The History of H.E.A.R.T.S.
H.E.A.R.T.S. ~ Helping Empty Arms Recover Through Sharing ~ was created in 1998 by two moms who had both lost their precious babies. They discovered a lack of information & resources in their own community. After seeking out other parents with similar losses, they realized that a need existed for a Baby Loss Program. The name H.E.A.R.T.S. was created from a combination of sources, with the acronym added on to give more meaning & uniqueness to the name.
The program operates under the umbrella of the BriarPatch Family Life Education Centre, located in Sherwood Park, Alberta. The centre is dedicated to providing parents with a variety of programming designed to span the entire parenting journey. It provides H.E.A.R.T.S. with office & meeting space, administrative support, access to photocopying & postage & an Executive Board that takes care of the necessary details, allowing our facilitators to concentrate on doing what they do best ~ support, comfort & encouragement to grieving families.
Over the years, many volunteers have dedicated their talents & energy to developing the program to the stage its at today. What started out as an idea, evolved into a support group for anyone who has been touched by the loss of a baby. This group is referred to as our "Sharing & Caring Baby Loss Group" & meets every second week throughout the year. The second group that was established is our "Trying Again/Pregnancy After Loss Group" & is for families who are considering another baby or are already pregnant. This group meets on the alternate weeks. An extensive resource library was created, along with a monthly newsletter, care packages for newly bereaved families, a homevisiting program for families & community presentations round out the organization.
