Please Help Support the Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act of 2009

First Candle is pleased to announce that the Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act of 2009 was filed on July 14 by Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ. A companion bill was filed in the House by Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ-6. This bill would improve the collection of critical data to determine the causes of stillbirth SIDS and SUID, increase education and awareness about how to prevent these tragedies in the future and expand support services for families who have experienced a stillbirth, SIDS or SUID loss.

• Every year there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States. For more than half these deaths there is no known cause, leaving parents with more questions than answers as to why the baby died. The bill would expand activities to identify the causes of stillbirth, identify ways to prevent it in the future and increase education and awareness about the issue among healthcare providers and parents.


• In addition, there are more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths each year (including SIDS) and 200 sudden unexpected deaths of children between the ages of one and four. This bill encourages states to complete scene investigations to better understand why these children died, establishes a national database to track these deaths and identify risk factors to prevent them in the future, supports more comprehensive reviews and creates a national public awareness campaign to educate parents and caregivers.
  
  

We hope you will join us in supporting this legislation.
Please help by contacting your representative in the House and two Senators within the next week, urging them to co-sponsor this important bill.

The more co-sponsors the bill gets, the more likely it is to pass quickly through the House and Senate.

Participating in First Candle’s letter-writing campaign is easy!

• Visit www.house.gov to get contact information for the Congressman in your District. You will need your 9-digit zip code. If you do not know your 4 digit extension, you can get it at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp. You will then be able link directly to your Representative’s website.


• Visit www.senate.gov to get contact information for your states two Senators. Simply select your state from the drop down menu to connect to your Senators’ websites.


• We encourage you to call your representatives directly, or set up an appointment to meet with them face-to-face. Writing a letter or sending an email can be effective as well. Emails can be sent directly through your representatives’ websites.


• We have provided a Fact Sheet about the bill, as well as a sample letter to help guide you.


• Whether you are writing a letter or speaking with your representatives directly, be sure to include your personal story.


• First Candle would love to receive a copy of your letter or an email detailing your conversation with your representatives for our files.
  
  

Members of Congress rely on input from their constituents to help them better understand what issues are important to those they serve. Help give our babies a voice!


Please feel free to contact Laura Reno, 800.221.7437 or laura.reno@firstcandle.org with any questions you may have.

July Product Update

Here are some product updates we thought you'd like to know:

I recently changed the Swarovski Crystal Dangles to Genuine Gemstone Dangles on engraveable charms and pendants to minimize scratching on the pieces. Swarovski crystals are much harder than sterling silver, which is a relatively soft material. In contrast, genuine gemstones are softer materials and won't leave the same scratch marks that the Swarovski crystals do. The gemstones I'm using now are 4mm round and paired with sterling silver or gold filled ball head pins for an elegant look. I chose nice quality gemstones which are similar in color to the Traditional Birthstone Chart, so that it is easy to tell which birth month you are symbolizing on your personalized piece. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Here are some products that I've recently redesigned using new components:

Large Baby Footprints Engraved Pendant
Featuring a new larger style sterling silver heart.
This sample shows our new Aventurine Gemstone Dangle for May

Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss Charm Necklace
has a new, more stylish butterfly charm.

Healing Heart Charm Necklace

~A "Heal" handstamped charm is a visual reminder to take care of your emotional and physical bell being.
~A genuine rose quartz briolette gemstone is to promote the healing of broken hearts and increase the reception of love.
~A genuine amethyst heart is for remembrance of your loved ones.
~A small heart charm is to symbolize the healing heart.

Fertility-Pregnancy Charm Necklace

~A "Baby" handstamped charm is a visual reminder of your motherhood intentions.
~Our Heart Swirl with Moonstone gemstone charm promotes love, including between quarelling lovers, and has long been used in dedication to the moon goddesses.
~A genuine rose quartz briolette gemstone is to promote the healing of broken hearts and increase the reception of love.
~A genuine blue chalcedony gemstone is to decrease negativity and depression and increase sleep and tranquility.

You may see this cute graphic on some of our products. With the summer in full swing and my four children out of school, I am trying to reschedule my hours working inside the studio. In an attempt to reduce my workload, I've chosen some of the more time consuming products to be "on vacation" until my work schedule resumes back to it's normal hours in September. You are still able to view these products and share the links with your friends, but you will not be able to place orders for them right now. Additionally, I will not be taking on any new custom design projects, aside from what's already listed on the website.

As always, thank you for your continued support of My Forever Child. We wish you a happy and safe summer!

New Cremation Necklaces

Announcing the addition of five new cremation pendants, made from high quality sterling silver with a tarnish resistant rhodium plated finish. Each pendant comes with a sterling silver necklace chain and a product card which has a scripture passage and poem. The cremation pendants also come with a special funnel to fill the vessel with a precious memento such as ashes-cremains, hair, fabric, dried flowers, or soil.

Click Here to view all Cremation Pendants

Simple Heart Cremains Necklace

Tear of Love Cremains Necklace

Infinite Love Cremains Necklace

Fish Cremains Necklace

Pet Heart Cremains Necklace

Back In Stock!

Here are several items that have just come back in stock. Some were out for a long time, and I'm happy to have them available for you again. Please click on the picture to take you directly to the product description.

