Every Parent Deserves to be at Their Child's Bedside.
At My Bedside was established to provide an immediate financial resource to low income parents whose child is hospitalized for an extended period.
When our daughter Jillian was an infant, she was in the hospital for a few days with what we would later learn was childhood asthma. My wife and I were new to parenting and this was a frightening experience. Thankfully, we were able to rotate our work schedules so that someone was by her side at all times.
A few doors down from our room at Akron Children's Hospital was another little girl who had also been admitted. Each day her mom would visit and usually be near tears when she left. In talking to the nurse about the situation we discovered that this was a single mother that could not afford to miss her shift at work because they were living paycheck to paycheck. Having grown up in a single parent household myself, I could empathize with this family and their struggles. Seeing it through the eyes of a parent made an even greater impact.
In late 2011, my wife and I began looking at the issue more closely. Not surprisingly, there are many families in which the mother and/or father have the ability to take time off work but cannot afford to do so. In addition, many hospitals also offer overnight accommodations onsite for family members. This is not always an affordable option however. The result is often that, in addition to the enormous stress of having a child in the hospital, parents are forced to leave them there alone.
In 2012, we created 'At My Bedside' as a way to provide immediate assistance via gift cards (grocery, gas, etc.) to families in this situation, as well as helping to subsidize overnight stays for the parents. The typical amount given to families in need averages $50-$100 in the form of a grocery card or gas card and typically gets in their hands within hours. It is amazing the impact that such a 'small' amount can make to someone in need. Check out our Testimonials page for a few examples.
If you are able to support this cause, we are very thankful. If not, please feel free to share our mission with others. We are 501C3 approved, so your donation is 100% tax deductible. We also commit to you that 100% of your donation will go toward helping families in need, as we have opted to handle all administrative costs. Also, please check out our 'Testimonials' page to see how lives are being changed!
Thank you for visiting this site and sharing with others. Come back often as we will share testimonials of those that benefit from your generosity.
Sincerely,
Chuck and Jeanna
Matthew speaks to the core of our mission quite well:
When our daughter Jillian was an infant, she was in the hospital for a few days with what we would later learn was childhood asthma. My wife and I were new to parenting and this was a frightening experience. Thankfully, we were able to rotate our work schedules so that someone was by her side at all times.
A few doors down from our room at Akron Children's Hospital was another little girl who had also been admitted. Each day her mom would visit and usually be near tears when she left. In talking to the nurse about the situation we discovered that this was a single mother that could not afford to miss her shift at work because they were living paycheck to paycheck. Having grown up in a single parent household myself, I could empathize with this family and their struggles. Seeing it through the eyes of a parent made an even greater impact.
In late 2011, my wife and I began looking at the issue more closely. Not surprisingly, there are many families in which the mother and/or father have the ability to take time off work but cannot afford to do so. In addition, many hospitals also offer overnight accommodations onsite for family members. This is not always an affordable option however. The result is often that, in addition to the enormous stress of having a child in the hospital, parents are forced to leave them there alone.
In 2012, we created 'At My Bedside' as a way to provide immediate assistance via gift cards (grocery, gas, etc.) to families in this situation, as well as helping to subsidize overnight stays for the parents. The typical amount given to families in need averages $50-$100 in the form of a grocery card or gas card and typically gets in their hands within hours. It is amazing the impact that such a 'small' amount can make to someone in need. Check out our Testimonials page for a few examples.
If you are able to support this cause, we are very thankful. If not, please feel free to share our mission with others. We are 501C3 approved, so your donation is 100% tax deductible. We also commit to you that 100% of your donation will go toward helping families in need, as we have opted to handle all administrative costs. Also, please check out our 'Testimonials' page to see how lives are being changed!
Thank you for visiting this site and sharing with others. Come back often as we will share testimonials of those that benefit from your generosity.
Sincerely,
Chuck and Jeanna
Matthew speaks to the core of our mission quite well:
'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
-Matthew 25:35-40
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
-Matthew 25:35-40
