'd be happy to come pick up anything you'd like to donate to these families in need.

If you want to do even more, a full list of items the hospital needs for its patients and their parents is here. We'd be happy to take anything down! This hospital is a major blessing to families who need it. We feel so lucky it was so close to home.