Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Hutto.
Hi Brittany, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
Certainly! My son was born in 2018 at 27 weeks and 4 days gestation. This may not seem like a huge deal because you think he’s over halfway to his due date, but we hadn’t even made it into the 3rd trimester. Mark was born weighing 1 pound 7 ounces and was just over 12 inches in length. We spent 115 days in the NICU at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in downtown Jacksonville. It was probably the longest and scariest period of my life. In the NICU, families are encouraged to engage in their child’s care. This helps with bonding and gives you a good understanding of how resilient your tiny warrior is. It makes things slow down and feel more real when everything seems such a fast pace and such a blur.
During my son’s first year of life, I began to think about how to give back to the team that saved my son’s life. I could provide lunch one day or give gifts to those who cared for Mark daily (his primary nurses). I wondered how other families had given back to the NICU, and it became a thought filled with memories and flashbacks of our time there. Eventually, I left my position within the organization and could stay home with my son once he came home. There were many milestones that full-term babies get to experience that many preemie parents do not. The joy of seeing Mark in a onesie was an emotional moment, forever frozen in my mind. It was a moment that made it all feel so “real.” Mark was in only a diaper and a box for the longest time. He was a patient, not a baby. It was hard to picture him in clothes, mittens, and a hat. Seeing him in clothes for the first time was a shock. Soon I began to wonder if other parents felt this way- sadness that our normalcy was gone, fear that our chance for bonding was passing by, and shock when we saw our child go from diagnosis to patient to person. Many people may need to be made aware of the financial burden of traveling to and from the hospital daily or the costs of eating meals from a drive-thru. Your first thought may not be that they do not have clothes for this child, much smaller than they planned. There are special bottles and nipples that preemies require. The parents may be unable to hold their child, so they rely on reading to promote bonding, and perhaps books are a luxury expense for them.
When Mark began preschool, I had some free time. I felt this profound desire to give back to those currently living in the NICU or PICU with their children. I didn’t know where to begin, so I dove head first. I applied to the University of North Florida’s Master of Public Administration program and concentrated on Nonprofit Management and Health Administration. In August 2021, I began my first semester of school. In March 2022, Mark’s Mission was founded to promote family bonding between parents and their children in NICUs and other hospital units through education, facilitation, and support. It aims to overcome burdens and give financial support to families who experience hardship so they may be present in their child’s healing efforts. Our mission is to improve health outcomes for infants and children and create family memories that last a lifetime.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is not the word I would choose to describe the road we’ve been down. Many obstacles along the way made me wonder if this was a good move for me as a mother, a wife, a student, and a leader. When founding Mark’s Mission, the only way to grow this idea of giving back was to become a registered 501(c)(3). It would bring in donations to fund programs and make a greater impact in the community. So I did just that, but I underestimated the community’s need and overestimated the community’s awareness of life in the NICU and PICU.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
Mark’s Mission is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strives to promote family bonding between parents and their children in NICUs and other hospital units through education, facilitation, and support. It aims to overcome burdens and provide financial support for families who experience hardship so they may be present in their child’s healing efforts. Our mission is to improve health outcomes for infants and children and create family memories that last a lifetime. What started as an idea in 2019 as a way to give back to a local hospital grew into so much more. The biggest program that Mark’s Mission offers is the NICU Care Packages. Our NICU care packages are packed with preemie and family essentials to promote family bonding during their lengthy NICU stay. We also offer a Food and Fuel Assistance Program, which provides gift certificates to local grocery stores and gas stations to help families provide food for other family members and children at home and to travel to and from the hospital.
This reality is not just limited to the pandemic. One of our most impactful programs is the Financial Assistance Program. During the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020, many families required some of their members to sacrifice their jobs to care for others in the household. New families must carry this heavy burden when their child(ren) is in the NICU or hospital receiving care, and the Make Your Mark Financial Assistance Program aims to address this concern.
In addition to our assistance programs, we’ve partnered with a local, licensed mental health counselor, Brittany Beattie, and her practice, Blossom Forward LLC, to provide a free NICU Support Group for past, present, and future NICU moms. These sessions are free of charge for women looking for guidance and support in processing their trauma from the NICU. A NICU stay, regardless of length, leaves families with scars that are often overlooked. In our first 9 months as an organization, we have proudly donated 7,000 items to local NICU families and hospitals. We’ve donated 314 NICU care packages to families admitted into the NICU at two local hospitals. We’ve also provided $2,500.00 in Food and Fuel Assistance to families in need and donated 350 toys during our Operation Christmas Miracle toy drive during the holidays. We’ve collected and donated 1200 preemie jammies during July Jammie Drive. Mark’s Mission has also developed strategic partnerships with major organizations such as Slumberkins, Burts Bees, and 4Moms to donate items to NICU families. As a small organization, we rely on the generosity of our donors and community partners to make every program possible. When you support Mark’s Mission, you are helping us create our vision. Our vision is to create a community that inspires hope and fosters togetherness in times of adversity.
Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
When discussing finding a mentor, my greatest advice would be to join organizations like your local Chamber of Commerce or the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida. These organizations give you credibility and a sense of legitimacy in your community. If your organization or business is similar to another, perhaps larger, organization, you can ask to create a partnership between your businesses or organizations.
Another piece of networking advice would be to be bold and ask for help. Set up a meeting with a Founder or CEO of a similar organization to yours- local or not. Bring a notebook, write down all your questions ahead of time, and be prepared to learn. You will receive exceptional feedback and insight. Some people fear the idea of “copying” or “competition.” I firmly believe in “Collaboration, not competition,”, especially in the nonprofit sector. My final piece of advice would be to be prepared. As my father so lovingly said so often during my childhood, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” What do I mean by this? Be prepared to sacrifice some nights of fun for nights of working. Prepare yourself to handle rejection when asking for a donation or partnership. Be prepared to write a lot of thank you notes. Prepare yourself to be overwhelmed by love and support from your community. Be prepared to adapt your business or organization as part of your identity. Prepare your business to grow. Prepare yourself to fail, because you will from time to time, but also prepare yourself to get back up and to keep learning. The last thing about this when discussing mentoring or networking is that I am always available to help or mentor.
Pricing:
- A $25.00 gift provides 1 care package to a family in the NICU.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marksmission.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/marksmissioninc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/marksmissionnefl
