Latest news with #ReUseItCenter
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
AgapéCare Cradle aids grieving parents after child loss
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – One in four pregnancies ends in a loss of some sort. It's an experience that many families don't know how to process until it happens to them. AgapéCare Cradle provides guidance, resources, and support to parents who are experiencing the crisis of losing a child. ReUse It Center's mission is to help the planet grow into much more Shawn and Jeni Lehecka's lives changed in a matter of minutes. 'We're having all these conversations, like, oh, three girls, and like what are we gonna do?' Shawn said. After 20 weeks of waiting to learn their baby's gender, both were blindsided. 'They came in, told us she had anencephaly,' Shawn said. It is a neural tube defect where a baby is born with a missing or underdeveloped brain, skull, and scalp. 'Part of her brain wasn't fully there, and so we didn't know like what to expect of how, like how long we would have with her,' Jeni said. The following five months were a different kind of pregnancy. 'You know, not getting our nursery ready, not getting our baby things back out, but also picking out, like, what is the one thing we want her to wear, to be, to be buried in,' Jeni said. AgapéCare Cradle stepped in and walked the Leheckas through the steps of planning a funeral. 'Having that resource was huge, just to know that you can go through with any type of questions and never be a burden. They were always right there for us,' Shawn said. Youth Horizons provides safe homes for Kansas foster youth The nonprofit supports families as they grieve the what-ifs. 'When you walk down the road and you see a 3-year-old, and you think, well, my baby would have been 3, and then, you wonder what that would have been like,' Lissa Nemitz, executive director of AgapeCaré Cradle, said. Empowering them to make decisions for their baby, like other parents would. 'Naming your child or choosing what outfit your child wears, or when you're able to be a part of that, choosing how your baby's life is honored that, that fills a hole,' Nemitiz said. In September, the Leheckas welcomed Charlotte to the world. 'As I was holding her, just the fact that she was alive, just embracing every moment of that,' Shawn said. Every moment for 84 priceless minutes. 'We were able to read books to her and sing with her and just be close with her,' Jeni said. It is a blessing they will cherish forever. AgapéCare offers a monthly support group for moms on the third Thursday of every month. Find details on AgapéCare Cradle by clicking here. If you would like to nominate a nonprofit for our Here For You Spotlight, fill out our online contact form. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wichita woman turns front yard into community garden to fight food insecurity
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — One Wichita woman is taking the fight against food insecurity right to her front yard. Just a block south of Wichita State University, Cynthia Pizzini has turned her lawn into a thriving community garden. 'We have a lot of well-known, inexpensive convenience stores in the neighborhood,' Pizzini said. 'I kept seeing kids going in and thought, 'Is that all they're eating? Processed food?'' Originally, Pizzini planned to grow a personal garden. But as she looked around her neighborhood, she realized more people needed access to fresh, healthy food. ReUse It Center's mission is to help the planet grow into much more 'The work was going to get done anyway,' she said. 'So everyone should enjoy it, not just me and my husband.' Though still in its early stages, the garden is already off to a strong start. Pizzini is receiving guidance from Sarah Myers, a graduate of Kansas State University's Research and Extension Master Gardener Program and founder of ICT Treehuggers, a nonprofit that promotes sustainability through gardening and tree planting. 'Gardening is a lifelong practice,' Myers said. 'This is a beautiful start to dropping a seed of inspiration for the whole block. I'd love to see a home garden at every house in every hood in the 316. Congratulations!' The garden will include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, leafy greens, and more, with produce expected to start growing within one to three months. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
