Our Mission
About the Founders
We got married in 2019 after meeting back in college. When we found out about being pregnant with Eden in early 2022, our happiness was unparalleled. By the end of the pregnancy, we missed the exciting, fun times most pregnant couples get to experience, but we knew our journey would be worth it for Eden. And boy, we were right. Even though our time in the NICU was full of very low of lows and high of highs, our 27 days with Eden are the highlights of our lives. The pain of losing a sweet child is a deep, dark pain that is so unbearable. We are so comforted to know we will get to hold her and kiss her forever in Heaven. Her physical journey here on Earth is over, but her legacy on this Earth will never go away. She made so much of an impact in such a short amount of time, so we made it our mission as her parents to continue her impact and help families who are in similar situations as we were. This is how we will forever honor her. Please learn more about our mission below.
What we provide
Our goal as a charity is to be financially helpful to families who find themselves in the unthinkable position as we found ourselves in during our pregnancy. How do we stay financially stable, yet give our child the care he/she needs? Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) has a large scale of severity (levels A, B, C, & D). Most hospitals might be able to help children with minor levels of CDH, but babies born with more severe levels of CDH need much more specialized care that most hospitals cannot help with - even if some say they can. Because of this, we specifically want to help families that have to travel 50 miles or more to relocate. As long as their baby is fighting in the NICU to overcome this obstacle, we want to help fight their financial battles our monthly grants.
"Do we qualifY?"
In order to qualify for our monthly grants, our requirements are:
Diagnosis of CDH
Your child must have a diagnosis of CDH (congenital diaphragmatic hernia) from a licensed medical professional. You must be able to provide proof of the diagnosis in your application. Babies with the more severe cases and who have a high change of receiving ECMO will receive priority over others.
Relocate 50+ miles
You and/or your family must be relocating 50 miles or more away from your current residential address. Our first priority is assisting families relocating to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX, but we also currently assist families relocating to various hospitals around the country.
Admission into hospital
Grants are given to families from the time they relocate until their baby is discharged from the hospital. As your baby is discharged (whoo!), monthly grants will stop being sent. These grants do not apply for families with older children needing a surgery - children must be fully admitted to a hospital for a period of time.
Mission statement
The Eden Calhoun Charitable Fund, Inc.'s mission is to provide support to distressed families who have children that are diagnosed with a rare birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). The primary purpose is to provide financial aid for families who need to relocate cities for hospitals that give specific CDH care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Expenses that will be dispersed may be used for, but not limited to, parking fees at hospital garages, relocation fees for temporary living situations, and meal stipends.
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The Eden Calhoun Charitable Fund, Inc. is a registered Non-Profit Corporation in the State of Alabama and an IRS-recognized 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization (EIN #92-0959177). All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of applicable law.
Questions? Contact us:
Address
Florence, AL 35630
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