By Courtenay Scott-Hill - A fantastic charity we partner with, previously known as 'The Neonatal Trust, has had a name change: they’re now 'The Little Miracles Trust'.
It’s a major decision for any charity to change their name, but CEO Rachel Friend says they are already reaping the benefits.
Rachel says the name-change was needed as research showed them that the original name sounded “too clinical” and people were often confused about the Trust’s role. The research identified ‘miracles’ as the perfect naming territory moving forward.
The new name, The Little Miracles Trust, was chosen to highlight the ‘little miracles’ that the trust delivers every day to support whānau going through a very challenging experience. Rachel says the Trust prides itself in providing these little miracles to parents to help lessen the strain and to make the experience of having a premature baby more bearable.
“We support parents by helping them in small ways,” says Rachel. “Typically we provide support in the form of thoughtful care packages, funding towards transport, supermarket vouchers, regular hospital lunches and morning teas to connect parents with other parents in a similar situation, support with applying for WINZ quotes for breast pumps and a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on (to name a few)”.
Every year in New Zealand, about 10 percent of all babies are born premature, which equates to one premature baby born every 90 minutes. The Little Miracles Trust is run mainly by volunteers who have experienced the trauma of delivering a premature baby.
Premature babies are often whisked away from their parents as soon as they’re born and then spend days or even months surrounded by machines, alarms, wires, needles, doctors and nurses. What is typically a joyous time of elated emotions and bonding, is instead a time of uncertainty, worry and a sense of distance between parents and baby.
“For a lot of families it’s both shocking and traumatic to end up in a neonatal unit”, says Rachel.
Since changing their name, several media companies have offered The Little Miracles Trust more than $500,000 of media coverage, and donations have increased significantly - meaning they can deliver even more little miracles!
For more information on this wonderful charity, check out their website. If you would like to gift someone the opportunity to donate to The Little Miracles Trust, give them a Good Gift Card from The Good Registry. Or set up a registry to fundraise for the Trust for your next birthday or special event.
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