Projects & Initiatives
Your support allows us to fund projects that fulfill needs.
Current Events
NICU Hope Baskets 2026
Bringing comfort and support in memory of Hope.
We are honored to continue our NICU Hope Baskets program, an initiative designed to bring comfort and support to families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Inspired by the memory of our beloved daughter, Hope, who spent 16 precious days in the NICU, these care packages are a heartfelt expression of empathy and understanding for the journey that NICU families navigate.
Each NICU Hope Basket contains items that provide comfort and practical support for families caring for their baby in the NICU, including a plush blanket, board book, journal, lotion, chapstick, tissues, and BisKrunchies granola in a reusable tote bag. Donations are made through our Amazon Wishlist and assembled into care packages by our team. By donating NICU Hope Baskets, we extend a message of solidarity, empathy, and unwavering hope to those navigating the delicate journey of the NICU. Your donations help us provide essential support to families, reminding them that they are not alone in this challenging experience.
Continuous Fundraising Initiative
Resale Fundraising
Do you have things that seem too nice to give away, but it’s too much of a hassle to try to sell them?
We are collecting donations to sell on websites such as Poshmark and Mercari for our next fundraiser. Donations that are ideal for resale include new or gently used clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, small home goods, and collectibles. Brand name or designer items sell best. Donations must be small enough to easily ship. Ideally, items should have an estimated value of $15 or greater and weigh less than 15 pounds.
Any donations received that are not successfully resold will be donated to a local donation site.
Your donations are tax deductible based on the fair market value of the items much in the way a Goodwill or Salvation Army donation is tax deductible. A receipt will be provided via email or during pick up. The profits of everything sold will go towards initiatives on this page.
You can email us at maximizinghopenicu@gmail.com with questions or to set up a porch pick up for donated items. Thank you so much for your donations!
Fundraising Initiatives
Annual Initiatives and Events
NICU Hope Baskets
Since 2020, we have donated 500 NICU Hope Baskets to families in the NICU.
At Maximizing Hope, we are dedicated to providing support and comfort to parents with babies staying in the NICU. One way we achieve this is through our NICU Hope Baskets program, which relies on generous donations from individuals and organizations. Each January, we share our NICU Hope Basket Amazon Wishlist through social media. Donors select individual items from the list or make a half-basket ($25) or whole-basket ($50) donation through PayPal or Venmo. Our team of friends and family assemble NICU Hope Baskets before we deliver them to families in the NICU at Atrium Health Cabarrus Hospital.
Donating items for NICU Hope Baskets is a meaningful way to directly impact these parents during an emotional and stressful time. Basket items include a blanket, baby book, NICU journal, lotion, chapstick, extra soft tissues, and BisKrunchies granola (donated by a local small business) all assembled in a reusable tote bag.
Through our NICU Hope Baskets program, we remember our daughter, Hope, and honor her fighting spirit in the NICU. We also extend a message of solidarity, empathy, and unwavering hope to those navigating the delicate NICU journey.
Annual Holiday NICU Stars
Every December, we provide 25 holiday gifts to families staying in the NICU through the holidays.
Parenting a NICU baby is an emotional and stressful time for families as they balance caring for their infant requiring medical care with family members’ needs at home, busy schedules, and maintaining careers. During the holiday season, the stress of parenting a NICU baby is heightened as families coordinate hospital visits, home and work life, with busy holiday schedules.
In the spirit of generosity, friends from Hope City Church participate in our annual NICU Star initiative. Each NICU Star hanging from the tree in the church lobby represents a family in the NICU. Individuals adopt a star by donating gifts such as blankets, baby books, stuffed animals, baby hats and accessories, and restaurant and gas gift cards. Maximizing Hope matches gift card donations so that every NICU family receives both a restaurant and gas gift card.
The support provided by the individuals and families of Hope City Church and our donors bring tangible gifts to families and serve as a reminder that they are not alone during the holidays.
Wave of Light
Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month - October
The Wave of Light is a global event that commemorates pregnancy and infant loss. Every year on October 15th at 7:00 pm local time, a candle is lit at each event creating a “wave of light” across the world.
Annually, we hold a Wave of Light ceremony at Hope City Church North to remember and honor all types of pregnancy and infant loss including infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. Loss parents and NICU parents along with their families spend time in reflection and light candles in memory of their babies.
Typically, our ceremony begins at 6:30 with the candle lighting at 7:00. This event is open to the public. Anyone who has experienced or supported a family through any type of baby loss is invited and welcome to attend: Hope City Church North, 4100 Johnston Oehler Rd, Charlotte, NC.
Previous Fundraising Initiatives
NICU Feeding Kits
25 NICU Feeding Kits were donated to the NICU.
NICU Feeding Kits are for families with babies who need support with bottle feeding. Each kit includes a baby book, two burp cloths, a bib, and a Dr. Brown’s bottle set. NICU Feeding Kits are provided as needed to support families with babies in the NICU.
NICU Graduate Kits
100 NICU Graduate Kits were donated to the NICU.
Leaving the NICU may evoke feelings of joy, anxiety, grief, fear, excitement, and often all at once. Our NICU Graduate Kits were created for families to honor their journey and celebrate their baby’s homecoming. Each baby received a crocheted graduate cap, two baby books, a bib, and a graduation certificate.
Nursing NICU Moms
2o Nursing NICU Kits were donated to the NICU.
Through generous donations, we were able to gift the NICU with 20 Nursing NICU Kits, enough for each bed. In total we delivered, 20 Boppy pillows, 20 extra Boppy pillow covers, 20 wooden stools, 20 fleece blankets, 60 muslin blankets, 80 flannel blankets, 80 boxes of extra soft tissues. Nursing NICU Kits remain in the NICU for families to use while their babies are being cared for in the NICU.
We were also able to supply the funds to purchase two additional hospital grade breast pumps.
These donations helped the NICU as they worked to achieve their quality initiative to improve breastfeeding and breastmilk supplies in the NICU.
NICU Hope Baskets 2020-2025
Origin of NICU Hope Baskets - Hope’s First Birthday
Leading up to the anniversary of Hope’s birth, her mom, Angela, knew she needed to find a meaningful way to spend Hope’s first birthday. As a NICU mom, she experienced the stress and difficulty of caring for a baby in the NICU. She realized assembling care packages would be a meaningful way to remember and honor her daughter’s life. Angela’s cousin, Alicia, also spent 72 days in the NICU caring for her son Max. Together, they hand picked comforting items for the parents, a plush blanket for the cool hospital air, lotion for chapped hands (especially after required hand washing upon entry), chapstick to protect against dry air, a board book to read aloud to the baby, a NICU journal to keep track of the baby’s progress, and extra soft tissues for tired eyes (instead of the rough standard hospital tissues).
That first year, Angela had enough donations from her family and friends (new and old, near and far) to assemble 60 NICU Hope Baskets! With the support of her family, Angela donated all 60 care packages on Hope’s first birthday. To her surprise, the NICU redecorated Hope’s room and added her name above the door, which remains there to this day. It was deeply healing to carry Hope’s legacy in such a meaningful way. Over the years, the packaging evolved to the canvas tote’s we provide through our nonprofit, Maximizing Hope.
In the first six years, we assembled 500 care packages for NICU families.
Help us help them.
Interested in contributing to our cause? Your donation goes directly to the most present need as indicated by the NICU team. We are an official 501(c)3 tax-exempt, nonprofit organization.