Day #19: Projects

It has taken me a while to decide on what projects to do…

When we lost Clara it was just too hard to get up and speak to others or to do projects.  To be honest, I didn’t really know where to begin with projects.  I also was working full time and raising an ever growing family.  This year we decided it just made more sense for me to stay home.  This has really opened up many doors and time for projects.

2010 Projects…

In 2010, I was connected by friends to a couple of wonderful ladies who had just begun to walk through losing their boys.  I found it helpful in my own grief to help others.  From then on I knew that this is something I want to keep doing.  I found as time went on it was easier for me to talk about my own loss and I think I became a better listener to their stories as well.  It has made me very interested in doing projects in the field of public speaking.

2011 Projects…

Public speaking had a trial run with the Mitchell Optimist Club.  The group gave me the opportunity to speak to them about safe sleep and losing a child.  I was nervous, but I was thrilled to be able to speak about Clara, my own experiences, and how others could reduce their risks.  I hope to be able to speak with soon-to-be parents at our local parenting classes in Mitchell.  I hope to share the knowledge about safe sleep practices not for them but also for them to relay to caregivers (like gma and gpa), daycares, and babysitters.

This year, after the passing of another baby in daycare, I began working with the City of Mitchell to create packets to hand out to all daycares that are registering with the city.  After talking with them, I found that daycares that are registered with the city and NOT the state have no requirements on safe sleep classes as they would if they were registered through the State of South Dakota.  Their registration with the city is merely a zoning change to the residence, a fire inspection, and cpr class.  After those items are complete the city does not periodically check on the daycare.  The city has thought about changing this in the past but has decided not to.  My continued project is to keep these packets available to the City as well as try to get some oversight into ALL city registered daycares.

Lach’s Legacy Project…

Clara’s Classroom.  Chris and I have been working on the Lach’s Legacy website to add a page of safe sleep education.  We have been slow at completing this because his project schedule has been pretty busy.  We hope to have this up soon!  (lachslegacy.org)