'Fund Angel Baby Funerals'
Donation protected
There comes a moment in many people’s lives when something so profoundly devastating happens – the death of a baby. The family are going through immense pain and suffering and then the unthinkable happens, they have to plan a funeral. A family needs to be able to say goodbye to their angel baby. It helps to set them on the difficult grief journey with something positive to look back on.
However, having to pay for a baby’s funeral is out of the reach of some, which leaves them in the position of either having to borrow the money from friends or family, which again creates more anguish for the family, or leaving a bad debt. It is tragic enough for a baby to die, let alone to not have the financial resources to have a funeral when they have had to say goodbye, before they have even had the chance to say hello, or have had their precious baby die before they have even celebrated their first birthday.
My Story
My name is Robyn and when my daughter, Rebecca Jane died, our parish priest, told us not to worry about any costs, as the church would pay for it. It was like being given a million dollars! We had no idea how we were going to pay for her funeral, because we were not planning on her dying! I was a stay at home mum and consequently, a single income family.
Now, many, many years later, the time has come to pay it forward, to create a charitable foundation to help families in that position who often have no one to turn to. Maybe you were one of those who couldn’t afford your baby’s funeral and perhaps you are now in a position to help someone else?
How you can help!
It does not matter the amount you can afford, be it $10, $20 or $50, with each $1,000 we raise we will be able to help a family, who have a baby from 20 weeks gestation through to approximately one year, have a beautiful farewell for their angel baby. They will be able to have a chapel service in a funeral home chapel, crematorium or a church, a celebrant or minister of religion and a cremation service paid for by the foundation.
But of course we need funds to start!
The charity will be formally launched on August 7th, 2018, which would have been Rebecca’s 40th birthday, however we need to start now and make sure our systems are in place and that we have funds available, so any donation, no matter how small, can be joined with others and be able to help us reach our goal. The more we receive the more families we can help. If you would prefer to donate through PayPal, please leave us a message and we will get in touch with you with details. Our application to be a registered charity has been submitted and is pending approval.
Other ways you can help
Eventually we would like to have corporate sponsorship as well, so if you own a business or work for one that would be willing to support us, please leave me a message and I will happily follow it up! Perhaps you’d like to have a small fundraiser yourself, a bbq at Bunnings, a cake stall or a morning tea to benefit us, again, please let us know. Maybe you belong to a group and would like a guest speaker to come along and explain about the Foundation, again, we’d love to hear from you! It is important for you to know that there are no paid staff, everyone from the board to administration are all volunteers.
Gratitude
Rebecca’s life brought me more joy than I thought was possible, her death gave me indescribable heartache. But the lessons she taught me in her almost 10 months of life have made me the person I am today and I’m so very proud of her for that.
Thank you for taking the time to read about the dream I have, with your help, I know we can do it. Normally I’m not one for posting things on Facebook, but I am asking you from the bottom of my heart to share this on your Facebook page and also ask your friends to share it on theirs and on any other social media, because all of us know someone whose baby who sadly never got the chance to live or were taken too soon.
However, having to pay for a baby’s funeral is out of the reach of some, which leaves them in the position of either having to borrow the money from friends or family, which again creates more anguish for the family, or leaving a bad debt. It is tragic enough for a baby to die, let alone to not have the financial resources to have a funeral when they have had to say goodbye, before they have even had the chance to say hello, or have had their precious baby die before they have even celebrated their first birthday.
My Story
My name is Robyn and when my daughter, Rebecca Jane died, our parish priest, told us not to worry about any costs, as the church would pay for it. It was like being given a million dollars! We had no idea how we were going to pay for her funeral, because we were not planning on her dying! I was a stay at home mum and consequently, a single income family.
Now, many, many years later, the time has come to pay it forward, to create a charitable foundation to help families in that position who often have no one to turn to. Maybe you were one of those who couldn’t afford your baby’s funeral and perhaps you are now in a position to help someone else?
How you can help!
It does not matter the amount you can afford, be it $10, $20 or $50, with each $1,000 we raise we will be able to help a family, who have a baby from 20 weeks gestation through to approximately one year, have a beautiful farewell for their angel baby. They will be able to have a chapel service in a funeral home chapel, crematorium or a church, a celebrant or minister of religion and a cremation service paid for by the foundation.
But of course we need funds to start!
The charity will be formally launched on August 7th, 2018, which would have been Rebecca’s 40th birthday, however we need to start now and make sure our systems are in place and that we have funds available, so any donation, no matter how small, can be joined with others and be able to help us reach our goal. The more we receive the more families we can help. If you would prefer to donate through PayPal, please leave us a message and we will get in touch with you with details. Our application to be a registered charity has been submitted and is pending approval.
Other ways you can help
Eventually we would like to have corporate sponsorship as well, so if you own a business or work for one that would be willing to support us, please leave me a message and I will happily follow it up! Perhaps you’d like to have a small fundraiser yourself, a bbq at Bunnings, a cake stall or a morning tea to benefit us, again, please let us know. Maybe you belong to a group and would like a guest speaker to come along and explain about the Foundation, again, we’d love to hear from you! It is important for you to know that there are no paid staff, everyone from the board to administration are all volunteers.
Gratitude
Rebecca’s life brought me more joy than I thought was possible, her death gave me indescribable heartache. But the lessons she taught me in her almost 10 months of life have made me the person I am today and I’m so very proud of her for that.
Thank you for taking the time to read about the dream I have, with your help, I know we can do it. Normally I’m not one for posting things on Facebook, but I am asking you from the bottom of my heart to share this on your Facebook page and also ask your friends to share it on theirs and on any other social media, because all of us know someone whose baby who sadly never got the chance to live or were taken too soon.
Organizer
Robyn O'Connell
Organizer
Rangeview, VIC