Mission
Our goal is to be an asset to NICU facilities supporting patients, families, and healthcare providers.
Caring for an infant in the NICU is unlike any other experience. Frequently, families are unexpectedly thrust into the NICU ordeal. Even families who know a NICU stay is coming, still don’t know what to expect. Immediately after birth (too often a traumatic birth), families are overwhelmed with the scary appearance of their baby’s fragile state and confused by the onslaught of medical information. Sitting beside their baby’s isolette day after day is isolating and feelings of guilt and anxiety about the future can greatly impact their mental health.
There are extra touches, beyond the excellent medical care provided by the NICU team, that make a huge difference in how the experience feels. From simple items like extra soft tissues to specialized items like breastfeeding pillows, families can be provided comforts that fulfill their day to day needs. Our mission is to help alleviate some of the physical and emotional discomfort for families along with providing soothing touches for the babies.
With generous support since 2020, we assembled and donated over 400 NICU Hope Baskets.
We’ve been there too.
Our journeys through the NICU led us to want to give back and do what we can for families faced with this experience.
Community
By partnering with the NICU, we can meet specific needs and requests of NICU families within our community.
Lights of Love Ceremony
Every November, the Cabarrus Healthcare Foundation organizes the Tree of Lights ceremony to honor a loved one throughout the holidays. For the inaugural year, they named the star at the top of the tree after Hope. At the ceremony, they shared Hope’s story and the impact of her life on her family and the NICU. Hope’s big sister led the countdown and turned on the tree lights. This annual event shares a new story about a hospital patient each year and continues to honor Hope as the star at the top of the tree.
Wave of Light Ceremony
The Wave of Light ceremony is held annually on October 15. Across the globe in each timezone between 7-8pm, families impacted by the loss of a child light a candle in their honor. Each year Maximizing Hope holds a Wave of Light outdoor event at Hope City Church North in Charlotte. Check back here in early October for details to the yearly event.
In 2022, Maximizing Hope’s cofounder, Angela, was invited to speak at the ceremony sponsored by the Atrium Health Cabarrus Hospital. She shared her story of multiple pregnancy losses.
Community requests
As part of our outreach, when NICU staff share specific family requests, we do our best to fulfill those requests. Specifically, we donated four car seats for preemies weighing 4 pounds at the time they were ready to head home. We donated two Medela breast pumps with stands that remain in the NICU.
Charlotte Marathon
Maximizing Hope volunteered to manage a relay stop at the Charlotte Marathon. Our volunteer team called out relay numbers, passed out water, and cheered on runners. We are grateful for our friends who donated their time to support our nonprofit.
Help us help them.
Interested in contributing to our cause? Your donation goes directly to the most present need as indicated by the NICU team. We are an official 501(c)3 tax-exempt, nonprofit organization.