Real Forget-Me-Nots in Heart Charm

Real Flower Single Forget-Me-Not Cross

Real Rosebud Charm

Always In My Heart Prayer Box Necklace

Healing Heart Rose Quartz Pocket Stone

Blue Chalcedony Healing Tears Charm

Moonstone Turtle Fertility Charm

Moonstone Fertility Message Bead Bracelet

Moon Goddess Fertility Pendant

Kokopelli Fertility Charm

Fancy Jasper Pregnancy Bracelet

Have a pleasant and blessed weekend!

Memorial Day 2009

I want to take this opportunity to remember all the men and women that have selflessly served the United States of America both now and in the past. We appreciate your many sacrifices and steadfast dedication. A heartfelt Thank You to all the military families as well. You are the backbone of our service men and women in uniform, and your value is priceless.

Is there someone you'd like to publicly honor this Memorial Day? Please post a comment and tell us about him/her so we can keep them in our thoughts and prayers today. If you are receiving this by email, please Click Here to visit our blog and post the comment.

Father's Day Ordering and Gift Ideas

Father's Day is June 21st. Dads of Angels are sometimes overlooked, but they need just as much support and compassion as the Moms do. Show your favorite man what a wonderful father you think he is with a personalized gift from My Forever Child.

May 23rd is the last day to order Custom Engraved Handprint and Footprint Jewelry for guaranteed delivery by Father's Day (in the United States only).

June 5th is the last day to order Personalized and Engraved Jewelry to be delivered in time for Father's Day.
If you are ordering one of these unique keepsakes after the deadline, you can print out a Gift Presentation Card to insert in his card to let him know that a handcrafted treasure is on it's way.
Here is a list of popular Gift Ideas to consider for Dad:

Gift Certificates are great when you'd rather have the recipient decide his own style for what suits him best. Gift Certificates are also perfect for the last minute (up to Saturday, June 19th) and can be emailed to you so you can print it out yourself!

Dog Tag Pendant is a beautiful yet simple way for Dad to wear a personalized message.

Click here to view ALL Keychain styles

Dog Tag Keychain
is one of our most popular gifts for men. A great customization is "Happy Father's Day 2009" on the front with his children's names on the back or a personalized message from you.

Precious Images Dog Tag Keychain with 12 different images to choose from, you can pick the style that best suits your story and style.

Thinking of You Prayer Box Keychain is a classic gift for every man. Comes with a "Father" affirmation disk and your choice of with the Cross or Heart Prayer Box charm.

Memorial ID Leather Bracelet is masculine yet stylish. Choose either Block, Script, or Hand Stamped font. Comes in either Black or Dark Brown braided Greek leather.

Personalized Crystal Suncatchers when looped around the rear view mirror of his vehicle is the perfect way for Dad to keep a remembrance of his precious child(ren) with him at all times.

"Hybrid Mom of the Week"

This online article was featured today at Hybrid Mom Magazine.
Click here to view the original article

Please tell us more about the business and when you started it.

I started making jewelry 10 years ago, and earned a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America. I sold my creations off and on at craft fairs and it was really just a hobby while I worked in the accounting field. When my third child was born stillborn two weeks before his due date, my world shattered and my life was forever changed. It was a long journey of grief, healing, and self discovery that continues today. When my subsequent son was born, I decided that I didn't want to just "forget about" my loss and move on. I felt compelled to make a difference somehow and to turn my loss into triumph. My Forever Child started in 2004 and has grown by leaps and bounds. My handcrafted jewelry is sold across the globe, and is extremely popular in my niche market, bereaved parents. I have designs specifically to bring awareness and healing for miscarriage and infant loss. I specialize in engraving children's actual handprint and footprint images into sterling silver and 14K gold charms, pendants, keychains and cufflinks. I love being able to help put a smile on someone's face and for them to feel closer to their child. I strongly believe in paying it forward. I donate lapel pins to memory box programs given to newly bereaved mothers and fathers. I also regularly donate to child advocacy charities and to research programs to help put an end to the loss of precious lives.

How do you define Hybrid?

Hybrid to me means having the best of both worlds- working at something you love that helps support your family, and being an involved parent.

Tell us how your "What’s Next" moment occurred and what did it mean to you.

After my fourth child was six-months-old, I pressured myself to go back to work part-time. But I took a position that I didn't like and for a company that I wasn't thrilled about. I felt like I was selling my time with my baby son just for money, and this made me very unhappy. It was then that I actively started to develop my business plan. I knew I couldn't be happy working for someone else's vision.

What are your biggest challenges?

My biggest challenges are not having enough time or energy to do everything well. It's a constant juggling act between running the business, making jewelry, creating new designs, photography, website maintenance, etc. Plus the kids, house, pets, laundry, food shopping, cleaning, etc. My older children are very involved in sports and activities. When they come home from school, the day just gets crazier! I know it's not possible to be able to do everything, but I get down on myself if I feel that I'm not living up to my potential.

What are your aspirations?

I aspire to have my business be more widely recognized; to contribute towards helping put an end to child loss; to continue to grow as an artisan while helping my customers through their journeys.

What are your interests?

I enjoy sharing in my children's interests, spending alone time with my husband, connecting with friends, learning new artistic skills (although I can get in over my head by not finishing projects!), reading inspirational, spiritual, and success stories of others, and relaxing amongst nature.

What inspires you?

My customers are my ultimate inspiration. I am continually touched by their stories of love, loss, and hope. It is because of them and the precious children in their hearts that I continue on this path.