Hip Hop Yoga is a CAMP favorite, but it's even better when it supports a charity we love. Each month, we host a Hip Hop Yoga event at 81Bay Brewery, and all proceeds from the event go towards helping out our charity of the month. This month, we chose High Risk Hope, a Tampa-based organization that supports moms after high-risk pregnancies. High Risk Hope partners with four hospitals in West Central Florida and two hospitals in California- altogether, they help around 2500 families a year.
But what exactly do they do? They provide bedrest baskets to mothers as well as NICU napsacks to babies, which contain items useful to mother and child when enduring a long-term hospital stay. Think shampoo and conditioner, eyemasks, a blanket and hat for the baby, and information for moving forward. But more than that, they provide hope to families who have dealt with high-risk pregnancies. Volunteers from High Risk Hope deliver the baskets and napsacks to the mothers in the hospital, and the time that they spend with the families is crucial to the entire process. Bailey, a mother who endured a high-risk pregnancy and now works for High Risk Hope, states that the organization "provided light at the end of the tunnel, as well as hope that [she] would leave the hospital with a healthy baby."
One way that they instill hope in mothers is through their baby calendar. Every year, they host a contest online, which encourages High Risk Hope families to submit their stories, along with pictures of their babies, both when they were in the hospital and now. Once 12 winners are chosen, the babies take part in a calendar photo shoot, which is always a special time for the families. Then, these calendars are distributed to mothers on bedrest, in the hopes that it might encourage them to have faith in their babies' healing process.
But how can you help? If you've already donated to the cause and want to support High Risk Hope on a grander scale, you can choose to sign up as a volunteer through their website. Volunteering includes delivering bags to hospitals as well as coming into their headquarters in Ybor and packing the bags and napsacks before delivery- one of our instructors, Lauren B, is a volunteer! If you want to deliver the bags, you'll have to go through a volunteer orientation- however, you can start packing the bags and helping the organization right away. Contact High Risk Hope's program coordinator here, or by emailing sasha@highriskhope.org.
Families can get involved too by creating fundraising teams for High Risk Hope's annual event, the Tot Trot. This event happens every November, and you can start fundraising now- click here to sign up! Families typically fundraise by encouraging their children to host lemonade stands in their neighborhoods. If you meet certain fundraising benchmarks, you might even receive some special prizes!
If you want to find out more about High Risk Hope, you can check out their website here. They were also recently featured on Today.com- you can find that article here! We have loved supporting High Risk Hope this month, and we can't wait to see how the organization continues to grow and help even more families.
