We are once again getting ready to participate in the fall craft fair to be held at the Madison East Center in Mankato on Saturday, November 18th.

These birdhouses were handcrafted by Elmer Binsfeld of Big Stone, SD, and will be available for sale at our booth. Elmer has been a woodworker for decades, and his home woodworking shop boasts years of dedication to - and love for - his craft.

One of our local supporters was browsing in his shop - looking for something to purchase and donate to us for the sale. As Elmer helped her choose one, he asked why she was purchasing it. She told him of Wings of Hope and he insisted that she take two more as his personal donation. We love hearing how people connect with the mission of Wings of Hope and are willing to support our group! 

This is an important fundraiser for us as we strive to complete payment on the memorial site and raise funds to supply care packages to parents enduring pregnancy loss. We need your help to do these things!

• Please consider making a donation to the sale. We would love everything from baked goods to crafts! Email us if you are able to donate. [email protected] We can take crafts at any time and can make arrangements for baked goods the day before the sale.
• Please come and shop at our booth! We already have the wren houses, other gift packages, and so many other items! Please share this post so others can see the fun items we are going to have on hand.

We'll keep sharing images of items we have for the sale so you can start making those holiday shopping lists! Also check out our Rainbow Baby Gear we will have available. Thank you for your continued support!

Have you visited the Wings of Hope site yet? When you go, you'll see pavers that honor the life of a child. You'll see pavers given in memory of family members. You'll see pavers engraved with messages of support. And you will also see many more pavers that are yet to be engraved.

The Paver Project
We need your help to fill these pavers with messages and names. The Paver Project is our summer push to get as many pavers engraved as possible by fall. Doing so does two very important things:

• Builds a community of support to grieving parents in Southern MN and acknowledges their losses.
• Provides essential funds so that Wings of Hope can continue to provide services to these families.

Our Challenge to You
Get as many people together as possible to help get these pavers engraved! Below are just a few ways to join the Paver Project this summer.

• 4 friends each chip in $25 and order a paver to support a friend who has lost a child
• A family gathers funds to order a paver with their family name - a lasting legacy of compassion
• A group of co-workers gathers donations to give a paver order to a family who has lost a child

We want to hear from you! How can you help get these pavers engraved? 

Ready to show your support for Wings of Hope? Order your own embroidered shirt today! The soft grey t-shirt has our logo embroidered on the front in purple, and is available in adult sizes S, M, L, XL, and XXL. 

All proceeds from the shirt orders go towards expenses for Wings of Hope, which include just under $3000 left to pay on the existing site. We would love to be able to complete this payment by fall, before our next Evening of Remembrance, and we need your help. After we complete our payment on the site, we are ready to move forward with additional projects in the community, including fundraising for Cuddle Cots for local hospitals, support kits for moms who experience pregnancy loss, and more!

Print, complete, and mail your order form to Julie (our committee member), at the address provided. The $20 fee includes shipping to your home address.
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As we get ready for another Evening of Remembrance and a second Design & Wine fundraiser, we want to take this time to thank everyone for the continued support of Wings of Hope. We have come so far since those painted outlines on the grass and dreams on the dry erase board in our committee meeting.

We still have much to do - and more goals to reach. This includes approximately $3000 to finish paying for the memorial, the annual costs for engraved markers with the month and year of the common burial (with one marker between two burial plots), monthly expenses for printing brochures and other materials, expenses associated with each Evening of Remembrance, candlelight vigil, and other events, and goals and projects to further the mission of Wings of Hope. These include things like donations of Cuddle Cots to the local hospitals - so families can have as much time saying hello to their little ones before they have to say a final good-bye. 
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How can you help Wings of Hope?
There are several ways you can help us meet our needs and reach our goals.

• Join our committee. We usually meet once a month (more if we are having a special event) for about an hour. You do not need to have experienced a loss to share your talents and compassion with the group!
• Volunteer. We cannot do what we do without volunteers.
  • We have a woman who sews burial blankets for our common burial services. Each tiny baby lost in miscarriage is buried in one of these special blankets.
  • We rely on local pastors and musicians to participate in our burial services and other events.
  • Businesses donate items such as flowers for the Evening of Remembrance. Have a business or know someone who does who might be able to help? Let us know!
  • A volunteer makes our Rainbow Baby Gear to help us share some hope while honoring the lives of little ones.
• Order an engraved paver. The proceeds from each paver help pay for expenses, but they also are tangible pieces of evidence that show love and support for families.
• Attend a fundraiser. We recently announced a second Design & Wine fundraising event - and would love to see as many people possible join us for this evening of fun and painting adventure! 
• Tell others about Wings of Hope. This is the kind of organization that no one hopes to need - but when faced with the loss of a child - needs this kind of hope and resources. Share on Facebook. Follow our blog. Tell your sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, neighbors, and co-workers about Wings of Hope.
• Donate. Every dollar really does help. 

We continue to be humbled by the support from the community of Southern MN. From the constant support of Calvary Cemetery and Terry Miller, the caretaker, to Mankato Mortuary and the essential services they provide, to the artistic talents and efforts of Tom Miller to bring our dreams for the Wings of Hope monument to reality, to the families and businesses who have donated time, money, and goods - we thank you.

Thanks to the generosity of a volunteer we now have a limited stock of Rainbow Baby Gear available for order! For those of you who want a way to celebrate a new life while honoring the life of a little one in heaven, these onesies, t-shirts, and long-sleeved shirts can help you do that. All proceeds go to help support Wings of Hope. Each item is $10 and includes shipping and handling.

PLEASE NOTE: This was a test run of colors and sizes so we only have limited stock on hand. If you want to place an order, please email us to let us know which one so we can set it aside (for most we only have one size/color in stock). When these are gone - they are gone - but we will be putting together a new order form in the future. 

Moms are not the only ones affected by miscarriage and newborn death, and these handmade Christmas ornaments that will be for sale at our booth are evidence of that. These were made for Wings of Hope by a woman who has lost grand-babies to miscarriage - and who has other families and friends who have also experienced loss. 

The wonderful woman who made these for us said she put soft down in four of them to represent angel feathers, and the other four have glitter. Reminders of babies, angels, and wishes on stars.

Donations like these not only help Wings of Hope, but they can make great gifts for those in your life who you maybe just don't know how to say, "I remember, too."

Need a centerpiece for the holidays or a mini Christmas tree for your front porch? We have a variety of options for you - all potted plants you can keep for the season in your house or leave outside until spring. Some have LED lights as well. More colors and styles arriving soon for our Holiday Expo sale!

See something you like and want it now? Let us know!

Saturday, November 19th
9 am - 4 pm
Madison East Center, Mankato
All proceeds from sales at our booth go to support the mission and goals of Wings of Hope.

We continue to prepare for the Holiday Expo on the 19th of November, and this winter scene will be there waiting for someone to take it home! It measures about 15" x 10" and can either hang on a wall or be used as a table top decoration - $9 and it is yours. 

We hope to see you there on the 19th, shopping from 9-4 and helping us reach our fundraising goals! Questions? Email us or give us a call at 507-519-0158.