Our Shining Star - Kelly

weerock - 06:37am Oct 29, 2008 EST
Mom to Leighton (30 weeks), Emerson (33 weeks), and an angel, Phillip (25 weeks)


You don’t have to travel all the way to Kentucky to meet this Shining Star…her beaming smile is “virtually” everywhere on Share. I am proud to announce Kelly (Kel_Jacksons_mom), author of Parsons Brood , as this month’s Shining Star.

This southern belle possesses, not only charm, but hospitality, too. As the Holiday and Activities Coordinator of her hospital’s NICU family support committee, Kelly participates in numerous March of Dimes fundraisers and events throughout the year, but she is especially busy during the winter season. Kelly’s committee donates gifts to families in the NICU during the holiday season. They shower NICU families with anything from gift cards to local restaurants, to personalized picture frames. The group realizes the importance of support around the holidays, so they also organize dinners and various events, like Parents’ Time Out. During these hour-long seminars, NICU parents listen to the stories’ of NICU grads.

Kelly also visits mothers on the ante partum floor and in the NICU. As a parent-to-parent volunteer, she rolls her activity cart from room to room inviting mothers on bed rest to enjoy books, coloring books, magazines, games and goody bags; she also supports families enduring life in the NICU. “I volunteer because I hope I can offer support to a mom who is on bed rest like I was with my son, and give support and understanding to a mom who is in the NICU. I think parents find it reassuring when I tell them my son was in the exact spot their child is in the NICU. The same goes with someone who has had a loss. I think just talking to a parent who has had such a recent loss will let them know that the things they are feeling are normal and that someone understands,” she said.

For Kelly, volunteering is a win-win situation. She gets to help others and continues to heal as well. Kelly began volunteering when her son, Jack, born seven weeks early, was three years old; Kelly and her husband had recently lost their daughter, Kate, to a cord accident at twenty-six weeks gestation. “I needed an outlet besides my support group, something that would make me feel good. My whole philosophy after losing my daughter was: if I can't take care of her physically, then I'll do something in memory of her. The MOD was a great place to start since my son benefited from the MOD,” she said.

Kelly also honors her family each year at the March for Babies as coordinator of Jack’s Rat Pack. Kelly’s t-shirts memorialize her children and their journey as a family.

Through these experiences, Kelly has realized that in giving she also receives. “The most rewarding thing for me about volunteering for Share is that knowing that I might be helping others who are in my shoes. The same goes for volunteering for the MOD. Really volunteering is just self-gratification. It makes you feel good about yourself while helping others. I would say volunteering for Share and MOD has really boosted my self-esteem and knowing that I'm helping to save babies is a plus as well,” she said.

In appreciation of her hard work and dedication to the mission, Kelly will receive a specially engraved “Share Your Story” watch courtesy of HourPower watches. If you would like more information on these beautiful watches or would like to order your own, please check out their website HourPower Watches.