“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” James Cash Penney
When I first founded Hand to Hold, I was the only employee. I spoke with the NICU staff and implored them to encourage NICU parents to contact me if they needed support. I was the first peer mentor, guiding parents through their journeys.
I gradually took on more employees, contacts I had in my previous career, friends I made along the way, people who were connected with our mission.
For years we didn’t have an office. Our entire staff worked from home, meeting at coffee shops or in the conference room of Mission Capital. Signing the lease of our first office space was one of the proudest moments of my career as the founder of Hand to Hold.
Words cannot express how grateful I am for our amazing staff that has grown leaps and bounds over the past year. Watching them all come together in our much-awaited office space, embracing collaboration and team work, has brought me so much joy. Each of these individuals brings their unique skillset to our organization: operations, development, programs coordination, volunteer coordination, NICU outreach, fulfillment of purchases from our store, peer mentor coordination, and of course, our Ambassadors working directly with our families in the hospitals.
Each of these individuals also brings their own talents and gifts that keep us reaching for the stars: can-do attitudes, drive, determination, organization, a love for the families we serve and a willingness to go the extra miles to make sure NICU parents have the support they need during and after a NICU stay. And humor. We laugh a lot around here!
Thank you to each and every one of these special people – most of whom are NICU and bereaved parents themselves. We have a lot to celebrate in 2018 and much to look forward to in 2019 – including doubling our office space to accommodate even more amazing staff members.
Thank you for your support us in our efforts to ensure every NICU and bereaved family has a Hand to Hold!
Happy Holidays,
Kelli