Giving Tuesday

Right now, more than ever before we need your help.  With so many causes in desperate need, regular donations drying up and grant funds becoming more and more competitive, we need you 💜 Today is Giving Tuesday, we ask that you help us continue to help others by donating.

Each day approximately 12 West Australian babies are born requiring special care in a Neonatal Unit, totalling more than 4,000 WA babies each year.  With more than 1,000 spending a week or more in a Neonatal Unit.  The impact on families, especially those from regional WA who spend weeks and months in Perth is tremendous!  These WA babies join more than 15 million babies born prematurely, globally each year, representing 10% of all births.  

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Prematurity is the leading cause of admission to a Neonatal Unit, but it is not the only reason.  Many full-term infants are also admitted due to illness.  We believe that education, support, advocacy and community awareness is vital.  Can you help us continue this great work throughout 2020 and beyond?

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COVID-19 Relevant Health Guidelines

The Department of Health Western Australia has published some guidelines in relation to COVID-19. Those that are relevant to our families include ‘Management of COVID-19 Infection in Pregnant Women Statewide’ and also ‘COVID-19 Guidance for Neonatal Services Statewide’.

Whilst we hope that all those who are pregnant remain well. Given the present situation it may pay to familiarise yourselves with these documents and discuss with your care team if you have any questions.

It is important to remember to only obtain information from trustworthy sources.

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COVID Connect

Our opportunity to get together face to face is limited right now, which makes it all the more essential to reach out and connect. Whilst we can’t run our Monthly Coffee Mornings we will instead turn to our ‘virtual lounge room’ and meet for a chat via Zoom, every Monday morning at 10am. Bring your favourite beverage, make yourself comfortable and meet some new friends. The first COVID Connect will run on April 6, see our Facebook event page to stay up to date with this initiative. We will also post the Zoom links for the sessions there.

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COVID Assist

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures! Being a small volunteer run organisation we have the ability to rapidly adapt to meet the needs of our community.

Today we launch COVID Assist. Providing financial assistance to Western Australian families who find themselves in the Neonatal Unit and have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Guidelines below.

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COVID-19 Pandemic Relief - Once off small grants

(COVID Assist)

The Tiny Sparks WA board (Board) has made provision to assist the community we serve by providing once-off small grants. The grants are available for three months, from 7 April to 7 July 2020 unless the amount allocated by the Board is exhausted before that time.

The criteria to receive a grant requires that:

  1. You must be a resident in Western Australia; and

  2. You must be the parent of a premature or sick infant who is currently in the NICU or SCN (or have passed away after 1 March 2020); and

  3. One of the parents must have lost their job due to the COVID virus and be able to show us evidence of that such as a separation certificate from their previous employer.

  4. All regional families are eligible regardless of point 3 above.

The Board will consider applications on a case by case basis and may contact families to provide additional assistance. We anticipate that families will be granted with a $100 Coles/Woolworths voucher and a $100 petrol voucher. Upon application we will also consider:

  • paying phone bills of one or both parents so that they can stay in touch during this time;

  • providing phone credit to one or both parents so they can stay in touch during this time;

  • providing additional petrol vouchers for outer metro and regional families travelling to the NICU;

  • providing any other relief that fits within our budget that a family can evidence need of.

We welcome families who are currently in crisis due to the COVID-19 Pandemic to contact us so that we can work to assist you as best as possible during this unprecedented time. While we have set some criteria’s around this grant, we are open to assisting as many families as possible. All you need to do is send us an email with some information and state how you fit the criteria.

The Board reserves their rights to amend, extend, cancel, change or increase the once-off grants at any time in response to the developing crisis. 

Please e-mail covid@tinysparkswa.org.au and provide your details for our consideration. If you have documents such as your drivers licence, separation certificate, baby’s hospital crib card, (or similar) then include them in your e-mail, a photograph of these with your phone is fine! We know that having a baby in the Neonatal Unit is challenging enough without the burden of cumbersome processes to access much needed funds. We will work with you to make this as easy as possible!

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