Worcester, MA | Philadelphia, PA | Chaparral, NM
Every year the Religious of the Assumption are honored to present the St. Marie Eugenie Milleret award to a deserving graduating senior of the Chestnut Hill College School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SPCS).
This year's award goes to Fran Wasserman, founder of The Baby Bureau. After reading the citation for the award, you'll agree with us that St. Marie Eugenie's vision of transformative education is alive and well in Ms. Wasserman. Congratulations and God bless you!
We thank Dean Elaine Green for her help in selecting the awardee. Our Sr. Mary Joan Rice, R.A. worked for many years in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SPCS) at Chestnut Hill College and we're privileged to continue to support the program through granting this award annually.
St. Marie Eugenie Milleret Award
This year's recipient, during her tenure as a student in the SPCS Human Services program, has volunteered with different organizations in her community. During her journey, she quickly realized that reaching back and helping those with whom she identified brought out her passion to help low income mothers and their newborn babies. She was a teen-aged mother and knows firsthand the struggles that young mothers face just to feed and clothe their children; especially in this tough economic climate. She met a woman who shared her vision of The Stork Project in New Hampshire and from there the Baby Bureau was born!
The Baby Bureau is a volunteer organization that collects new and gently used newborn clothing to be given to low income new mothers at the hospital. The Baby Bureau works in conjunction with local community social service providers and social workers that in turn identify the target demographic population that is most in need. It provides a Baby Bundle for the newborn infant that is comprised of 10-15 outfits. The Baby Bundles are wrapped in handmade blankets that are donated by Project Linus. The Baby Bundles are seasonally appropriate and also include Babys first toy, a rattle.
She began building the organization in 2011 with the help of Chestnut Hill College and The Montgomery County Department of Health. Both entities hosted The Baby Bureaus first clothing drives which were very successful in terms of volume of donations of both new and gently used clothing. She collected enough clothes to begin to deliver the first Baby Bundles to the Montgomery County Department of Health in January of this year. The recent feedback from the infant health coordinator states, I just wanted to get back to you and let you know that the bundles of baby clothes and blankets are a big hit! The new moms just love them. Know that my very neediest are the ones receiving these bundles. Thanks again for all you do.
The OB/GYN Womens Center at Abington Hospital has recently requested The Baby Bureaus service in providing Baby Bundles for their clients. According to the Nurse Manager, they serve the target population at a rate of 100 births per month. They offer full prenatal service to low income mothers and requested her help in providing whatever she can. The Baby Bureau succeeded in delivering 20 Baby Bundles to Abington in April! The Baby Bureau believes that our community should recycle reuse regive the love to help us help others.