Personified

Jackson L. Graves Foundation aids families

Angie Graves Jackson L. Graves Foundation Board President/Founder Day job: Acxiom -- Program Management Leader
Angie Graves Jackson L. Graves Foundation Board President/Founder Day job: Acxiom -- Program Management Leader

Angie Graves

Jackson L. Graves Foundation

Red, White and Baby Blue

Who: Jackson L. Graves Foundation

What: Live music, silent auction, food, drinks

When: 7-10 p.m. June 29

Where: The Garden Room in Fayetteville

Tickets: $50 in advance or $60 at the door

Attire: Casual chic

Information: (479) 466-8339 or jacksongraves.org

Board President/Founder

Day job: Acxiom -- Program Management Leader

Tell us about your organization:

Mission: We work to improve the quality of life for neonatal and pediatric patients and families involved in critical care situations. We exist to provide family-centered care in the NICU environment to make trying times as comfortable, complete, hopeful and peaceful as possible.

Services provided: We partner with area hospitals that have neonatal intensive care units. Then, we basically fill in the gaps around social services, equipment, family programs, comfort items and any other type of support that may be a need. We have found that needs vary widely over time and across locations. We've provided basic necessities for families that have long, expensive overnight stays, as well as funded larger projects like the Sibling Play Room at Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Family Garden at Willow Creek Women's Hospital.

Service area: Northwest and Central Arkansas; Boston, MA.

Average number of people served annually: This is hard to say. Just one of our partners (ACH) served nearly 800 babies last year. Once you factor in family members, staff and other partners, I would estimate well over 10,000 each year.

How is your organization's mission unique? We specifically target needs of those with an infant in a critical care situation (NICU). We evaluate specific needs of numerous facilities and support projects and services that encourage family-centered care. Situations like these affect the whole family. We do what we can to make it easier on everyone involved.

Why do you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it? Jackson Lee Graves was our firstborn son in 2004. He was born with a very complex medical condition and lost his battle after four long months in the NICU at ACH. While we were there for what seemed like forever, we became aware of several ways that we could make lives easier for other families going through a similar situation, and this developed into a lifelong passion.

What part of your job fills the most of your time? Event planning and partner outreach.

What have you learned on the job that you didn't expect? How quickly the "typical" experience in the NICU changes over time with advances in technology and information sharing capabilities.

What challenges face your organization? A big one right now is that with all the advances in healthcare and technology, premature babies can be successfully treated much younger than even five years ago. This results in wonderful outcomes, but this also means that hospitals are needing more space, updated equipment and more resources for their social services. Healthcare facilities are needing our support more than ever.

Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they? We are actually looking for some skilled volunteers with experience in social media and web design/maintenance. Our day-to-day volunteer opportunities vary between helping in the garden, event volunteering or preparing Angel Gowns and care packages for families. Your best bet to see how best you can get involved would be to call our director, Audre Darling at (479) 799-9592.

What upcoming fundraisers and/or other events does your organization have planned? Our flagship fundraiser, Red, White and Baby Blue, is coming up quickly on June 29! It's hard to believe we are celebrating our 14th year! It's a casual-chic gala with live music to benefit the support of families with babies in critical care. We are also planning our third annual Choctoberfest in the fall.

-- Carin Schoppmeyer

[email protected]

NAN Profiles on 06/24/2018

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