The Elaine Symone Foundation

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The Elaine Symone Foundation

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Providing advocacy, support, and resources for NICU families.

10/01/2026

September is National NICU Awareness Month, and I did not want to let it close without introducing you to another NICU family.

Here is why I share these words. Every number you hear about the NICU is a family like this one, in a room like that one, doing something harder than most people will ever be asked to do. And in that room there is a mother nobody is asking about.

That is who the Giving Tree is for. There are still leaves available, and Fall Giving closes October 31.

Thank you, Stacie, for letting us share your story. Link in bio.

09/29/2026

5 leaves claimed in the first week. 🍂

That is 5 mothers in a hospital who are going to get something that is just for them - a care package, an hour in a salon chair, a spa moment brought to her room.

The Giving Tree is now live so everyone has a chance to give, and we would love for us to hit October running.

There are still leaves on the branches, and there is still time to give or help spread the word because Fall Giving closes October 31.

Claim yours today by clicking the link in our bio. 💜🧡

💜

09/24/2026

Let me walk you through how this works.

Pick a tag. $25, $50, or $100. Each one is a specific thing, not a general fund.

Claim it. One click. You get a receipt right away, and yes - we are a 501(c)(3), so it is tax-deductible.

We deliver it. Our partner salons and our team give that exact thing to a mom with a baby in the NICU or on hospital bed rest.

You see what it did. Every fulfilled tag becomes a story, and we send those to the people who made them happen.

That last part matters to me more than almost anything. You should not have to wonder where your money went. You should get to see her get it.

Fall Giving closes October 31. Link in bio. 🍂

09/22/2026

The Giving Tree is up. 🍂

As a NICU mom, I know how much it means to be reminded that someone sees you and is thinking about you during one of the hardest seasons of your life.

That is what every leaf on our Giving Tree represents: a specific moment of care for a mom with a baby in the NICU or a mom who is in the hospital on bed rest. Here’s how it works:

🍂 Choose a $25, $50, or $100 leaf through the link in our bio.
💜 Your gift helps provide a care package, a manicure or pedicure, or a moment of self-care brought directly to a mom in the hospital.
✨ Our team takes it from there and makes sure that care reaches a mom who needs it.

And you do not have to live in Charlotte to participate. You can claim a leaf from anywhere and help us care for a mom right here through the Elaine Symone Foundation.

If you are local, you may also see Giving Trees at some of our partner salons this fall. Those are simply another way to choose a leaf and join us.

Fall Giving is open through October 31. Click the link in our bio to claim your leaf and help us remind a mom that she is not alone. 💜🧡

09/21/2026

These stories tell themselves. There is truly no caption that could capture the heart behind these words.

Meet Richard Johnson, father to Grace and Joy, and a NICU Warrior himself.

September is NICU Awareness Month, and we are celebrating by honoring the amazing men and women who have walked this journey. This month we are handing the microphone to the people who have lived it 💜🧡.

09/17/2026

Saturday is Joy’s birthday. Every year this day takes me back to the very beginning of her story, and every year I get to look at the girl she has grown into instead.

September is National NICU Awareness Month, and this time of year always brings that season close again. Joy is part of why this foundation exists at all.

Happy birthday to my girl. 💜🧡

09/15/2026

Recently, a NICU mom shared that she was hanging in there and staying strong for her baby, but meals, groceries, and the daily demands of being present at the hospital were weighing heavily on her family.

She didn’t ask for anything extravagant. She simply needed something that could take one thing off her plate.

So, we sent her an Uber Eats gift card and arranged for a care package to be delivered to her at the Ronald McDonald House.

A meal she didn’t have to plan, a package prepared just for her, and a small reminder that while she was caring for her baby, someone was thinking about her, too.

That is what a moment of care can do. It may not change the circumstances, but it can make a hard day feel a little lighter and help a mom feel seen, supported, and cared for in the middle of it all.

The full story is in this week’s newsletter, and next Monday, we’re sharing a new way for you to help create a moment of care for another mom. 🍂💜🧡

09/14/2026

These stories tell themselves. There is truly no caption that could capture the heart behind these words.

Meet Stacie McMillan, mom to Roman, who arrived at 27 weeks.

September is NICU Awareness Month, and we are celebrating by honoring the amazing men and women who have walked this journey. This month we are handing the microphone to the people who have lived it 💜🧡.

09/10/2026

Three numbers, three real things.

$25 buys a care package for a mom who just found out she is not going home for six weeks. Real shampoo. Real snacks. Soft socks. Something that reminds her she is still a person and not just a patient’s mother.

$50 buys her a mani-pedi at one of our partner salons. One hour, one seat, clean hands. There is something about painted toes that gives a woman back a piece of herself, and I will not apologize for knowing that.

$100 brings a full spa moment into her hospital room, so she never has to leave her baby to be taken care of.

Not a general fund. Not overhead. That exact thing, for one specific mother.

You can give one right now - link in bio. And in a couple of weeks, there is going to be a much better way to do it. 🍂

SelfCareForMoms MomentsOfCare ElaineSymoneFoundation

09/08/2026

I was a NICU mom twice.

The second time, I remember catching myself in the bathroom mirror on the fourth or fifth day and genuinely not recognizing the woman looking back. Hair not done. Same shirt. That specific hospital exhaustion that sits in your face.

And I remember thinking: everyone in this building is taking care of my baby, and they are doing it beautifully. Nobody is taking care of her.

I didn’t need a casserole. I needed one hour where somebody’s hands were working on me and I wasn’t the strong one in the room.

That’s what the Elaine Symone Foundation gives now. Not a pamphlet. An hour. A care package that has real shampoo in it. A mani-pedi at a salon that donated the seat. A spa moment brought right into a hospital room.

Because somebody should ask about her.

💜🧡 - Sharise

MomsSupportingMoms MomentsOfCare ElaineSymoneFoundation

Address

324 South Mint Street
Charlotte, NC
28202

Website

https://www.elainesymonefoundation.org/

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