The emergency does not always end when the first bill is paid. Six months after a life-changing diagnosis, a mother may still be in treatment, still unable to work and still trying to protect a family from the financial and emotional weight of an illness that has not let up. Mother’s Grace, a local nonprofit supporting mothers and children facing chronic medical crises and severe life hardships, has launched the WIND Program to meet families in that difficult next chapter.
WIND, which stands for Wish, Idea, Need and Debt, is a specialized grant initiative for recipients who remain in crisis about six months after receiving Mother’s Grace’s initial assistance. The organization’s traditional model provides rapid, one-time relief during an acute emergency. WIND recognizes that the hardest needs can emerge after the first wave of support has passed.
The WIND Program includes:
- Wish. Helps fulfill a meaningful family wish or create lasting memories during a severe or terminal health prognosis.
- Idea. Supports a recipient pursuing education, a career milestone or another step toward rebuilding her future.
- Need. Provides funding for essential personal, medical or household needs made more difficult by illness or financial hardship.
- Debt. Helps resolve urgent medical or financial obligations that stand in the way of stability and recovery.
“We can still be there when everything first falls apart, but six months later, some of these moms are still very much in the thick of the crisis,” says Michelle Moore, founder of Mother’s Grace. “That’s really what WIND is about. We can come back and ask, ‘What would help right now?’ The answer is different for every family.”
The WIND Program grew out of a conversation with Mother’s Grace’s largest donor, who saw a gap between immediate emergency assistance and the longer road many families face afterward. The donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, made a significant contribution to launch WIND and extend support beyond the nonprofit’s initial response.
Families are considered for WIND after first receiving assistance through Mother’s Grace. If a recipient remains in crisis about six months later, the team can nominate her for additional support based on her changing circumstances and most pressing needs.
Examples of Mother’s Grace impact include:
- A chance to make a memory beyond the diagnosis. Fabiola is fighting a grade 4 glioblastoma while grieving the loss of her eldest son in a car accident. She wanted time in New York City with her children that was not centered on appointments, treatment or loss. WIND helped give the family that chance to be together and make a memory of their own.
- The ability to smile without pain. Samantha, who is living with stage 4 multiple myeloma, had been enduring severe dental pain and tooth decay while the care she needed remained financially out of reach. With help from Mother’s Grace and board member Dr. Manisha Javia, she received treatment that eased her pain and restored confidence.
- The scan standing between a mother and answers. After years of treatment for stage IV melanoma, Tena lost her health insurance and could not pay the imaging-center bill required before she could receive scans to understand what her cancer was doing. Mother’s Grace paid that balance, another medical bill and part of her credit card debt, easing the burden on a mother fighting to stay here for her boys.
“Sometimes it’s something big, and sometimes it’s something most of us would not think twice about,” Moore says. “Being able to smile without pain, take your kids somewhere special or get one bill off your plate can mean everything when you are already carrying so much. We cannot change the diagnosis, but we can help make the road a little easier.”
Over the past two years, Mother’s Grace has assisted more than 800 households with expenses including rent and mortgage payments, utilities, counseling, medical care and travel. Its latest impact reporting shows that 86% of funds were spent in Arizona.
Mother’s Grace currently has enough funding to operate WIND for approximately 13 months. The organization is seeking donors, community partners and professionals willing to contribute financially or provide donated services to sustain and expand the program.
The goal is simple: to make sure a family whose crisis continues is not left to face the next hard thing alone. For more information about Mother’s Grace, the WIND Program or ways to support the initiative through financial contributions or donated services, visit mothers-grace.org.
