Junior League of Westchester on the Sound Creates “Memory Boxes” at Sound Shore Medical Center for Parents Experiencing the Loss of an Infant

October 22, 2009, Larchmont, NY – October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and the Junior Leagues of Westchester have united to acknowledge this heartbreaking event and provide a small bit of comfort to the mothers and fathers who will experience the loss of an infant. 

The six Junior League chapters in Westchester each took time at their October membership meetings to create Memory Boxes to give to the maternity wards at hospitals throughout Westchester.

The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound met at the Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle and created the boxes as a way to help local families who will experience this very sad event.

The Sound Shore Medical Center and other hospitals throughout Westchester will distribute the boxes to women who are grieving the tragic loss of a baby due to pregnancy loss, stillbirth or newborn death.  In all, 125 moms, dads and families will be recipients of the Memory Boxes and have a way to remember the infant they have lost.

The boxes are filled with forget-me-not seeds, journals, a butterfly (symbol of pregnancy loss) necklace, a footprint card, a candle and a list of references that included books, support groups and websites.  Each box also received a card that read "Butterflies are a symbol of transformation of the spirit and the soul.  They are the beautiful tiny spark of life that came to us and lighted our lives for a too brief moment before fluttering away.  These boxes were made by women of the Junior League of Pelham, many of whom have been affected by loss.  You are not alone." 

 Every year there are 900,000 early pregnancy losses, more than 26,000 (70 per day) stillbirths and more than 78,000 neonatal deaths in the United States.  The Special Angel Memory Boxes project was created three years ago by the Junior League of Pelham to address the need for recognizing and dealing with the aftermath of infant loss.  The Memory Boxes are given to bereaved parents to acknowledge, validate and hopefully help a little towards filling the void created by a loss.  The boxes allow parents, grandparents, older siblings and caregivers a tangible way to remember the baby and, ultimately, help with the mourning process. 

About the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound

The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound (JLWOS) is an organization of women

committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the Sound Shore communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its

purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Founded in 1950, the Junior League of

Westchester on the Sound is comprised of women from Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Rye and Rye Brook. If you are interested in joining or learning more information please visit www.jlwos.org.