The Orange City foundation headed by Vanessa Harig of Archer has a very simple mission: Encouraging families enduring the loss of child during pregnancy or infancy to grieve bravely, heal gently, and remember boldly. The volunteers achieve their mission by meeting with families enduring loss and providing support through simple gestures like custom burial garments and care packages.
Harig spends a great deal of time with volunteers filling care packages. The care packages are lovely boxes filled with an assortment of comfort items. One particularly special item is a handmade teddy bear. The filling of the bear is wrapped in material from donated wedding dresses. No two teddy bears are alike. Each is unique. A small army of volunteers with sewing skills spends time making the soft treasures. Each box has many other items designed to give comfort.
The custom garments for all gestations are also created with donated wedding dresses. Suits and tuxedos for tiny boys or gowns for tiny girls are made to fit a variety of sizes and a wide range of choice for parents.
The all-volunteer organization began in 2015 by Nikita Kleyer and Roslyn Punt. The pair put together three main goals for the support organization: To provide the care packages, to act as a resource center for those needing answers or direction and to provide a safe community for families to journey through their grief. About grief, their philosophy is, “Grief doesn’t end, it just changes.”
“Awakening Grace” is funded completely from donations and fundraisers. A “Carnival for Kids” is scheduled for Saturday May 6 at the Granville City Park. A huge variety of activity for all ages is planned. Beginning at 11:00am The carnival games and inflatable are open until 3:00pm. Roorda Dairy and Holtrop Excavation are sponsoring this event. Punch tickets are available at the park.
The free petting zoo is open from 11:00am to 2:00pm. A concession stand for quick lunches/dinners is open until 5:00pm along with the Ag Store. Goodie baskets, meat bundles, handmade items, baked goods and “Awakening Grace” apparel are all available. The Granville Improvement Club will be on-hand to serve a beer or not with your lunch, if you choose.
The adult bags tournament requires registration. That can be done online at awakeninggracefoundation.ticketleap.com/bags-tournament-23/.
Cash prizes for the bags tournament are sponsored by Holtrop Excavation, Corner Can Redemption, Hayzlett Family and TR’s Black Soil Blend.
Awakening Grace Foundation board members are Nikita Kleyer, Founder; Vice President Roslyn Punt; Board Chair, Nathan Vander Plaats; Secretar Kate Ericson; Treasurer Stephanie Schelling; and Board members Ashley Anderson and Jaclyn Schelling.
Assistance can be reached by calling 1-899-7045 or emailing contact@theawakeninggracefoundation.org.