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HONOR A MOTHER BY HELPING ANOTHER!
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May is upon us meaning Mother's Day is just around the corner! This is an opportunity to honor the remarkable women who nurture and care for us with a beautiful, floral watercolor greeting card from local Saint Paul artist, Laurie Plattes. This is Laurie’s third year teaming up with Second Stork to create these incredible cards, so this card is made to coordinate well with cards from years past. This year, Mother's Day falls on Sunday, May 12th. Why not allow Second Stork to be the ideal gift? Our "Honor a Mother by Helping Another" campaign is here to help you give a truly meaningful gift to honor the mothers, sisters, grandmothers, nieces, mother-in-laws, and other female figures in your life. If a mother or important woman in your life has passed, consider making a monetary gift in their honor to help their legacy of caring for others live on.
Your donation to Second Stork allows the organization to provide mothers with newborn supplies when they need it most. For mailed cards intended to be delivered by Mother’s Day, please order through our website by Monday, May 6th. For orders placed after May 6th, we encourage you to select the e-card option as well to be immediately sent via email. That way, something can arrive before Mother's Day and a card will be arriving later. Order cards now!
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THE WOMEN BEHIND THE CARDS
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Meet the artist behind the Mother’s Day cards, Laurie Plattes (left), and our returning Mother’s Day campaign manager, Michele Gleason (right). As both of these women are Saint Paul locals and mothers themselves, they are excited to be involved in this initiative. Michele first started volunteering for Second Stork years ago when she was introduced to the mission through friends on the Board, primarily from Derham Hall. She saw who Second Stork was trying to help and decided to get involved. Michele explains that the objectives of the recurring Mother’s Day campaign is to bring awareness to the Second Stork mission, help raise funding, all while providing beautiful gifts to the women being honored by our supporters.
Artist Laurie Plattes was asked to collaborate on this Mother’s Day initiative by her cousin, our very own Michele Gleason. Laurie has dedicated her career to interior design, but enjoys spending her free time painting. Michele has always been a significant supporter of her artwork, so when Michele asked for help creating Second Stork Mother’s Day greeting cards, she said yes! Since then, Laurie has become more aware of the efforts of Second Stork and has made her return for the third year in a row.
While Laurie has always been expressing her creative side through her interior design, she enjoys the level of freedom she has in her painting. She explains that the lack of limitations, rules, and clear-cut objectives in painting allows her to create without constraints. Laurie appreciates nature and has primarily painted flowers. She is inspired by intricate details and vibrant colors found within them. Her artwork is influenced by flowers she encounters everywhere, but she particularly likes to go to Longfellow garden by Minnehaha Falls during the summer, where she spends time admiring the natural beauty around her. Throughout the years, she has gained confidence in her work, but acknowledges that she continues to learn more every day.
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A SPECIAL STORK SPOTLIGHT ON OUR BOARD CHAIR: BRIAN MILLER
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Introducing Brian Miller, the new board chair of Second Stork! Brian first learned about Second Stork in 2011 through a Marquette alumni group, which was seeking volunteer opportunities. He has been dedicating his time ever since and assumed the role of Board Chair this January. Brian helps lead Second Stork in its effort to have the most positive impact on the communities it serves. As Board Chair, Brian admires the very talented board members and volunteers that Second Stork has gained over the years. As a father, Brian recalls the stress of having a newborn and how fortunate he was to have a strong support system. He sees importance of providing assistance for struggling families in a whole new light. Brian hopes the supplies provided by Second Stork show the receiving family that there are people out there thinking of them in their journey of parenthood.
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GET INVOLVED
Organize a Second Stork collection drive!
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There are many ways to get involved. One easy way to support the Second Stork mission is to organize a collection drive to gather essential supplies such as diapers, wipes, newborn clothes, and blankets. And, of course cash donations are always welcome! Consider adding a collection drive as part of your baby shower, bridal shower, birthday, book club, school, church, scout troop, or workplace event. Remember, Second Stork provides hospitals with newborn items that have been identified by front-line workers as especially helpful to new mothers in need. Click the link below for more information on hosting a collection drives or email collectiondrives@secondstork.org.
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