Greetings Family and Friends!

Boy, a year goes by quickly, doesn't it?  It is time for the 3rd Annual Totes for Tots Fundraiser!  Last year due to your generosity, we were able to donate 78 thermal totes to Magee-Womens NICU and 78 thermal totes to Ruby Memorial NICU.  For those that may not know, my oldest son Andrew was born at 30 6/7 weeks gestation and spent 1 month in the NICU.  When he was 4 I decided that I wanted to do something to give back to the many wonderful doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc who grabbed him up and took him to the NICU immediately after delivery and saved his little 3 lb life.  I decided that rather than give a one time gift to the staff, I would do something to help current NICU parents who are facing the same worry and stress that I faced 6 years ago.  Unless you go through it, you can not possibly begin to understand the helplessness that parents feel staring into an isolette at a baby that they can not hold, feed, or bring home.  One of the ways that moms can feel like they are a mom and not a spectator is to pump breast milk and bring it in for the nurses to feed the baby.  But to keep the breast milk safe, they must keep it chilled or frozen until they reach the hospital.  Many parents travel quite a distance to visit their little ones in the NICU and keeping the breast milk chilled can be tricky, especially since they aren't normally expecting to have a premie and do not have small coolers to transport their milk in....
And that is how my idea was born.  I take your donations and purchase Thirty-One thermal totes in colorful and cheerful prints.  With Andy's help, I attach a personal note to the tote for the NICU parents explaining our cause and letting them know that I understand their fears and frustrations.  NICU nurses hand out the totes to pumping moms.  The response has been overwhelming.  I have received many notes of thanks from the parents (see the most recent one below) and even several large donations from the recipients to purchase more totes for other parents like them.  Now that I am a NICU nurse, this is even more dear to my heart because I see the struggles that the parents face every night that I work.  So please, find it in your hearts to donate again!  Last year was such a success!  Over 70 of you donated and it was such a great feeling to deliver those totes!  The unit director at Ruby Memorial was extremely excited as they were working on a project to increase the amount of moms who were breastfeeding. 
To donate, please hit the "donate" button and go to our PayPal website.  Your donation will be secure.  The approximate cost of 1 tote is $22 but we will happily and gratefully take donations of any amount, big or small!  You do not need a PayPal account to donate.  If you would prefer to mail your donation, you can mail them to my house.  The address is:
Tracy Brnusak
370 Millet Lane
Pleasant Hills, PA 15236

The deadline for donations will be April 15th.  I am doing it a month early this year because Andy is a busy kid and our May is jam packed!  He loves soccer, Tball, and is taking swim lessons, too!  He is a very bright Kindergarten student and just won first prize for writing and illustrating his own 5 page book!  He is kind, loving, and generous and I am so proud of him. ** If you donate and have had or have known a NICU baby, please message me with their name and totes will be donated in their name to make it extra special for you!!!**
Please share this page with your own family and friends!  Last year, our fundraiser was featured in a UPMC system-wide email which prompted employees from other hospitals to do their own similar fundraisers.  It was also featured in a Magee publication.  You really make a difference!!!  Thank you and I am looking forward to reaching our goal again this year and donating 150 thermal totes!!!
***Also of note, 100% of the commission I make on the purchase of these totes is donated to Pittsburgh's Project Sweet Peas which provides  care packages, memory boxes, Halloween costumes, Christmas gifts, etc to the NICU babies!! ***
Many blessings xoxo,
Tracy

WE DID IT!

Thank you so much to all who donated!  Together, we raised enough money to purchase 148 thermal totes for pumping NICU moms!  Because many of the donations received were from my hometown area, I decided to donate half of the totes to their local NICU at Ruby Memorial Hospital (Morgantown, WV.)  The other half will be going to Magee-Womens NICU.  I will continue to accept donations throughout the year if you would like to donate, and will just purchase the totes as the donations come in.  But look for our annual fundraiser again around this time next year to celebrate Andy's 6th birthday!  You can use the donate button in the post below to make your secure contribution.  THANK YOU!!!  xoxoxoxo, Tracy

2nd Annual Totes for Tots Fundraiser

Hi Friends!

