Brianna Lee Foundation

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For Immediate Release

Fast Paced Growth allows Non Profit to Support and Touch Many More Hearts and Lives
Jenison Michigan, June 2015

In May 2013 when the Brianna Lee Foundation made the first delivery of teddy bears, never did they expect that the response and growth of the Foundation would be this amazing! In that first year of 2013, the Foundation partnered with 5 hospitals by proving them with teddy bears to give to the moms that experience a stillbirth.

In 2014, the Foundation doubled the number of hospitals that they partnered with by adding 10 additional hospitals to the list of hospitals that are being supplied with the pink and blue teddy bears.
As of June 2015, the Foundation added an additional 14 additional Hospitals to the list of hospitals that are receiving the teddy bears to help those moms that experience a stillbirth!

The hospitals the Foundation supplies teddy bears to currently cover four States. The Foundation currently supplies teddy bears to these Michigan hospitals: Spectrum Hospital – Zeeland Campus, Holland Hospital, Metro Hospital, Spectrum Hospital- Butterworth Campus, Bronson Hospital Kalamazoo Campus, Borgess Hospital, Spectrum Hospital – Big Rapids Campus, Spectrum Hospital Gerber Campus, Mercy Health- Muskegon Campus, Mercy Health Cadillac Campus, St Mary’s Mercy Livonia, University of Michigan’s Von-Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Munson Health Care Grayling, Lakeland St Joseph Health Care, St John Macomb Hospital, St Joseph Health System Ann Arbor, Oakwood Hospital in Wayne Mi., Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn and McLaren Health Care of Lansing.

The Indiana Hospitals are: University Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis, St Catherine Hospital of East Chicago, St Joseph Regional Medical Center Mishawaka, Community Hospital in Munster, St. Mary’s Hospital for Women and Children in Evansville, and Community Hospital North of Indianapolis.

The Illinois Hospital is: Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville IL.

The Brianna Lee Foundation is also in Texas at Texas Health Alliance of Fort Worth Texas.

The most exciting thing for the Foundation is all the notes, letters and thank-you notes that they get from those that have received a teddy bear. Some of the notes even come from the Grandparents. One such note simply stated “thank you so much for knowing what to give and do for my daughter at a time like this, a time when I had no idea what to do”. Another note simply said “God Bless you for the teddy bear and for the support”. The Foundation also receives notes from the hospitals, showing their thanks and appreciation, as the Foundation allows them to improve the support they give to their moms that experience a stillbirth.

At the time of this Press release the Brianna Lee Foundation had reached out to over 50 additional hospitals in hopes of also supplying them with the teddy bears.

More moms knowing they are not alone but in the thoughts of others that have also experienced this loss!

The hopes and vision of the Brianna Lee Foundation is to someday be in every hospital in the U.S. so that no mom has to leave empty armed!

Linda Miller
President Brianna Lee Foundation
616 481 3727
linda@briannaleefoundation.org

For Immediate Release

Fast Paced Growth allows Non Profit to Support and Touch Many More Hearts and Lives

Jenison Michigan, April 2015

In May 2013 when the Brianna Lee Foundation made the first delivery of teddy bears, never did they expect that the response and growth of the Foundation would be this amazing! In that first year, the Foundation supplied 5 hospitals with teddy bears to give to the moms that experience a stillbirth.
In the second year, the Foundation added 10 additional hospitals to the list of hospitals that are being supplied with the pink and blue teddy bears. So far in 2015, the Foundation has added 8 additional Hospitals to the list of hospitals in coverage!

The hospitals the Foundation supplies teddy bears to currently cover three States. The Foundation currently supplies teddy bears to these Michigan hospitals: Spectrum Hospital – Zeeland Campus, Holland Hospital, Metro Hospital, Spectrum Hospital- Butterworth Campus, Bronson Hospital Kalamazoo Campus, Borgess Hospital, Spectrum Hospital – Big Rapids Campus, Spectrum Hospital Gerber Campus, Mercy Health- Muskegon Campus, Mercy Health Cadillac Campus, St Mary’s Mercy Livonia, University of Michigan’s Von-Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Munson Health Care Grayling, Lakeland St Joseph Health Care, St John Macomb Hospital, St Joseph Health System Ann Arbor and McLaren Health Care of Lansing.

The Indiana Hospitals are Indiana University Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis, St Catherine Hospital of East Chicago, St Joseph Regional Medical Center Mishawaka and Community Hospital North of Indianapolis.

The Brianna Lee Foundation is also in Texas at Texas Health Alliance of Fort Worth Texas.

More than the increasing number of hospitals are the notes, letters and thanks the Foundation gets from those that have received a teddy bear, as well as from the hospitals, showing their thanks and appreciation. In one note a mom wrote “thank you so much for knowing what to give and do for my daughter in a time like this. I had no idea what to do”. Another note simply said “God Bless you for the teddy bear and for the support”.
At the time of this Press release the Brianna Lee Foundation had reached out to over 50 additional hospitals in hopes of also supplying them with the teddy bears.

More moms knowing they are not alone but in the thoughts of others that have also experienced this loss!

