Are you ready for this?!?!
First, let me tell you about Baby University.
From the BabyU website: "Moms who participate in the program meet on a monthly basis to learn more about nurturing brain development in their new babies, and receive practical and spiritual coaching."
Baby University is a non-profit organization founded by Hether Pflasterer of Jackson, Tennessee. This program is offered in conjunction with Birth Choice of Jackson, TN, (which is a crisis pregnancy center) to extend support of new moms past birth. It's sort of a "next-step" program for moms for after the babies have been born.
Hether just so happens to be one of my closest friends. Hether was a public school teacher here in Jackson for 17 years. During her time, she saw year after year a true need for early childhood education, not just for children, but for parents. She had an idea to come alongside new parents and offer one of the most needed resources.....the resource of a friend.
BabyU meets once a month for six consecutive months. Classes cover everything from brain development at each age, discipline issues and health and nutrition. What we also do, is join together in a big 'ol circle and share stories from the trenches. We talk about all the things the experts say, and then we talk about how this plays out in the day to day grind of raising little humans. And we also spend time talking through things like "how do we pray for our children?". At the last BabyU meeting, Hether passed out little index books to all the moms who were present and encouraged them to search for scriptures that speak to issues with their families. We all partnered up and spent time talking through how we can better love our children by praying scripture with them and for them.
One of the things I'm realizing by attending BabyU classes is how, just as a smile is a universal language, it seems that being momma is also something that goes beyond all the boundaries we can sometimes erect. Boundaries of socioeconomic status, culture, neighborhoods, age.....when we sit down and start sharing how we struggle with these sweet babies....it seems that all of those differences don't seem so large. Over the past several months we have grieved with a sweet momma who lost her baby to SIDS, we've rejoiced over all the new babies who have been added to that circle, we have laughed A LOT at stories of little ones who have their own big personalities, and we have all prayed earnestly together that God would guide us as we navigate this road of motherhood. Being a part of these classes personally has been a true blessing to my soul.
So.....are you ready to hear about the prize!?!?!
BabyU is ALWAYS in need of diapers and wipes. By attending classes, moms get a chance to use mommy money to shop in our resource room. Diapers and wipes are a hot commodity! So, here is a chance for you to not only contribute towards this awesome ministry, but win a prize! Yay!
This year at the Marketplace, we are going to have a booth dedicated to some non-profits who work with children in our city. One of the featured ministries is BabyU! Drumroll please........
If you bring a package of diapers OR wipes and drop it off at this booth, you will get a ticket and be entered into a drawing for a gift basket! This gift basket will feature items from a lot of our vendors! Pocket journals from Inkwell's Press, products from Made On Acorn Hill, pottery from a local potter, a stylish neckerchief from Garner Blue, jewelry, beautiful hand drawn cards, and more!!!!
So basically a $10 pack of diapers could win you a gift basket valued at over $150! AND....you'll be giving diapers to new momma's who really need them. WIN!
Now, go get those diapers!
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