Resources for Grieving Parents and Families

If you live in the Rochester, New York, area, angel gowns are provided by several organizations through the medical staff and/or social work departments of the various local hospitals. If the baby for whom you wish to purchase a gown is NOT in a Rochester hospital,  you can obtain angel gowns from national organizations — most of which offer overnight express delivery.

Rochester New York Area Support Groups

 

Compassionate Friends This is a support group that offers parents who have lost a child the opportunity to share with others in similar circumstances. The group is led by a professional advisor and bereaved parents. A newsletter is also provided. Meetings are second and fourth Tuesdays of every month from 7:00pm-9:00 pm. There are no fees, but freewill donations are requested.

Contact   Becky Price, chapter co-leader, rprice01@rochester.rr.com, (585) 346-2441  or  Mary Ann Dobbins, chapter co-leader, mdobbins@frontiernet.net

Sponsor  Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618

 

Face 2 Face Rochester NY Face 2 Face Rochester is a peer-to-peer support group run by three loss Moms whose primary purpose is to support families who have endured a miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. Face 2 Face is a non-medical group that provides assistance and resources to area families. Their meetings are bi-monthly, occurring on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, and are open to anyone who has experienced such a loss.

Contact  You can visit their website for further details, or call (585) 454-9299 to speak to one of the founders directly.

 

Infant Loss Support Group For families who have experienced a loss through miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death, the group provides an opportunity for healing through sharing with others in similar situations. Group meets as needed. There is no fee and the group is professionally facilitated. Meetings are held in the Family Wellness Center at Lakeside Memorial Hospital.

Contact  Obstetrics Department  (585) 395-6045

Sponsor  Lakeside Memorial Hospital, 156 West Avenue Brockport, NY 14420    

National Sources of Angel Gowns

 

NICU Helping Hands, a non-profit organization, is probably the best-known program in the United States. They are based in Texas and offer angel gowns to families nationally at no charge. They may, however, ask for a family contribution to the cost of overnight delivery. Their urgent request page can be accessed at  http://www.nicuhelpinghands.org/urgent-gown-requests/

Little Angel Gowns is a non-profit group in Indianapolis, Indiana. For all urgent requests, please call or text (317) 374-1581. If no answer, please leave a message. All calls are usually returned within two hours. This group will overnight a gown to families.

Angel Gowns of Western New York is a non-profit organization based in Buffalo, New York. They provide angel gowns to families across the United States and can be reached at AngelGownsofWNY@gmail.com

Contact  You can contact Sue Lawkowski for further details by calling (716) 259-0977 or emailing at susanlawkowski@yahoo.com.