This Amazing Mom Gives Bereaved Parents a Beautiful Gift
The loss of a child is horrific no matter how it happens. My husband and I have tried our hardest to take our worst nightmare and turn it into a beacon of hope for others that have lost a loved one. William was born with so many medical complications and unfortunately, he outgrew his little brain. Because he had so many preexisting complications, he didn’t qualify for any kind of life insurance policy. When we brought him home we didn’t realize exactly how expensive burying a child was. Fortunately for us, many of the services and accommodations were donated to us so we could manage the expenses.
The headstone, however, was on us. Headstones, no matter how small and simple, cost quite a bit of money. When we buried William, we walked around the cemetery and found quite a few people that had been without headstones for quite some time.
The one that stuck with us the most was an infant by the name of Chelsey. Her name was all we had. We didn’t know her story, her family, or anything. We set on a mission to find Chelsey’s family and to purchase her a headstone. We found a company willing to work with us and my Uncle purchased her stone. We decided then and there that we wanted to make this an official business and start helping other families.
That’s how our company got its name. CNW stands for Chelsey and William. We are now an official 501 (c)3 non-profit organization. To date, we have helped 9 families and have received 29 applications for 2019.
Jennifer helps us with marketing and she is a former client’s family member.
Brandi has cofounded the organization with us and she helps me keep in contact with family members.
My husband sets EVERY headstone and honestly does all the hard and dirty work, I just take photographs and make awkward small talk with families on their special days.
I do the legal paperwork and speak with EVERY family member. I also keep up with all the paperwork pertaining to the clients.
McGee Monument Co in Morrilton, Arkansas is the awesome company that makes our headstones.
CNW Headstone Foundation is 100% donor ran and every penny goes back into the company to pay for headstones, supplies, and legal fees. We attend many events and have recently become Community Partners with the Arkansas Naturals. We appreciate all of our awesome volunteers and our amazing donors. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to help so many families.
