submitted by Kirsten Jordon
FirstMemories Texas is an all-volunteer effort dedicated to helping families
whose children are in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s
Hospital learn how to celebrate, honor, and remember their children’s
lives through journaling and album making.
I have been a scrap booker/memory keeper for a while now. In November 2006,
Jenna Nassif-Casswell asked me
f I had any items I would be willing to donate to the NICU at Texas Children’s Hospital. They wanted to begin a scrapbooking area for the parents. When my little Kate was a month old, she was in the NICU there for 4 days. I did take photos at the hospital and have journaled in her book about the hospital stay and her joyous second home coming.
All through December, this sat on my heart, and in early January, I decided to do something. I emailed a large list of other scrapbookers I know and asked them if they would like to help and donate to the cause. This first email created quite a buzz and explosion of supplies, donations, and volunteers.
This past Friday - April 13 was our opening day. Our group called FirstMemories Texas took photos of families and their little one, printed them, helped them to create a story card to take home and ‘show-off’, and also made photo CD’s of the pictures we took for future use. We have a great group of 6 volunteers to help directly in the NICU who will come once or twice a month on Fridays to help honor and cherish these little ones.
In the case a family loses their little one, our group helps to create a simple grieving album. Again, supplies have been donated and volunteers have offered to put together these photo albums to place the baby’s photographs, and other items like foot prints, hand prints, id bracelets, lock of hair, clipping from a blanket... It is a way to honor their brief life, help the grieving process, and always remember their little one.
Starting FirstMemories Texas has blessed me beyond expectation, through the spirit of the people I have now met, through the prayers for those I have met, and above all in helping the families in time of crisis.
If you want to become a volunteer with FirstMemories Texas contact Kirsten Jordon.