A year ago, Victoria and I hosted our first two bereavement retreats, for those who have suffered miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. It was such a beautiful opportunity to be present to my fellow loss parents, and I’m very grateful that Victoria is working with me to provide the retreat again this year. It is so near and dear to my heart.
This year’s retreat, which will be hosted online, is coming up – October 8. And we could really use your help, in five ways in particular.
- If you want to register, we welcome you warmly. You are invited no matter when your loss occurred or how long you got to spend with your baby. Please visit the event site here for more information and to sign up.
- If you know a friend who might want to register, please send them the event site and invite them to participate. You might even offer to pay for part of their ticket, or to babysit or petsit for them during the retreat, as a gift of support. Here’s some sample language you could use: “Hey, friend, I saw this retreat online and wanted to make sure you knew about it. If you’d like to go, I’d really love to sponsor your ticket or bring you a meal right after it. I love you and I am on your team.”
- If you can sponsor us, we would so appreciate your financial help with this event. Even just $10 will greatly help us absorb the costs associated with putting on these retreats. Sponsorships also allow us to send boxes to participants and to offer scholarships to those who can’t afford a full-priced ticket. If you’re interested, please fill out the sponsorship form here. And if you want to get other people involved, sponsor a box with your church, or your book club, or your neighborhood.
- If you have social media accounts, please share these events on your social media. Even if no one on your friends or followers list attends the events or donates financially to our efforts, we will be very grateful for your help in spreading the word that there is support for those who have experienced early loss. We want each and every person in that position to know that they are not alone, and you posting about our event can help spread awareness of early loss and knowledge of resources available to those left behind. You can share any of the links I’ve posted here.
- If you pray, please pray for us. If you send good vibes, please send us lots. Whatever good wishes you have for us, please think of us and our retreat participants as we continue to work toward creating and holding space for those who have suffered early loss.
Thank you so much for considering how you can help us in this endeavor. We are so grateful.
– Abby and Victoria
Abby the Sociologist Doula 