New Family Resources
Rising Kites
Rising Kites was started by mom Danielle out of love for her daughter, Sammie (I highly recommend you read their full story on her website).
Danielle has sent over 1,100 baskets since launching in 2021 to new families and has partnerships with 77 healthcare facilities.
She maintains an impressive website that is replete with resources. Be sure to remember Rising Kites if you know someone who gets a new diagnosis and follow them on social media!
Rising Kites is out of Michigan.
Photo courtesy of Rising Kites
Jack’s Basket
I remember opening our Jack’s basket and feeling this sense of relief that Annie was in fact celebrated.
I fit her in that onesie as long as I could and specifically remember her wearing it 2 months into her open-heart surgery recovery.
Baskets can be requested by parents, family members, friends, medical providers, and local DS organizations anytime from pregnancy through the child’s first birthday.
Jack’s Basket is out of Minnesota.
Brittany’s Baskets of Hope
Brittany’s Basket is another resource that centers around gifting new parents a basket of encouragement and guidance. What makes Brittany’s Basket so special is that Brittany herself helps run the organization.
“This was my idea. I am the founder and visionary in Chief! I wanted to start this nonprofit because it beats in my heart; I feel it. I want to bring hope and joy to your kids.”
Another fun fact about Brittany: In 2019, after making [her] way through a selection committee and a national voting campaign, [she] was named the L’Oreal Paris Woman of the Worth National Honoree at a star-studded gala in NYC!”
Brittany’s Basket is out of New York
Love That Surpasses
Love That Surpasses is a faith-based ministry started by a dear friend Sarah Lowry after the birth of her son, Emmett.
LTS “Bags of Hope” are not exclusive to only Down syndrome, but for any type of diagnosis!
Sarah’s bags have gone to 48 states and 13 countries!
Love That Surpasses is out of California.
Hope Story
Hope Story was started by Rick Smith alongside his wife Dr. Abby Smith in honor of their son, Noah. I had the opportunity to attend their second ever Medical Professionals dinner with my new OB and the MFM who cared for me while pregnant with Annie.
Abby, a practicing pediatrician in Dallas, shared her own birth diagnosis story and how the negativity of the experience opened her eyes to the need to reach medical professionals.
Hope Story created their own resource materials for both doctors and new families. Once a child turns one, families can become “Hope Story Advocates” where they can request their own custom kit that includes photos of their child on pamphlets that can be given to their OBs, MFMS, and pediatricians. The medical professionals can then hand out those materials to new families of a child with Down syndrome upon receiving a diagnosis or early navigation of healthcare.
Hope Story is out of Texas.
