In January of 2005, our founder discovered one of the things she was meant to do in life.  She has always loved sewing, crocheting, and creating all crafts in general.  She was also very drawn to babies.  But, she had no idea how she could combine the two.  Well, one day she was surfing the internet and she stumbled across a non-profit organization that made baby blankets, hats, booties and everything else sick babies needed in the hospital's NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).  A light went off in her head.  She thought, "Does Atlanta have one of those?"  Through all of the research, she discovered that as of that date, there was no known one.  That was it, that's what she could do!!!!  The wheels in her head began to turn.  She started thinking, "How can I help?  What can I do to help the babies too?"  So, she kept reading.  She became more and more excited.  She started doing research on her own with the hospitals here in Atlanta and was saddened by how many babies went without the essentials like warm bedding, soft clothing.  Sometimes when the tiny baby would lose their struggle for life, the hospital staff would have to bury them in blankets and pampers because they simply didn't have the burial garments.  Maybe this was because the baby was just too small or the parents didn't expect to have to face this or maybe they just couldn't afford anything.  This was just unacceptable to her.  Just because the babies were tiny didn't mean that they should not have the same rights of every other human being and be buried with some dignity. The last thing new parents want to think about is what to bury their baby in.  That's where we step in.  Our garments and blankets are wrapped around the the baby for the brief time they are held by their family and the family can then keep the blanket as remembrance of their baby.  This way, they have the little blanket they cuddled their child in for the last time as a keepsake.  This way, perhaps those who are experiencing incomprehensible pain may know a peace and serenity that extends beyond the situation. We want to simply be there to bring the unsaid message of God's presence and His infinite love and compassion. It's not some generic blanket or clothing from the hospital, it's handmade with love by people who care.  The burial gowns have been dubbed "Angel Dresses".  She loved that term and has adopted it for us.  So, that's what we will call them from now on too.  For those that do survive, the hats will keep their tiny heads nice and warm, so that they can use their energy to get stronger and stronger instead of using it to keep warm.  We can do that part for them.  

Sometimes mothers simply can't afford to properly take care of the babies.  She wanted to help there too.  She did more research and saw how much the parents are suffering because they simply can't afford to properly provide for their precious angels.  More often than not, when a premature baby is born to a underprivileged parent, the need is multiplied because it was so unexpected.  She saw that she had to do something.  She had to let others in Atlanta know the needs of these babies and fix this problem in our own back yard.

Knowing this, she started making calls to all the hospitals she could find in the telephone book and asked what they needed specifically.  Once she found out, she instantly started crocheting blankets and hats.  Then, she moved on to burial gowns and sewing blankets.  Then, two weeks later, she had made 79 blankets, hats, burial gowns, and booties before she even knew it.  So, she called my first donation recipient, Northside Hospital, here in Atlanta GA. She spoke to a wonderful lady that had her in tears at how grateful she was for even considering them to do this for.  She went on and on about how much she needed and how big the NICU was.  It amazed her because she said they were one of the biggest in the country.  She knew then, she had to do it.  How could she turn her back on something that was needed so desperately?  She started getting organized and started getting her first donation together and it was overwhelming.  She had no idea that it would take that much detail with all the packing, figuring out the sizes, labeling and tallying up everything.  She quickly found out that she should have been doing this with each one she made.  But, it was a good lesson.  Now she knows to do it step by step.

On, May 6, 2005, the final top went on the second crate, she had 79 sets and "Angel Hearts" was born.  She is hoping to get other people to volunteer to make them once she gets the word out, but once she saw the need was so extensive, she got too wrapped up in it to ask for help.  She just did as much as she could.  But, the funny part was, about 18 hours after the last lid was on the crate, she already had 12 more items to donate.  She decided to hold off and make those part of the next donation though.  She thought at least for the first quarter, Northside Hospital will be her "Adopted Hospital".

In September 2006, her first grandchild, Amari, was born and she instantly changed the name from Angel Hearts to Amari's Angels because she wanted to assure that her granddaughter would follow in her footsteps and make the world better one baby at a time.

She hopes to take Amari's Angels from these simple beginnings of it being only me crocheting and sewing in my own home to have others joining me and hopefully touching each and every tiny resident that is born.  She would like to one day soon offer little baskets for the families in the NICU to take home, to make sets for low income families, to make some for the children in foster care, for the elderly, for the babies in homeless and domestic abuse shelters, maybe even caps for cancer patients going through chemotherapy.  But, my major dream is to eventually have a fund for the babies that leave this world too soon and their parents can't afford to bury them with the dignity they deserve.  One other thing is that she would love to have a scholarship fund for a preemie that made it and is going to college.  The last few are in the very distant future, but she know with God's loving grace, this will happen.  We will meet the needs of more babies that our hearts or minds could ever imagine.

Those children that pass away are wrapped in these blankets and presented to their parents to hold and love for one last time. Sometimes the only thing they are able to leave the hospital with are their baby's footprints, and the blankets that are made by Amari's Angels.

With helping babies one at a time,  we will show that each and every child is a blessing from God and they deserve a strong start in life.  Please help us in doing God's work to bless His tiniest residents.

Angel Hearts is an all volunteer project.  Volunteers across the nation are the heart and backbone of our organization.    We are funded solely by donations and all of our articles of warmth are donated to those in need without charge. No salaries are paid to anyone within our organization. There is always a need for more volunteers, so please take the time to visit our pages and see how you can become involved.

Our dream is to see that as many neonatal units as possible are supplied with angel dresses, so that no baby is handed to it's Mom and Dad for their final goodbyes, dressed only in an undershirt and diaper. You can make a difference. Will you please help?

Tell everyone you know, pass the word and help babies and parents everywhere have something hand made with love to take home with them.  These small gestures are priceless.

Please donate your time, money and/or goods and join us to make a difference in your community.