I am BEYOND thrilled to give you this latest development at the GG Foundation!!
Beginning on June 1st the Glory Girl Foundation will lease an apartment very close to Arkansas Children's Hospital to be used by families with children in the hospital!!! This is happening! This is the beginning of the realization of God's vision he has given for the purpose of this Foundation.
And in typical fashion - in His time - God placed this opportunity in our laps...
...Actually Amanda and I had napkins in our laps getting ready to enjoy a quiet lunch in a small restaurant in Russellville, AR, when she said there was something she wanted me to consider. She and her husband, Chad, were in the process of trying to purchase their dream home in Little Rock in a neighborhood close to Arkansas Children's Hospital. As many homes in this older neighborhood do, this home included a detached mother-in-law apartment. Amanda was Glory's nurse and she has shared our vision for the Foundation from the time she was changing her diapers. They wanted to lease their apartment to the Foundation. I knew Amanda would always be a part of this Love Story - I just didn't dream it would be such a natural and perfect fit! Amanda experienced every feeling of hope and each blow of disappointment and heartbreak right along with us.
I remember how it felt to walk into the CVICU at Arkansas Children's Hospital for the first time. I remember seeing the countless lines and tubes hooked up to Glory and the beeping of monitors and machines. I remember leaving the hospital that first night - waiting by the phone and trying not to expect the worst. I remember meeting families who had been there for months - sleeping in the waiting room. I remember not knowing how they did it. I remember the fear of sending your newborn into open-heart surgery and not knowing if you would see her again with her heart beating.
I remember.
I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. John 15:9
So you are asking what you can do to continue this Love Story as the Father has loved you?
I'll get right to the point - HERE ARE 3 THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW:
1) Our Summer Bunco event is JUNE 12! Along with all of the fabulous food and prizes that we always enjoy, we are asking that you bring items such as towels, twin sheet sets, pillows, pillow cases, toiletries, and other household goods to furnish the Glory House. The lease begins June 1st, so we could have families very soon!
2) Libby, our hospital contact, has said the "Love Totes" we have been providing to the hospital are needed and greatly appreciated by the new families that come in (most often with only the clothes on their back). They have almost depleted the last supply that we brought from our Spring Bunco event. This is something we can not afford to stop providing for these families. BUT, we need your immediate help since we will be using our Bunco event to furnish the Glory House. We are asking that if you would like to help continue sending these "Love Totes" to ACH, PLEASE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DONATE via our website. If everyone donated only $5 or $10 a month, we could continue to supply these grief-stricken families with a small token of comfort and love. You can also PURCHASE A T-SHIRT - all of the proceeds from the t-shirt sales go toward supporting these families.
"Love Totes" on their way to Arkansas Children's Hospital
3) The Glory House will be available to families at NO CHARGE to them. Part of the vision of this Foundation is to remove all of the stress and worry that happens outside of the hospital, and finances is certainly one of the largest stresses on these families! If you or if you know of someone (individual or organization) that you believe would be interested in SPONSORING THE GLORY HOUSE (to pay for our monthly lease and utilities), please contact me or direct them to our website where donations may be made. This will be the only way we will be able to continue to provide this service for our families.
Amanda and I standing next to the Glory House
You all are amazing and have supported this vision and taken it as your own. I am grateful beyond words. I am anxiously awaiting what God has in store for this Foundation....
Thank you for helping us continue this Love Story... SEE YOU ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12!