The Pediatric and NICU Club at AU College of Nursing has embarked on a touching new collaboration with Saylor’s Light, a Georgia-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting families experiencing the loss of an infant. Founded by Sonia Dismuke in memory of her daughter Saylor, Saylor’s Light brings comfort and hope to grieving parents and the nurses who care for them.
During the club’s October meeting, Sonia Dismuke shared her personal story, describing how she created precious memories with her daughter Saylor by bringing a small box of keepsakes to the hospital. These items — a baby blanket, handprint and footprint kits — became cherished mementos during Saylor’s brief life. Realizing the significance of these memories, Sonia began assembling similar boxes for other families at her hospital, sparking a movement that quickly grew as hospitals requested more boxes for families in need.
Each grief box from Saylor’s Light contains items designed to honor and remember a child, including a baby blanket, a hand and footprint kit, a candle, a grief devotional, and Christmas ornaments for capturing little handprints. These thoughtful keepsakes offer comfort and help families preserve cherished memories. Additionally, the boxes provide nurses with compassionate, structured tools to guide families through the initial steps of grieving. Many nurses have said that the boxes help them feel more prepared and supported during these challenging moments.
In response to Sonia’s mission, the Pediatric and NICU Club has played an active role in expanding Saylor’s Light’s reach. The club delivered grief boxes to AU College of Nursing’s partnering hospitals, East Alabama Medical Center and Grandview Medical Center. They also reached out to eight additional hospitals in Alabama, New York, New Jersey, and Florida, introducing Saylor’s Light and its grief boxes to both families and nursing staff. These outreach efforts are designed to foster future partnerships and ensure that more nursing units have access to compassionate resources for guiding families through loss.
Beyond hospital outreach, the club hosted a benefit day with Spillin’ the Tea in Auburn, raising over $200 to help Saylor’s Light continue creating and delivering these impactful boxes. Through fundraising and increasing awareness, the Pediatric and NICU Club is helping to sustain and grow the mission of Saylor’s Light.
The partnership between the Pediatric and NICU Club and Saylor’s Light exemplifies the power of compassion and community. By extending care and support to families and nurses facing unimaginable loss, the club is helping to fulfill Saylor’s Light’s heartfelt mission, reaching far beyond Auburn to touch lives across the country.
