In 2019 the mission had expanded to the point where it was possible for us both to commit more time to it. Kayla and I both took on full time roles within the organization with me being the program director and her the operations director. We had a board of directors, a small coworking office space and lots of ideas for growth.
Along with our new roles and responsibilities involving payroll, it became clear we would need a professional to manage our bookkeeping and tax filings for us. For small organizations it is all about who you know that can help you as you get off the ground. Kayla had a friend who was a CPA and lived in Arizona at the time. She offered to do our bookkeeping within QuickBooks for a meager $50 per month. That and the cost of our QuickBooks desktop version, we could make that work. Each month Kayla would send me a list of expenditures and I would report back as to what purchases were for as far as Hope Gift supplies, event or retreat supplies, or any other transactions I may have made. Then she did the same, and the bookkeeper was able to send back the profit loss statements each month, and any other necessary items. Kayla then supplied statements to the treasurer to review at board meetings. If we needed any additional statements or numbers for day-to-day things, I would simply email Kayla and ask about a specific form or statement. These usually accompanied grant proposals or requests for funding or donations. It seemed like a smooth system. I was happy to stay mostly out of that part of the operations - math was never my best subject and she had a knack for organization. As long as we had money in the bank to keep doing the mission, I felt confident in her self described type A tendencies to maintain financial statements accurately. It certainly wasn't something I felt confident in doing on my own and I was grateful to her.
Around this time Kayla had taken training to become a bereavement doula which is a person who can be present at a birth supporting the mother during and after labor when the baby will be stillborn or has a condition where they will not live beyond the hospital. She was hired by the local hospital to provide this service, but she also was able to provide the service privately on her own with her training. Several parents had given her glowing reviews of the service she had provided to them. At this same time though, the relationship with this hospital and the organization seemed to be souring. It didn’t make sense to me at the time since I had only heard positive things from parents and from Kayla about her experiences. We carried on though, and as questions arose, I would answer them and cite all of these positive reviews, and also find concern with some of the practices that Kayla had reported were happening in care there.
Over time it only got worse, and the hospital dissolved the doula program. However, there was another system in town where Kayla continued to provide her services privately. In her words this other hospital simply rolled out the red carpet when she arrived to help. They had given her all sorts of freedoms and access in their birthing wing.
Covid-19 was beginning to take hold by March of 2020, and it deeply affected the organization's ability to host events, as well as support parents in person. We did like most others at this time to offer more virtual services as well as hosting our fundraising events online. My family was also pivoting since schools had closed and my daughter was in kindergarten at the time. A friend in the neighborhood had an idea to ensure our children were still meeting school requirements and the parents could still work regularly. Hire a freelance teacher, and have that person host a homeschool environments in the homes of each of the families participating. Masks would be worn indoors, while most activities would be held outside. Since Kayla had at one time been a Kindergarten teacher, we agreed she would be an excellent choice. She was excited to spend time with the kids, and she would make a wage from the families as well. During this time, she became quite close with my daughter. She would watch her occasionally outside of the school hours and take her to ice cream, or to fun downtown shops or parks. It was helpful to have her around. With the pandemic continuing through many months, and technology becoming ever present for kids Kayla had insisted on giving my daughter an Amazon Fire tablet she no longer had use for. I was hesitant on the idea, but when she arrived one day with it in hand as a gift there wasn't much I could say about it. As in many homes I'm sure, the tablet was used for a few weeks and eventually ended up lost in the couch cushions.
Even as life unfolded in that year, Kayla still showed up and showed off her beautiful daughter whenever she could. All of the moms who had now become rather close were in awe of the way she would plan birthday celebrations for her each year, and find little ways to include our children right along side her. I used to call her the Instagram Queen because she was always scoping out cool ideas for event decor and themes for our IG galleries, and other loss community companies creating meaningful items. She had an eye for fonts and color, and it was great having her involved in any event. It just always made it that much more beautiful....as long as she could get it done in time.
With television interviews, speaking engagements at various events and clubs, the organization continued to grow. Our third annual fundraiser would be held that May, and we had enormous support from our friends, families, and the community at large. Our growth wasn't without hiccups though.
In November of 2020 when offices were still somewhat shuttered, I masked up and stopped into our shared office space to gather the mail for the week.
To my surprise and confusion, I found a letter from the Cass County Clerk of Court. Inside was a civil court judgement letter stating that Hopeful Heart Project was to pay a local video marketing company the amount of $6,047.35. My mouth dropped and I thought it had to be a mistake or some sort of scam. I called the phone number immediately on the letter to inquire. They said, no ma'am this is not a mistake, this judgment has been made, and it shows here that the defendant did not show up to court. My mind whirled. None of what she said made any sense at all. I texted Kayla to come over and take a look at what I had found. We were both shocked and confused and asked one another if either had received any notice of any of this. Simply put, we did not have the money to pay for this! We reached out to a trusted friend for advice, and started to dig into what may have happened. The woman on the phone had given me the name of the lawyer for the plaintiff in the case. Kayla quickly got on the phone with him to dig into what this could possibly be about. As she paced and listened, she finally hung up and said that the video company who had done our video years before claims they never received payment for their services. This was simply $600, what is the problem here? She said the lawyer had shared with her that many companies were having a hard time during the pandemic and going after any outstanding money they could. However, this didn't make sense to us since we had agreed to and paid the $600 for the video. According to Kayla, the lawyer had said he didn't like the way his client was proceeding, but it was his job to proceed, so he had to as directed. We hadn't signed a contract for this, and never received an invoice beyond what was paid. This made no sense. Conveniently one of the parents that was in our homeschool group was a lawyer. Kayla reached out to him to hopefully get some clarity on our situation. After this conversation, she said that he and the plaintiff's lawyer had gone to law school together and would talk with him about what we could work out. It was weeks before I heard back from her on this. It had rolled into Christmas and just beyond. Finally, Kayla texted me one morning and said that yes, the plaintiff had decided to not seek payment since there never was a signed contract to that dollar amount. Giant breath of relief. Someone had to see the sense in this surely. So, with that behind us I felt like we could breathe again and continue on. Experience for sure in my mind. Contracts are king, and I called it a Christmas miracle!
Beyond the stresses of running the organization the moms in our community had really begun to form friendships and connections over the years that passed. They would attend not only our healing workshops, yoga classes, and retreats but our fundraisers as well. Some even began hosting their own events in honor of their children to raise money for the organization to continue supporting families like theirs. We would attend each and every one as we could, and would set up their donation pages, create logos for them, assist in customized clothing orders, and make sure they had everything they needed to host these special memorials. Friends and families would show up and donate auction items, their time, and funds on honor of these precious children. It was a stream of coffee meetings, photo sessions, events, fundraisers, and the occasional get together for dinner or drinks. What a network it felt like we were creating.
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