BY GLORIA J. KATCH Special to the VOICE
It's kind of "bittersweet," laments Robyn Moore, recreating the scenario that resulted in the founding of her charity, Precious Angels Niagara, which supplies dresses and wraps to the parents of babies who die very young, or at birth. The clothing and wraps are sewn from wedding gowns donated by women who want to assist this unique charity, which was founded five years ago.
"When you think about it, a woman donates a dress, which is supposed to be from the best day in her life, to a grieving mother, " Moore said.
She believes the gesture is wonderful, since many infant deaths happen unexpectedly, and, "the last thing a mother would want to do is shop for clothes after the death of their child."
Moore and co-founder Lynn McIntre-Enns developed the charity to supply clothing and wraps in a variety of sizes to hospitals, funeral parlours and a few senior homes to prepare the child for burial. Despite the tragedy of a stillborn, they still think of the baby as their "precious angel," she said.
The wraps are available locally at Pleasantview and James L. Pedlar funeral homes in Pelham, as well as at St. Catharines General Hospital. There are also clothing and wraps donated to several local Indigenous nations, including Mohawk, The Bay of Quinte and Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and Home, Chapleau Cree First Nations. Moore said she has a couriering partner that delivers clothing locally, free of charge, but for places farther north, they use a commercial courier such as UPS.
The clothes are free, and oftentimes the funeral director or hospital will offer to dress the baby.
"We've had some funeral directors shed tears receiving these," she said, adding that it is heartbreaking for everyone concerned when a baby dies.
Although Precious Angels doesn't have direct contact with the families, Moore has received plenty of thank-you notes passed on to her through hospitals and funeral parlours and on its Facebook page.
Some of the clothing is made to size, but many are wraps that cover the baby. There is a little pocket attached, and the garment stitching can be in pink or blue, or yellow and silver for neutral colours, in case the gender of the baby isn't known. A three-part charm is put on each wrap, which the mother can remove and store as a keepsake box in memory of the child. "A Precious Angel" tag is labelled on each garment, as well.
Some of the clothes resemble christening dresses, and they are all either white or cream-coloured, she said of the 1,300 wedding gowns they have received over the last five years.
Despite the fact that most of these funerals are closed caskets, Moore said, "We've had messages from heartbroken mothers thanking us for the clothes."
Moore doesn't recall the exact date, but said, "a while ago," legislation changed requiring a mother to name her baby and give it a proper burial or cremation after the 24-week gestation point. So many of the wraps are used. While Moore admits she isn't aware of the infant mortality rate, she hopes it has declined.
To date, Precious Angels has been able to keep up with demand. Ten wraps can be made from one wedding dress. In 2017, Moore said her charity collected about 500 dresses in three weeks, and currently Precious Angels Niagara no longer needs dresses. She also believes they will not need any more for about two years.
While Precious Angels Niagara is unique and services the entire province, she said there are similar agencies that sew baby garments and wraps for funerals. However, they are not affiliated, she said.
"People assume it's just seamstresses that make up the team, but it takes many hands to do this, and we have about 30 volunteers to pull this all together," she said.
In addition to the two seamstresses from Pelham—Katharine Ryan-Jeffs and MaryAnne Giallonardo—there are others who collect dresses and dismantle them, as well as arrange the shipping and assist with the packaging.
Chuck Farkas and Darlene Anger are also volunteers from Pelham. Jennifer Richard of Everybody Fitness in St. Catharines has raised $2,000 over the last two years presenting Zoomba events. Coyote's Run, a winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, also donated money from recycled bottles, which she believes is an easy way for businesses to help out other charities, especially those like Precious Angels, which is non-registered and doesn't issue tax receipts.
Moore, who is retired and without children, started the organization through ordinary circumstances, or happenstance. She had left her wedding dress in storage at her mother's house, and when her mother was moving and de-cluttering asked her what she wanted to do with it. Moore related to her friend that lives in the U.S. that she wanted to donate her wedding gown, and her friend sent her an online link to a non-profit organization in Texas that collects wedding dresses to make baby clothes. Moore thought the concept was heartwarming and unique. However, she discovered there wasn't any service like that locally, and felt compelled to start one here. She began by posting a need for wedding dresses through Facebook, "and the rest is history.”
When someone donates a dress, Moore places a picture of it on Facebook to officially thank the donor. While she admits it's difficult to track where all the finished clothes are sent, many of the designs are "very creative.” Moore is pleased with her retirement project, saying that it keeps her busy and fullfilled.
In retrospect, she said many mothers who lost their children years ago had their babies taken away, and they never had a chance to see them. There was no closure, which can be "very traumatic.”
Moore said, "It's very sad how mothers were treated, and they still refer to their child as the precious baby angel they never had."
So the organization continues to remain heartfelt to Moore, who is convinced her retirement and this concept was "divine intervention and fate," adding,"It was meant to be."
