About one in four women have to face the unthinkable loss of an infant. And for many of them, the funeral or memorial service is a difficult time to be without their baby. That’s why groups like Kennedy’s Angel Gowns place cooling units in hospitals to provide grieving families with a safe and peaceful space to say goodbye to their baby. They also make beautiful angel gowns that parents can use for their first and last moments with their little one.
KSAZ’s Sarah Hulet recently met with Angel Gowns of WNY president, Missy Ray and her volunteer seamstresses to see how they transform wedding dresses into these special garments for babies who never get to go home.
The volunteers start by carefully taking the wedding dress apart at the seams, and laying it out to see how many tiny gowns and wraps they can make from each piece of fabric. They can often get up to 18 unique tiny gowns and wraps out of a single dress. Then they sew them together, and iron, fold, and pack up each one to send out. It’s a big job for a small group, and they need help with shipping costs.
Across the nation, these groups are accepting wedding dresses to turn into angel gowns for still births and miscarriages, but they can’t keep up with demand. And so, like the men’s ties you might have in your closet that don’t fit anymore, they need your help.
The organization has been able to donate to families all over the country, including hospitals in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. Missy Ray hopes the community can come together to make sure they can always meet that need.