About The Brightest Little Star Project

Sometimes the feeling of community is difficult to create in large cities like Berkeley, California.

The Brightest Little Star project is doing its part to change that – at least in the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. The project has donated over 200 small handmade memory blankets that are presented to parents who have lost a little one.

The project is run by Amy Reid, a parent, whose son, Jonathan passed away in the NICU almost four years ago, and Suzan Steinberg, owner of Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley.

“Our hope is that parents who receive these precious blankets will realize there are others out there in the community that recognize what a tremendous loss they have suffered, and want to offer a small bit of comfort at a difficult time” said Reid.

Larger blankets in the same star flannel fabric are also given to babies in the NICU who are expected to be there for several months. After a newspaper article was published on the project last year, a mother’s group in the community sent in a large donation in memory of two children in their group. The donation was used to purchase fabric to make at least 200 more blankets. The donation went twice as far thanks to the support of Suzan and her store.

The group will hold the first of what they hope will become regular community sewing nights for the project at Stonemountain & Daughter in early May. Suzan is “hopeful that we can attract more volunteers to make this a long term community project for the NICU at Alta Bates. Our goal is to continue to have a blanket or quilt for each of the over 1200 newborns that are cared for each year”.

“With every tiny star we appliqué on each blanket we hope to stitch the community together. My hope is that the sewing sessions will bring together women from all over the East Bay and allow them to grow closer by sharing about their “little stars” and perhaps the memory of some of the tiniest ones who now shine down upon them,” said Reid.

The Project is looking for seamsters to join them!

Please join us in sewing flannel blankets for little babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.

Join us upstairs in our classroom. We will provide the fabric and notioins for all the volunteers who come to help us. All skill levels are welcome. These simple, soft flannel blankets offer so much comfort to parents who are going through the stress of caring for a very sick infant or who have lost a little one.

Our goal is to have a blanket, quilt or scent doll for each of the over 1200 newborns that are cared for each year. Space is limited at our sewing events, so please call or email to confirm attendance.

For more information on how you can contribute to help keep the project going, make a donation in memory of a loved little one, or help sew, please contact our store, call us at 510-845-6106, or email Suzan.

www.altabatessummit/nicu.org

Alison Brooks
Clinical Nurse Specialist at Alta Bates about the blanket project:

“I am the Clinical Nurse Specialist at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We have approximately 8000 births each year and say that we deliver a kindergarten class each day - about 20 -22 births. Although the majority of these newborns are healthy infants, there are, unfortunately, about 1200 newborns that are cared for in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit each year. Many of these infants are premature, others may be admitted with infections, or lung problems and a few infants have life limiting disorders.

We were the recipients of a very generous donation of handcrafted blankets last year, made by teenagers from a local church. The champion of this project is a mother whose infant was cared for in our NICU. Through the generosity of this group we provided blankets to many families of infants in the NICU and especially to those whose infants were critically ill, and for whom their life expectancy was limited. These blankets provided comfort for both infants and parents who received a tangible gift and reminder of their precious infant

Most parents do not anticipate that their infant will be in the NICU and will often feel significant stress and anxiety. The blankets can help to normalize an otherwise frightening and challenging experience, by providing a more "home like" touch to their baby's environment.”

www.altabatessummit/nicu.org

Statement by Amy Reid:

"This project was inspired by my son, Jonathan who was born on May 31, 2001 at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. We were blessed to have him with us for two days before he passed away peacefully in our arms in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The cozy but worn hospital blanket that he was cradled in is still a great comfort to me. Since I received so much comfort from my son’s blanket, I wanted to find a way to reach out to provide comfort to other mothers. Over the past three years, thanks to the help of family, friends, and my church, we have given the NICU at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center over 200 handmade baby blankets and 150 scent dolls."

