Latest news with #OpenArmsFoundation
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Newton nonprofit holds fundraiser to install safe haven baby box
NEWTON, Iowa — A nonprofit in Newton is halfway to its fundraising goal for a safe haven baby box to be installed at the community's hospital. The plan was first presented in 2024 when Jasper County Attorney General Scott Nicholson brought the idea to the Open Arms Foundation of Jasper County, a nonprofit that provides support for children facing crisis or are in the foster care system. Open Arms was founded last year and provides backpacks with necessary supplies and comfort items to children who were removed from their biological families. So far, the nonprofit has helped 200 children and families, according to founder and director Nick Pietrack. At the beginning of 2025, Open Arms started fundraising for a baby box in Newton. Their goal is $30,000. Pietrack says the box is estimated to cost $20,000, plus $500 in annual fees for maintenance, training, certification, and other expenses. His goal is to raise enough that the cost is covered for many years. Sen. Joni Ernst responds to backlash from her sarcastic comments on Medicaid Around $15,000 has been raised so far, but the organization plans on fundraising for the rest of the year. Pietrack said the baby box will be installed in Newton even if the fundraising goal isn't met, but he commends the community's ability to come together in support of this cause. 'I've seen a tremendous ability in Jasper County for us to gather our community for positive things. So, it's very heartwarming and wonderful to see the support and we're excited about it,' he said. The baby box will be located at the MercyOne Newton Medical Center. Pietrack said the current plan is to have the box located outside the emergency room and near the ambulance bays, however the hospital will be remodeling soon, so the exact location in the hospital is subject to change. 'We want to be proactive, not reactive. So, the reason for some of the baby boxes being installed in other communities are reactive towards horrible incidences that have happened, tragic deaths of infant children,' he said. Newton is now the fourth Iowa community to start the process of installing a baby box. The Iowa Safe Haven Act went into effect in 2002, and it provides parents in crisis an option to safely surrender an infant up to 90-days-old. The law was expanded in 2023, allowing communities to implement their own safe haven baby boxes. Since then, baby boxes were installed at the Fort Dodge Fire Department and the MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines. The Norwalk Fire Department announced last year that they are in the process of installing a baby box as a result of a baby's death in 2023. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that a baby girl was recently surrendered safely through the Safe Haven Law. She is the third infant to be surrendered this year and the 77th since the law was put into effect, according to the department's press release. Iowa News: Iowa veteran passes halfway point on Appalachian Trail Newton nonprofit holds fundraiser to install safe haven baby box Storms move in, along with cooler air Miguel Angel Jimenez wins playoff in Iowa for 3rd PGA Tour Champions victory of the year Forecast: Smoke exits, storms move in Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Open Arms Foundation fundraising for state's third Safe Haven Baby Box
May 26—Open Arms Foundation of Jasper County is about halfway to its fundraising goal to establish the state's third ever Safe Haven Baby Box in Newton. Nicholas Pietrack, founder of the Open Arms Foundation, said a Safe Haven Baby Box is estimated to cost around $20,000, and then there is an annual service fee of $500 for re-certification, updated trainings and testings. So to cover for those extra fees, Open Arms Foundation set its goal at $30,000. So far, the nonprofit organization has raised about $16,000 for the project. All of the funds have been donations from community members. Newton Masonic Lodge held a fundraiser breakfast for Open Arms Foundation back in April, the proceeds of which were donated to the nonprofit to help secure a Safe Haven Baby Box. In 2002, Iowa enacted safe haven laws that allow parents of a child appearing 90 days old to legally surrender that child to an emergency medical service provider. Only two Safe Haven Baby Boxes exist in the state: Des Moines and Fort Dodge. Pietrack said Open Arms Foundation wants to be the third in the state. Ever since the safe haven laws have been in effect, Pietrack said there have been 74 instances where a parent legally surrendered their child. Pietrack said the idea of the safe haven laws is to protect parents and the children in the event of a crisis. The parent is protected from abandonment and neglect charges. "It's a legal, anonymous surrender," Pietrack said. "The issue that states have discovered is that sometimes the actual act of going to somebody and saying, 'I want to give up my kid,' people are afraid to do that. They're afraid of the ramifications and the shame and the public image." Which is partly why Safe Haven Baby Boxes have been implemented in a number of states. Currently, more than 330 Safe Haven Baby Boxes have been installed throughout the United States. Pietrack said they are typically installed around fire departments or hospitals, which have 24-7 staffing. When a child is placed in the box, the door closes and a packet of information is released for the parent on what to do next and followup with information about the child. By the time the child is placed in a box, a silent alarm is sounded so that a medical provider can retrieve the baby. Dispatch is also notified. Average response time is one to two minutes. Currently, Open Arms Foundation wants to install the Safe Haven Baby Box at MercyOne Newton Medical Center. Another Iowa community that wants to install a Safe Haven Baby Box is Norwalk. Within the past year or so, an infant was born in a home in Norwalk and was discarded, leading to its death. Pietrack said Open Arms Foundation wants to remain proactive so that situations like that do not happen in Jasper County. Open Arms Foundation was created as a reaction to helping drug endangered children in Jasper County. Parents who are facing crisis often are also involved in drugs. Pietrack said a Safe Haven Baby Box extends the nonprofit's mission further by providing an opportunity for children to be safely taken care of. "If this box saves one kid in the next 20 years, that's worth it," Pietrack said. For more information or to learn how to donate, visit