The hopes and vision of the Brianna Lee Foundation is to someday be in every hospital in the U.S. so that no mom has to leave empty armed!
Linda Miller

President Brianna Lee Foundation
linda@briannaleefoundation.org

Press Release - October 14th, 2014

What an exciting year it has been for the Brianna Lee Foundation. Only their second year as a legal foundation and they have not shown any signs of slowing down
.
This year they added 6 new hospitals to the hospitals they will supply teddy bears to. These 6 hospitals include 5 Michigan hospitals and 1 Texas hospital. Although the Foundation was formed because of a terrible tragedy, the Brianna Lee Foundation is excited to be able to partner with the hospitals and support other moms who experience a stillbirth. The simple gesture of giving a mom a teddy bear, helps with the fear of leaving the hospital empty armed. These moms expected to leave with a baby and are now faced with leaving with nothing in their arms. The Foundation realizes the teddy bears won’t take the place of their baby but having something they can tangibly hold does help with the healing process.

The Foundation’s media sites give moms a place to connect and see what support and events are going on in the area. So like them in Facebook and follow them on Twitter, as well as continue to come to this web site so news and events.

Some statistics on stillbirths are: nationally 1 in every 160 births results in a stillbirth and there are 26,000 stillbirths a year or 1 every 20 minutes.

The Brianna Lee Foundation’s vision is to let a mom know that she is in the thoughts and prayers of others who have shared in this terrible tragedy and that she is not alone, by the simple act of providing a teddy bear. The Foundations goal is to be in as many hospitals as possible to support each and every mom. So if you can introduce the Foundation to a hospital in your area, you will help them reach their goal.

Past Releases

Press Release- March 7, 2014: On February 6, 2013 the Brianna Lee Foundation met with attorney Ed Jackson and signed the necessary documents making the Brianna Lee Foundation a legal foundation.

On May 14th, 2013 the first delivery of teddy bears was given to Spectrum Hospital Zeeland Campus, on what would have been Brianna’s first birthday.

During the past year (2013) five hospitals received teddy bears to have on hand and give to the moms that experience a stillbirth. In 2014 four additional hospitals also received teddy bears to use in the bereavement care that they provide the moms who are faced with going home empty handed.

Currently the Brianna Lee Foundation is working with additional hospitals in the state to gain agreement to be able to also provide them the teddy bears for their moms that have to deal with this terrible pain and tragedy. The Foundation hopes that by the end of 2014, to have all the hospitals in the state of Michigan supplied with teddy bears, so that no mom in our state will ever leave a Michigan Hospital empty handed, empty hearted.

The Foundation realizes that these teddy bears will never take the place of the baby that was lost, however these teddy bears will give the moms something to cuddle, hold, hug and cry with. That by receiving a teddy bear they too will know that they are not alone, but that they are in the thoughts and prayers of others that have also experienced this pain.

As stated above, the Foundation’s goal is to have every hospital in the state supplied with teddy bears to give to the moms that experience a stillbirth. However their goal doesn’t stop there. The Foundation’s hopes and dreams are that EVERY hospital in the United States has a teddy bear to give to these moms.

With your donations and prayers the Foundation will be able to reach their goals. A wise person once said to not just reach for a star but to try and reach for the moon, if you miss and don’t make it, the worst thing that will happen - is that you will land on star. So here is to going to the moon together and helping every single mom along the way.

Brianna Lee Foundation Helping Families of Still Born Children Jenison, MI -April 29, 2013 - A newly established non-profit, the Brianna Lee Foundation, makes its very first delivery of teddy bears to Zeeland Hospital on May 14th, 2013 at 10:00 AM with an upcoming donation. Dedicated to serving families who have lost their child, the Brianna Lee Foundation seeks to provide a little bit of comfort in a time of grieving.

The Brianna Lee Foundation will donate teddy bears to hospitals, to give to families who have lost their precious loved one, a reminder of their angel above. In 2010 in Michigan there were 114,531 births and 1 of every 160 births resulted in an infant death. Kent and Ottawa County alone, average 12,500 pregnancies per year. (2006-2010 average) The two counties average an infant death in one out of every 146 pregnancies.

The Brianna Lee Foundation was founded in memory of Brianna Lee Miller who was born a stillborn on May 14th, 2012. The first ever delivery of teddy bears to a hospital will occur on what would have been Brianna Lee's first birthday, May 14th, 2013 at Zeeland Hospital which is the hospital in which Brianna was born at.

"Our Foundation is going to provide a teddy bear to any mom that is faced with leaving a hospital maternity floor empty handed. Although this bear will never replace the baby, it will give the mom something to hug hold and carry out of the hospital." Says foundation president Linda Miller, "Through the healing process the bear will continue to be there to hug, love, hold and cry with. Having gone through this terrible loss, we would like to let other moms know that the foundation is praying and supporting them. We would like to pay it forward by helping others in their time of pain. "

References:
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=34&cat=2&rgn=24
http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/loss_stillbirth.html
http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/chi/Indx/frame.html

* If you are going to pay by clicking the link below, and you already have a PayPal account, would you please use the option of sending money to family and friends in Pay Pal and use the e-mail address linda@briannaleefoundation.org. This saves us having to pay the 3% that PayPal charges. If this is not an option for you, we still greatly appreciate you generosity. Thank you!

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