Our flagship program
Every moment a family shares with their child is precious beyond measure. When that time is heartbreakingly brief, each one becomes a memory to hold onto forever. Our kits are placed gently into the hands of families in the NICU, made to help them gather and keep those moments for a lifetime.
What's inside
At the heart of the program is the McKenzie's Rays of Sunshine Memory Kit. Each kit includes a custom weighted bear with a recorder for the baby's heartbeat; NICU clothing sized for micro-preemies and preemies so parents can dress their baby in clothing made to fit; hand- and footprint casting and ink supplies; a personalized keepsake plaque; a place to preserve a lock of hair; and gentle guidance for the hours ahead. Kits are distributed through hospital care teams at no cost to families. Because nurses interact most closely with grieving parents during these critical hours, the organization works with them to refine kit contents, stocking procedures, and bedside use. Funeral assistance is offered when resources allow, and structured support throughout the first year after loss is the program's next stage of growth.
No two hospitals are the same, and neither are the families they care for. We work directly with the NICU and palliative care staff at every hospital we partner with, then pack each kit by hand so that what we deliver brings real comfort in the moments that matter most.
McKenzie would never live to see the sun. These kits are how we carry her light to other families, a little bit of sunshine in their darkest moment.
Where they go
We pack and deliver memory-making kits to families in New Orleans area NICUs, placing McKenzie's love into the arms of families walking through the hardest days of their lives. Each delivery is made possible by people who give their time, their hearts, and their support, and there is always another family waiting for the next one.
For hospitals & NICUs
We deliver at no cost to the hospital or the family. Tell us about your unit and what your families need most, and we'll build the kits around that. We serve NICU, labor & delivery, and palliative care teams across the greater New Orleans area.
Every kit we deliver is made possible by people like you. Your gift helps us pack the next basket, reach the next family, and carry a little more of McKenzie's sunshine into a NICU that needs it. Every donation is fully tax-deductible.
Kit giving levels are based on an estimated $130 material cost per kit and are intentionally approximate. 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · EIN 41-3375360 · Tax-deductible to the full extent of the law
