Little Giraffe Foundation Names 2022 NICU Support Grant Recipients

The nonprofit donates a total of $14,000 in grant money to 14 medical institutions and non-profit organizations to support NICU patients and their families, asks for book donations this GivingTuesday

CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2022   /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Little Giraffe Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to funding neonatal research and supporting families and premature babies in the NICU, announced the 14 recipients of the foundation's 2022 NICU Support Grants. Since 2011, the Little Giraffe Foundation has helped more than 23,000 families through support grants, medical grants, hospital gift bag deliveries and more—ensuring the immediate and future care of NICU patients. This GivingTuesday, the foundation encourages the purchase of books for those who would like to support its efforts, as the current supply for hospital deliveries is running low.

"We are so grateful to those who have supported our foundation since its inception, those who supported us for the first time this year, and everyone in between. Because of the generous support of our donors, these 14 grants were made possible to fund critical NICU programs," said Amanda Santoro, co-founder and president of the Little Giraffe Foundation. "As we approach this 2022 holiday season, we ask for assistance in purchasing books as part of the care packages we deliver to 17 hospitals in Chicago and Colorado. We've heard from hundreds of families how important these materials are during such a difficult time. And we will continue supporting as many families as possible."

This year's Little Giraffe Foundation's NICU Support Grant recipients are as follows:

• Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, Valhalla, New York — to receive $1,000 for bereavement programs including photos, memory boxes and memorial services for NICU families.
• Carter G. Cares, Gainesville, Florida — to receive $1,000 to make holiday baskets consisting of small gifts and a holiday luncheon for NICU families.
• Cook Children's Health Foundation, Fort Worth, Texas — to receive $1,000 for luggage items, age-appropriate developmental toys and alarm clocks for current and future NICU families.
• The Nest Postpartum, Champaign, Illinois — to receive $1,000 to provide tangible support to local NICU families through gas gift cards.
• Franciscan Health Foundation, Olympia Fields, Illinois — to receive $1,000 for safe sleep kits that promote safe sleep practices for families with infants in the NICU.
• Abington Health Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — to receive $1,000 for breast pumps and car seats to support families being discharged from the NICU.
• Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — to receive $1,000 for the purchase of boppy nursing pillows and positioners to be gifted to NICU graduates.
• Norton Children's Hospital Foundation, Louisville, Kentucky — to receive $1000 to distribute gas gift cards to NICU parents.

Sharp HealthCare Foundation, San Diego, California — to receive $1,000 to distribute 'Where's Baby? - A NICU Story' book for older siblings of babies hospitalized in the NICU.

• Covenant Children's Hospital, Lubbock, Texas — to receive $1,000 to start a free, on-site food pantry for NICU families.

St. Christopher's Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — to receive $1,000 for Halo SleepSack Swaddles Compact Swings for NICU graduates.
The Tiny Miracles Foundation, Darien, Connecticut — to receive $1,000 to host holiday meals for parents with babies in the NICU.

• Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts — to receive $1,000 to establish a three-pronged reading program incorporating children's books, voice recorders and musical mobiles that allow NICU families to read to their newborns while present and to expose infants to their voices while they are away from the bedsides.
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, California — to receive $1,000 for gas cards to distribute to NICU families in need.

"Funding these valuable programs means that parents and families with children in the NICU can focus on what's important—the health of their babies. Whether their hospital provides support in the form of food, gas cards or necessary developmental tools for their babies, these grants will help ease the stress of many families this holiday season," said Mike Santoro, co-founder of the Little Giraffe Foundation. "The entire Little Giraffe Foundation community would like to thank our monetary donors and volunteers that make this funding possible. We wouldn't be able to support thousands of families in the NICU without you."

To learn more about the Little Giraffe Foundation and its efforts to aid in NICU patient and family assistance, as well as neonatal medical research, please visit: http://www.littlegiraffefoundation.org/ and follow the organization's news on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/LittleGiraffeFoundation.

About the Little Giraffe Foundation:
The Little Giraffe Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Chicago, dedicated to supporting parents and patients of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Since 2011, the foundation has delivered gift bags to more than 23,000 families during their stay in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), awarded over 125 support grants to dozens of hospitals across the country, and funded over $280,000 in medical research.

Media Contact

Amanda Santoro, Little Giraffe Foundation, 312-267-0067, [email protected]

SOURCE Little Giraffe Foundation