Gathering Hope

Gathering Hope provides community and resources to survivors of miscarriage & infant loss. With 1 in 4 pregnancies ending in miscarriage, over 25,000 stillbirths in the U.S. each year, and 1 in 10 women experiencing the loss of a baby in her lifetime, survivors will often experience depression, PTSD, anxiety, and trauma, even if they have a good support system at home. 

Unfortunately in 2022, shame and stigma are still associated with this type of loss. Connecting with others who have a shared experience is one of the most powerful ways to mitigate the pain a mother will endure. 

“Social networks…and positive support experiences can play a role in buffering women’s experiences of grief, loss and psychological distress following miscarriage. Many studies have reported that for most women, speaking to other women who have experienced miscarriage themselves was the most helpful support they received, as they often felt that these women understood their experience more fully." 
Miller, E. J., Temple-Smith, M. J., & Bilardi, J. E. (2019).

It’s likely that you know someone who needs access to this kind of support, even if they’ve never spoken about it. 

Gathering Hope's annual Gathering gives women a supportive community and helps them form empowering relationships. Our private Facebook groups help women support each other online, and our resources include connections to counselors, online seminars, a bi-monthly podcast and the Timely Tender Tote which all compile to help survivors navigate this journey.

We’ve seen the power of community and how it makes a difference. 

We are not therapists or counselors, instead, we are a movement to empower women to grieve and celebrate the lives they lost together, with other mothers. Remembering our children together lifts the burden of carrying grief alone and our hope in Jesus gives us the strength to not just survive, but thrive. Together. 

Our Needs

Since 2015, we have hosted an annual Gathering that serves as a catalyst to facilitate invaluable relationships amongst miscarriage & infant loss survivors. While this remains the anchor of our programming, we have multiple avenues of support for grieving mothers. Would you consider becoming part of a woman's healing journey? With your help, together we can:

• Expand our 4 hour program to a FULL DAY event. Attendees will experience live worship, be encouraged by powerful guest speakers, intentionally build meaningful connections with other survivors, attend engaging breakout sessions, meet with specially selected vendors and MORE. Gathering 2022 isn’t only a memorial service, it’s an interactive encounter, where women can expect sisterhood, support and HOPE. 
• Stream Gathering 2022. Guests will be able to virtually attend the Gathering–they won’t just watch a video, they'll engage with other attendees, just like our in-person Gathering.
• Offer Host Site Leadership Curriculum. When used in combination with streaming capabilities, women will be equipped to host Gathering 2022 across the country (and the globe!).
• Develop Seminars led by a Licensed Professional Counselor. Educating & equipping survivors with practical mental health tools after loss can be a key part of their healing journey.
• Continue to amplify digital resourcesthat currently reach over 6,000 subscribers via email,

  social media, bi-monthly Slaying The Stigma Podcast episodes and YouTube content.

• Increase the Timely Tender Tote program, to reach 200 bereaved mothers annually. This tote equips loved ones with a curated gift that includes both practical resources and essential comfort items for bereaved mothers.

Community support is vital in this new chapter of Gathering Hope, and today we are personally asking for your financial partnership in creating a safe haven for baby loss survivors.

"You could say I was desperate for a lifeboat to come my way. The genuine love and safety I felt in that room was amazing. I knew then I'd found somewhere safe to start my healing journey. This community has helped save me."
-Samantha G.

Your decision to support Gathering Hope will help each woman transform from someone who grieves in silence to one who knows that she no longer struggles alone--helping a woman find her voice is priceless. Will you join us on North Texas Giving Day? If you have questions, you can reach us by phone or text at (940) 268-5412. We'd love to chat with you about how we can collectively help bereaved mothers.

With Gratitude,
Peyton Lauderdale & Carol Vantine
Gathering Hope Co-Founders & Co-Executive Directors