Summer 2018

This summer has been an absolute whirlwind. In so many wonderful ways we have seen the power of what this foundation has started and we are so grateful for all of the support that we’ve been shown.

We’ve raised money through unbelievably generous donations made by our families and friends, but also complete strangers! That, to me, is one thing I wasn’t anticipating so soon after our launch. Some found us on Facebook, some through word-of-mouth, and some by the {incredible} piece News Channel 5 did on us.

We worked with Chipotle in June and hosted a dining event – where patrons who mentioned the CAL Foundation and Chipotle contributed 50% of the proceeds to us. You read that right: 50%! That event itself raised almost enough to pay one family’s bill. How humbling to know so many of you drove to Strongsville and represented us. How insanely incredible that Chipotle does this – as if we didn’t love them enough already!

Our boys’ school – Stages Childcare Center – sponsored a Community Match program where any donation made during the month of July was 100% matched up to $1,000! While we didn’t quite make the match goal, the icing on the cake was that Stages still contributed the full amount. This guaranteed that we’d be able to support at least one family. The continuous love they show all our boys – including Caleb – is amazing.

We were honored to be a part of the Hope Still Lives 5k & Health Fair in Medina in early August, started by Sabrina Cali, a loss momma on a mission to help others after she lost her son Ephraim. The event was to support The Star Legacy Foundation, a national organization dedicated to healthy pregnancy outcomes and stillbirth prevention by providing education, supporting research, and raising awareness and advocacy regarding pregnancy loss and neonatal death. Such an amazing event for this organization that raised over $14,000, led by an even more amazing woman.

The Hope Still Lives event was an opportunity for us to continue to spread the word about what the CAL Foundation is doing and why we exist. We had a table with information and merchandise, but the star of the show was our handmade plinko board. Shout out to Caleb’s Daddy {and my talented husband}, Chad. Plinko allowed us to engage with so many new faces and hand out some pretty sweet CALF swag! We were so honored to have some of our family and friends come out and help us work the booth.

In addition to all that, we met some amazing people, including a fellow loss momma, Erin Maroon, who started Ashlie’s Embrace. Erin’s little girl Ashlie was born a few months before Caleb, so we immediately felt a strong bond. Ashlie’s Embrace raises funds to provide CuddleCots to hospitals to ensure that families who have suffered the same loss will have longer time to spend with their babies. What a gift this family is giving to others – just a little bit more time.

Also throughout this summer, we have been able to support two families. Coincidentally, both of these families had babies born into heaven around the time CALF officially launched. It felt like we were meant to meet them.

Eloise G. and Benjamin D. are our first angel babies that we honor through CALF. We are so blessed to be able to support their families, but are so heartbroken at the same time. Please continue to keep their parents in your thoughts as they continue to navigate life without their babies. 

Meeting the moms of Eloise and Benjamin continued to light a fire under me for CALF. The more we raise awareness of what we are doing, the more families we support, the more this circle grows, the more I am completely aware that doing this is my purpose in life. While I would trade every ounce of it away to have Caleb back, I know that being his mom and remembering him this way is one of the best things I’ll ever do.

And because of that, we continue full-speed ahead. We have a few events coming up that we’re excited to share with you:

-- Friday, September 14^th at 6pm is our Donation Night at Modern Yoga! Come take an hour yoga class, let by Joyce & James. Fee is donation-based: whatever you can contribute. All proceeds will benefit CALF.

-- Tuesday, October 2^nd from 5-8pm we’ll be at PizzaFIRE in Strongsville. Come grab some great {fast} pizza cooked in a traditional Italian oven. 15% of proceeds will come to CALF and you’ll get to see us!

-- Saturday, January 19^th, 2019 from 7-10pm is our Cocktails for Caleb event. We are hosting a night of food, drinks, games, raffles, an art auction, and more at Punch Bowl Social in downtown Cleveland. Tickets are $55 early bird ($100/couple) and $60 after November 1^st ($110/couple). They will go on sale early September and quantities are limited, so be sure to get yours!

If you want to get involved, have an idea about a fundraiser, know someone who wants to be an event sponsor, or would like to donate an item for our baskets and art auction at Cocktails for Caleb, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for all of your love and support over the past few months – I am in awe of you and am so grateful.

Best,