LET’S THROW A SHOWER

MAT-SU — In 2004, Megan Kolendo lost her unborn baby at the 18th week of pregnancy. She was devastated. In Fairbanks at the time, she turned to Newborns in Need for help. The small non-profit agency stepped up and donated a signature handmade burial layette for her loss.

“They provided me with a beautiful, decorative quilt,” she said. “It didn’t spark anything really, other than it helped us get through that time.”

One year later, Kolendo’s gave birth to Benjamin, who was born six weeks premature. Born with a myriad of health-related concerns, including acnea, pneumonia, and an irregular heart beat, the Kolendos were once again shaken.

“He was in the hospital for three weeks trying to just eat,” she said. “He didn’t have the ability to suck and swallow. It was then that I called Newborns in Need again to see if they could help.”

Kolendo received clothing and other essential items from the group, including a crafted quilt containing swatches of fabric full of little teddy bears. The colorful bears reminded her of the child she lost.

“It wasn’t very elaborate, but it felt like there’s something bigger here. I thought, there’s got to be something I could do to help other moms. At least, give them the same love and support that I got.”

Newborns in Need, Inc. (NIN) was organized in North Carolina in 1992 to take care of sick and needy babies and their families; and in cases of crisis, to help where help is needed.

Kolendo had called the NIN headquarters office in North Carolina and asked to start a chapter. She would need five loyal board members from around the area who were as passionate as she was about helping infants.

“They wanted me to find not just people willing to volunteer, but willing to put in the man hours,” she said.

Kolendo advertised in local businesses and hospitals, finally meeting Debbie Schreiver, a retired nurse from Eagle River.

“She didn’t have Newborns in Need in mind, but between the two of us we thought we’d have better luck in finding more people, which we did.”

In 2007, now living in Wasilla, Kolendo, a stay-at-home mom and president of Mat-Su’s Newborns in Need, said she started up her own chapter to help other moms in crisis. Her group became official last August with the main mission to provide the essentials for families with newborn babies in economic need, or in a health crisis.

With a five-member board in place, Kolendo and her Mat-Su Newborns in Need chapter began round-tabling ideas for a fundraiser.

“I remember getting the official paperwork and our board members and me scratching our heads, asking, ‘Now what do we do?’” she said. “Our primary goal was to get the word out to agencies and gather volunteers who could donate items to our cause.”

Kolendo and the board members worked diligently to get Mat-Su Regional Hospital and other area agencies that work with families on board with referrals, but they still needed to stock up on necessary items.

For their first fundraiser, Kolendo looked at Newborns in Need’s national event this year: The Largest Baby Shower on the Planet.

Throughout the month of August, NIN volunteers are collecting public and business donations of diapers, baby clothes, winter items, formula, bottles, cribs, crib mattresses, car seats, strollers and other baby necessities to distribute to local churches, hospitals, schools, civic clubs, neighborhood groups and individuals in need giving baby showers on Sept. 1.

The national NIN collective is expected to bring in over a million items to give away, establishing NIN as the Guinness Book of World Records holder for the largest baby shower effort — ever.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 16, NIN will be asking for and collecting baby items from Wal-Mart shoppers outside the superstore.

“We’re trying to think small because we are small,” Kolendo said. “We’re still getting our name out there and people don’t know we’re around. I think our biggest success this month will be awareness.”

Kolendo said there are more than 50 Newborns in Need chapters nationwide, some with hundreds of volunteers and dozens of businesses on board with their individual showers, but that Mat-Su’s efforts are needed.

“Our plan is that we’ve made a wish list of items ranging from $1 to $100 and we’d like people to make a donation for the shower so that a couple in need can receive the help they need,” she said.

All of the items collected will be distributed from referrals and one-on-one cases locally.

Kolendo said when her cell phone rings from people who are looking for help, she listens.

“I get a lot of calls from couples looking for help with formula or diapers because they can’t afford it,” she said. “There are more and more of these cases popping up out here than people think.”

Today, almost half-way through August, Kolendo admits she hasn’t received very many donations to help with her cause, but that she’s patient, hoping to fill her garage with items she plans to give away next month.

“When we started, we thought we would just provide burial layettes, until we realized there were a huge amount of women with sick or preemie babies and didn’t have much. There were woman leaving the hospital after giving birth with no diapers or even a baby hat. We knew we had to act.”

Recently, Kolendo received a phone call from a mother who had just delivered her second child and had been referred to her through Mat-Su Regional Hospital.

“Her baby was 6 pounds and didn’t fit into newborn-size clothes,” she said. “She needed a lot of support. I asked her, ‘If you had a wish list put together, what would you need?’ She was very shy, but told me she needed help with clothes. By the end of a couple of days, we were able to give her a high-chair, a car seat, and two bags of clothes. I had a lot of help on that one.”

Kolendo said she was able to meet her clients’ needs by going to Barb Dippert, owner of Growing Spurts: The Gently Used Children’s Store in Wasilla.

“Megan had come in one day collecting clothes for some women in need and told me about it,” Dippert said. “That’s pretty much it. I definitely wanted to help out and do what I can. I like to help out people just as much as the little agencies do. To have people like Megan is great.”

Odia Stewart and Theresa Leonard first contacted NIN four weeks ago, after the birth of their daughter, Destiny LaRose Stewart.

With little money coming in, Stewart said Mat-Su Regional Hospital referred the young couple to Kolendo.

“They pretty much delivered it to us right away, which was awesome,” Stewart said. “With a part-time job, getting a high chair for our 1-year-old, as well as diapers, was hard enough, but formula, winter clothes and bottles for both babies was nearly impossible.”

Stewart said if it hadn’t been for NIN, his family would still be in crisis, scrambling to get the essentials put together for his children.

“With such low income coming in, it’s hard to afford these kinds of things,” he said. “I wouldn’t have the formula that we do right now.”

Kolendo said she hopes people will support NIN by donating baby essentials throughout August, and maybe help establish a world record at the same time.

“Numbers aside, I think it’ll be a success regardless because we will be helping more families with this baby shower then ever before, so I’m excited to do this,” she said. “Imagine being a new mom and having a sick baby, or being at the point where you can’t afford new things. It’s heartwarming to know we may be able to help some of those families out.”

To make a donation to Newborns in Need and its upcoming Largest Baby Shower on the Planet project, call 982-1558, or drop items off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 16 at the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com, or 352-2269.