Statement by Suzan Steinberg:

"It has been such a privilege to work with Amy on this project. I am very excited about reaching out to volunteers beyond her church. This is a valuable and essential way of giving back to the community. We have many bolts of beautiful flannel waiting to be made up into precious blankets for the babies in the NICU at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Please come join us in giving these generous gifts to the parents and babies. We have a date set for March and will set up more dates throughout the year as soon as we can. Email or call me and we will put you on a list to receive information as we know it.”

Email address: suzans@mac.com
Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics Phone Number: 510-845-6106

Press Release
Project: The Brightest Little Star
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Amy Reid
Founder, The Brightest Little Star Project
46 Greenfield Drive
Moraga, CA 94556
Phone: 925-377-0971
http://www.stonemountainfabric/pages/thebrightestlittlestar.html
amymreid@sbcgobal.net

Mom’s Blanket Project for Loved Ones. Woman Organized Effort to Remember the Departed after Her Child Dies. Community Rallies Around Project to Reach Out to Mothers whom Have Suffered Loss.

Berkeley, CA -- March 20, 2005 – A local Mom’s group has donated seed money in memory of two children in their group for the next phase of the blanket project for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit . The Brightest Little Star provides blankets and quilts for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Berkeley, California. A local fabric store in Berkeley will begin hosting community gatherings in May, where community volunteers will sew blankets using donated fabric.

The first phase of this unique project was successfully completed last year and over 200 blankets were given to families of infants in the NICU. Many of these blankets were given to families whose newest member died within hours, days, or weeks. The blankets provided a physical reminder of their precious baby. When Jonathan Reid died after only two days of living, all his mother, Amy, had to remember him by was the tiny flannel blanket he had used in his incubator. It was worn, but still carried Jonathan’s scent. This precious blanket was the ideal comfort article for Amy. As time passed, Amy wanted other mothers of newborns in the intensive care unit to be able to take home blankets that had touched their babies as well. So Amy began sewing and organized a service project within her church. She received fabric donations from Marcus Brothers Fabric wholesaler and a local fabric store in Berkeley. She organized over 300 youth at the sewing service project to turn the fabric into comfort blankets. “It was really great to see so many young people that excited about sewing and doing something good!” At the top of each blanket, her volunteers appliqué a tiny yellow star and tag each one with a piece of fabric that reads “Handmade with love, for your brightest little star.”

Alison Brooks, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (NICU) reminds us “most parents do not anticipate that their infant will be in the NICU and will often feel significant stress and anxiety. The time spent in the NICU can sometimes span over several months, and the blankets can help to normalize an otherwise frightening and challenging experience by providing a more home like touch to their baby’s environment.” Through the generosity of The Brightest Little Star project “blankets were provided to many families of infants in the NICU and especially to those whose infants were critically ill, and for whom their life expectancy was limited. These blankets provided comfort for both infants and parents who received a tangible gift and reminder of their precious infant.”
-more-
Amy is to teaming up with community members at a local fabric store, StoneMountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley. Sometimes the feeling of community is difficult to create in large cities like Berkeley, California. The Brightest Little Star project is doing its part to change that. Suzan Steinberg, co-owner of StoneMountain & Daughter Fabrics, sees this as a valuable and essential way of giving back to the community. Steinberg is “hopeful that we can attract more volunteers to make this a long-term community project for the NICU at Alta Bates Summit. Our goal is to continue to have a blanket or quilt for each of the over 1200 newborns that are cared for each year”.

Using the seed money donated by a local mom’s group and donations from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics for the fabric and notions, community volunteers are encouraged to join the scheduled times to come in and sew blankets for NICU babies and their parents who are suffering. Space is limited so please call or email to confirm attendance. For more information on how you can contribute to help keep the project going, make a donation in memory of a loved little one, or help sew, call StoneMountain & Daughter or visit www.stonemountainfabric.com More dates will be planned for every month through the end of the year.

For information: www.stonemountainfabric.com/pages/thebrightestlittlestar.html
Contact: amyreid@sbcglobal.net and suzans@mac.com
Phone: 510/845-6106, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics
www.altabatessummit/nicu.org