After long deliberations, Little Giraffe Foundation voted to fund 22 initiatives for 2016, totaling over $49,000 – 4 Neonatal Research Grants to forward medical care for premature babies and 18 NICU Support Grants designed to improve the lives of the families and babies in the NICU.

2016 NICU Support Grants

• Lafayette General Foundation of Lafayette, LA -- to receive $1,000 towards three mamaRoo swings, two rocking chairs, as well as training materials for the “NICU Rocks” Program at Lafayette General Medical Center

• Baptist Health Foundation of Little Rock, AR -- to receive $1,000 towards free hotel stays for families with NICU patients admitted to the Baptist Health Medical Center

• Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation of Wall Township, NJ -- to receive $1,000 towards gas gift cards to be given to underprivileged NICU families for their travels to and from the medical center

• The Tiny Miracles Foundation of Darien, CT -- to receive $1,000 toward stocking food pantries that supply food and refreshments at Connecticut hospitals in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Danbury

• Southeastern Regional Medical Center of Lumberton, NC -- to receive $1,000 towards a digital camera, a photo printer, and printing materials for its Family Record and Memory Exchange Program to provide NICU families a keepsake of recorded memories of their loves ones during their stays in the NICU unit

• Lutheran General Hospital of Park Ridge, IL -- to receive $1,000 towards gas gift cards to be given to underprivileged NICU families for their travels to and from the hospital

• Pediatrix Medical Group of Las Vegas, NV -- to receive $1,000 towards scrapbooking supplies, as well as snacks and refreshments for its NICU Family Support Social Activities: Preemie Parent Empowerment Group

• Franciscan Alliance Foundation of Indianapolis, IN -- to receive $1,000 towards gas gift cards to be given to underprivileged NICU families at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis

• St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center of Hartford, CT -- to receive $500 towards books, videos, posters, and art materials for the NICU Sibling Resource Room to allow NICU patients’ siblings to express themselves (e.g. to draw, journal, write poetry and scrapbook)

• Good Samaritan Hospital of Los Angeles, CA -- to receive $1,000 towards 7-day bus passes, grocery store gift cards, and food vouchers for the hospital’s cafeteria for NICU mothers and families in need

• Coney Island Hospital of Brooklyn, NY -- to receive $750 towards 3 mamaRoo swings for their NICU mamaRoo Program

• Kosair Children’s Hospital of Louisville, KY -- to receive $500 toward gas and restaurant gift cards to be distributed to NICU families in need by the hospital’s Gas Card and Restaurant Gift Card Program

• Edward Hospital of Naperville, IL -- to receive $500 for their Beads of Courage Program

• Loyola University Medical Center of Maywood, IL -- to receive $350 towards memory cards for cameras to give to families who have lost a NICU baby, fleece to make hearts to be used as sniff cloths, ink pads, and paper for bedside announcement cards

• Franciscan Alliance Foundation, IN -- to receive $500 towards insulated breastmilk cooler bags, gas cards for NICU transfers, and NICU journals for babies less than the gestational age of 34 weeks for Franciscan St. Anthony Health of Crown Point

• St. Francis Medical Center of Monroe, LA -- to receive $1,000 toward gift cards from Walmart to be distributed by the center’s Gas Card Program for NICU families in need

• Cook Children’s Health Foundation of Fort Worth,TX -- to receive $1,000 to purchase sleep belts to aid in kangaroo care in the NICU for their Kangaroo Care Program

• Aultman Hospital of Canton, OH -- to receive $1,000 to purchase donor milk from Mother’s Milk Bank in Columbus, OH for Aultman’s NICU babies