When parents experience the still birth of their child it can be one of the most heartbreaking things they can go through. The devastating loss can be overwhelming. An organization called Josie’s Angels  was created to make the grieving process a bit easier. 

“Nov. 25, 2021 my second daughter, Josie Lea Ann, passed away during labor, three hours before she was born (on Thanksgiving Day),” said Jennifer Rader, the creator of Josie’s Angels. “A few months passed by in complete grief, but quickly turned into a desire for action and to help others who were experiencing our same type of loss. It came from wanting to ‘pay forward’ the love and compassion and support we were shown during our darkest time.”

In February 2022 the final design for Josie’s Angels was created, she said. “I started making Angels in my home to send to other ‘loss parents’ that we learned of through friends and family. I started making these angels with my mother-in-law, Jina, as a way to clear my head and be able to sit in silence while dealing with my grief. We expanded to making and selling bracelets, and entered craft shows to raise additional funds to be able to make even more angels to donate.” 

Rader said they knew that their daughter had a genetic condition and would likely not survive long after birth. “When we shared this news with family and friends, and publicly, we received so much support and love from people that we knew, and even people that we didn’t know. It was so important to us that we repay all those people in a way that ‘paid forward’ their support to us. In the hospital, on the day we lost Josie, the hospital gave us a bag of items to commemorate our daughter’s life. I knew immediately that we wanted to contribute something to a bag like that. We donate our Josie’s Angels to organizations that work directly with the hospitals including Utah Share and Share Parents of Utah, in addition to sending Josie’s Angels directly to individuals who are experiencing a loss.” 

Already Josie’s Angels has helped many parents get through the grieving process or at least it has helped bring a bit of peace and solace to them knowing they can honor the child they lost, Rader said. “We offer things like rings that can have your child’s birthstone, memory bracelets and even charms in the shape of angels that can have your child’s name on it.”

Rader said receiving that bag of items from other families who had dealt with a loss like theirs gave them hope. “It told us that we were not alone. It told us that there will be ways to honor our daughter in the future. I hope that when someone opens a Josie’s Angel from us that they have those feelings as well. I hope that they understand that there is life after the immense amount of grief they are feeling at the moment. The grief never fully goes away, but as much as you feel like you will not be able to go on, it is proof that you can.” 

This year they will be hosting their second Angel Making Day Event on Josie’s Third Angel Day. “Last year we invited about 50 friends and family to our house and everyone made Angels and celebrated our girl (we made 337 Angels in a few hours),” she said. “This year we hope to make it even bigger and make even more Angels! We also offer Angel Making Events for youth groups, churches, teams, and company days of giving. We bring out the supplies and people can spend time making Angels and donating their time to an amazing cause. I know how important the support from others felt for me throughout our journey, and I wanted to be vocal about it and loudly support others to help them understand that they are not alone, their feelings are valid, and their baby existed and matters. I hope that our mission helps people to feel supported.” λ