The statistics are hard to read: According to March of Dimes, one in every 275 pregnancies ends in stillbirth. Worldwide, that adds up to 2 million stillbirths each year. It’s an unthinkable tragedy for many families, especially because doctors don’t know what causes all of these losses. One Central Florida woman is trying to ease the pain of those heartbroken parents by sewing beautiful infant burial gowns for babies who pass away before they can even come home from the hospital. She is our CommUNITY Champion this week.
Angel Gowns, made from donated wedding dresses, bring dignity to grieving families and give families something to remember their little ones by. They’re offered to hospitals, birthing centers, and funeral homes across the country and around the world — completely free of charge. The tiny gowns are stitched together by women from around the globe, bringing hope and healing to families that need it most.
After the loss of their baby son, Tom and Deanna Williamson said they were so grateful to Levine Children’s Hospital for giving them an angel gown for him to be buried in. So when the Williamssons learned about an organization that makes these special bereavement outfits out of donated wedding dresses, they knew they had to do what they could to pay it forward.
That’s how the nonprofit, Angels Above Baby Gowns, was started. Lifelong seamstress and designer Dawn Corey has been keeping her hands full ever since, with a back closet in her house filled with donated dresses she turns into gowns for newborns who die before they can be born. Then she delivers them to hospitals across the state and beyond — in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Oregon, California and Texas.
It’s a labor of love for Corey and her volunteers, who are often moved to tears as they stitch the dresses together. Each one is adorned with a matching heart and comes in three sizes: gowns, wraps, and angel pockets, which are used for the tiniest babies, usually less than a pound.
Corey said she knows there is always a need for these special gowns, and she wants to continue expanding her reach. So she reached out to me, asking if I could help her find more donors and volunteers.
“I know it’s a tough job because these aren’t happy stories, but they are beautiful to me,” Corey says. “When I hear about other people who lost their baby, it breaks my heart.”
You can donate a wedding dress by clicking here or by dropping off your donation at this address: 1050 Linden Ave, Long Beach, CA 90803. The group is also accepting monetary donations to buy more material, ribbons, thread and gallon zip-lock bags. You can also volunteer by clicking here.