My name is Tracy B.  4 1/2 years ago, my world turned upside down.  I was having a perfect pregnancy when after only 30 6/7 weeks, I delivered a premature baby boy named Andrew Jacob.  Andy was born at 3 lbs 2 oz and lived the first month of his life at Magee-Women's NICU.  I was very confident in his care here because I actually work at Magee as an RN.  Having a baby in the NICU is exhausting, emotionally and physically.  I woke up early every morning, traveled to the hospital, spent all day with Andy, came home at night, called the hospital once or twice overnight to check on my baby, and did it all again in the morning.  This is what NICU moms do and we do it happily. In addition to all of that...some moms, myself included, also pumped every 3 hours around the clock to provide our babies with the vital breastmilk that they would need to grow.

Every morning, I would quickly grab all of the bottles I pumped overnight and rushed out the door.  It just became routine to stuff them all in an old lunchbox with an ice pack and go.  And then....4 years later, I had this awesome idea.  Why not fundraise to provide pumping NICU moms with thermal totes that they can easily pack up and take to the NICU every day?  They would be more fashionable than the Giant Eagle bag or old lunch bag that most Moms use and they would effectively keep the breastmilk chilled for traveling!  And so Totes for Tots was born. 

Because of the generosity of many, MANY friends and family last summer, we were able to donate  70+ totes to NICU families at Magee.  These special totes from Thirty-One gifts (where I am a consultant) brightened the days of so many NICU moms who didn't have time to run to the store to buy a proper thermal tote for their breastmilk.  Additionally, I donated 100% of the commission that I earned ($250.00) on the totes to Pittsburgh's Project Sweet Peas which is an organization that provides care packages and memory boxes to NICU families at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Magee.  With that money, they were able to provide 15 families with care packages. 

Not convinced that this made a HUGE impact in NICU families lives?  Here are 2 notes received by Tracy from families who received a tote:
"Tracy, Thank you so much for the beautiful breastmilk carrier!  My daughter was born at 27 weeks and we are so grateful for the gift.  I wanted to make a donation to the fundraising you do to give more people like us such nice things-as you know it is difficult having a child in the NICU and your kindness really brightened our day"

"My wife received one of the cooler bags after our daughter was born at Magee 8 weeks early.  It was very comforting to see the bag with a nice little note from Tracy.  My wife and I felt that we in a way had a friend who knew what we were going through and was there to lend a helping hand.  Thank you for your generosity.  Who knew that a small cooler bag could bring so much happiness to a couple in a time of stress and excitement"

So this year, let's make it even better!  Together, let's provide over 100 families with a thermal tote for their breastmilk!  The cost of 1 thermal tote is approximately $22 dollars.  With your help, we can raise enough money to help these special families that are so full of hope that their child or children will grow to be healthy and strong. 

Please use our donate button to make a secure donation today!  We will be collecting donations until May 15th.  The donations to the NICU will be made in honor of Andrew Jacob who will be entering Kindergarten this fall.  He is a sweet boy who loves soccer, sloppy joes, and drawing pictures of dinosaurs. 

As before, 100% of my commission earned from purchasing the totes will be donated to Project Sweet Peas.  And also as before, all who donate will be placed in a drawing to win free Thirty-One products!

Any amount that you can donate is GREATLY appreciated.  Thank you all, so much.  Please share our page with your friends and family.  To those 50+ donors from last year, THANK YOU. 

If you would like to make a donation via check, you can send your payment to
Tracy Brnusak
370 Millet Lane
Pleasant Hills PA 15236.  Please make the check payable to Tracy Brnusak

Many Blessings,
Tracy, Steve, Andy, and Ben

Here is a picture of Andy and I last year before delivering all of these thermal totes!