News

Being a mother was the center of Michelle Omic’s life – she loved it. Following a sudden illness that ended the young mother’s life and that of her unborn child, Leah Miller, Omic’s sister-in-law, and Leah’s daughter, Madison, created a memorial to keep Omic’s caring spirit alive.

“Five months after Michelle and her baby’s death I couldn’t stand the overwhelming crushing feeling of our heavy grief anymore,” said Miller. “I was doing everything I knew to do: reading my Bible daily, praying, fasting, exercising, talking it out. It wasn’t until my hands had something tangible to do with this grief that I started feeling better.”

“M.O.M (Michelle Omic Memorial) to Moms” is dedicated to making sure mothers around the world have the basic supplies they need to give their babies a good start. The group collects supplies for newborn kits (sleepers, onesies, cloth diapers, receiving blankets, safety pins, soap, socks and caps), which are distributed by MCC to mothers around the world who don’t have access to these material resources.

“Putting together the MCC newborn kits has given our family a way to express our grief through actions,” said Miller. “I immediately started to feel better and the cloud of grief has lessened some.”

The group recently had their first fundraiser at the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale, where a baked potato bar raised over $2,000 to buy newborn kit supplies for MCC.

For more information on the M.O.M. to Moms group, visit their Facebook fan page. For more information on MCC newborn kits, visit mcc.org/kits/newborn.