A Review of 2022

December 30, 2022

Verity’s Village provides encouragement, education, and practical support for families who receive a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis for their baby. Our vision is to change the narrative surrounding genetic anomalies from HEARTACHE to HOPE! This 2022 review examines these efforts to achieve our mission.

A GLOBAL REACH

While most of our Village members are located in the United States, this year we added two more countries to our list of places from which families receive support from Verity’s Village. Below is a list of locations to which we have sent care packages supporting families facing a prenatal diagnosis and, all too often, loss of a child.

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • England
  • Ireland
  • The Netherlands
  • The Philippines
  • Scotland
  • South Africa
  • United States of America – over 35 states and counting!

CARE PACKAGES

This year saw an increase in the quality and quantity of tangible resources we sent to parents.

Welcome Packets

When parents enter our support network, they can request this packet free of charge. It includes our special pregnancy journal as well as our guidebook From Diagnosis to Delivery. The packet also contains more information about Verity’s Village along with the Cradling Memories foundation. This organization was launched by one of our own Village families, whose time with their sweet Milo James was all too brief. Our partnership gives families the opportunity to request a memory-making box of items they can take to the hospital for delivery and beyond.

This year Verity’s Village sent out 86 welcome packages to families who received a prenatal diagnosis. We also sent 4 packets as samples to organizations whose mission aligns with our own so they could have resources in hand to show others who can benefit from our services.

Congratulations Packages

When a family receives a devastating diagnosis, they don’t know whether to plan a birth or a burial. There is no guarantee their baby will overcome significant physical issues and allow the family to have time on earth together. Yet by God’s grace, we have gladly sent 44 congratulations packages to families whose babies were born alive in 2022!

These packages include a NICU journal to use in the hospital along with some special handmade gifts for Baby and pampering items for Mom.

Bereavement Packages

A diagnosis is called “life-limiting” for a reason. It is a sad truth that most of the babies in our Village pass away all too soon. We are grateful for the opportunity to honor these precious lives and the parents who carry them to term. This year Verity’s Village sent out 91 condolence packages to families who have lost little ones. These packets include the book Sunlight in December as well as items to commemorate the baby’s precious and meaningful life.

In addition to these care packages, our ministry honored many of these babies with personalized artwork, sent to mothers either at the time of Mother’s Day or Christmas. The artist we hired created 83 pieces of artwork for Verity’s Village in 2022.

CONNECTIONS

In 2022 Verity’s Village made some beautiful connections that not only help our own community, but also encourage and bless many others!

Paraclete

Possibly one of the most exciting developments in our ministry is the partnership we have made with pastoral counselors Allen & Patricia Cooke of Paraclete Ministries. As grandparents to a little girl with Trisomy 18, they have experienced firsthand the devastation a prenatal diagnosis brings and the range of emotions experienced in caring for a child with significant needs. The Cookes provide free monthly counseling sessions in our two support groups and are also available for individual and couples’ counseling at no charge to our Village members. This service began in June and has helped many of our families.

Run for the Rare

Our first fundraiser was a learning experience but also a wonderful way to share our mission with people all over the world. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, all costs associated with the fundraiser were completely covered. We raised approximately $4,200 and had a great time along the way!

Life Network

Our booth at the Walk for Life as well as our sponsored table at the Life Network fundraising gala gave us the opportunity to tell others about Verity’s Village in person and through an advertisement in the program.

Foreknown Ministries

After meeting each other at the Walk for Life, our two organizations met for some collaboration. (Here is our video interview.) Verity’s Village sponsored the Colorado Wave of Light event in October, reading the names of 168 babies in our network who have passed away and honoring their families in this special video. We encourage our Village members who have experienced child loss to connect with Foreknown for ongoing support.

MISCELLANEOUS UPDATES

  • Because of the great need for additional support for bereaved parents, Verity’s Village created a new private support group, From Heartache to Hope, in early November. The group already has 86 members. It is a safe and supportive place for those who are grieving the loss of a pregnancy, infant, or child because of genetic complications.
  • Verity’s Village does not have any paid staff at this time. However, in April 2022 we did set up a subcontracting position for a social media manager. Brooke Shambley’s blog posts and social media posts have helped us share the mission of Verity’s Village, spread awareness of what our Village members experience, and educate the general public about various diagnoses and needs within our community. This frees up our founder to focus more on direct ministry to Village members.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

We could not have done all the things listed here without the prayer and financial support of so many people! Your prayers keep us afloat as we serve others in love. And the monetary donations we receive help us provide books, care packages, counseling services, and more to our Village members at no cost to them. THANK YOU so much for making our 2022 accomplishments possible!

Stay tuned for our 2023 Dreams!