Lockport Catholic women’s group helps premature babies with care packages

An organization at a Lockport church collected baby items for a Channahon woman who’s given care packages to families of premature babies for more than 20 years.

The Council of Catholic Women at St. Dennis Catholic Church in Lockport invited Kristina Lowman of Channahon, a paraprofessional at Joliet Public Schools District 86, to its meeting May 16.

Lowman discussed a service project – Two Miracle Girlz NICU Sprinkles – and then CCW members presented her with a large donation of baby items.

Suzy Balicki, president of St. Dennis’ CCW, said she read a story about Lowman in the Herald-News in February and suggested helping Lowman by telling CCW members about her endeavor.

“We always do a service project at all our meetings,” Balicki said. “We thought this was just a fabulous thing she’s doing and wanted to take part. Our members especially love when it’s a service project that benefits children. We’re moms and grandmas.”

Lowman said she received several phone calls from businesses and organizations offering to help her mission as a result of the Herald-News story. Some donated money to help with shipping costs, Lowman said.

Donations enable Lowman to help more families, she said. She stresses Two Miracle Girlz NICU Sprinkles is grassroots effort and not a nonprofit and, still, people like the CCW members want to give.

“We were just very happy to help Kristina,” Balicki said.

Lowman delivered both her daughters by emergency Cesarean delivery for preeclampsia. She had Kailey, now 20, at 27 weeks and Addison, now 17, at 33 weeks. Both girls spent time in the NICU at the hospital now known as Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet.

[ Channahon mom creates care packages for NICU babies ]

“On the girls’ birthdays, we would take a small baby gift up for any baby girl in the [St. Joe’s] NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) that day, “ Lowman said. “Usually just a sleeper and our story.”

Lowman started volunteering with March of Dimes in 2004 and co-chaired Joliet’s March For Babies in April 2011.

In 2014, Lowman said she was asked to send a care package to premature twin boys in a NICU in Missouri. That’s when Lowman created the Two Miracle Girlz NICU Family Care Package Facebook page.

Lowman later renamed her service project Two Miracle Girlz NICU Sprinkles. A good portion of her basement holds donated baby items, allowing Lowman to quickly assemble care packages when requests arrive, she said.

“I’ve been very blessed,” Lowman said.

Balicki said the St. Dennis CCW has previously supplied toiletries for homeless woman, socks for homeless men, food for local food pantries and items for animal shelters.

The St. Dennis CCW also recently bought 150 chairs for its church with proceeds from its annual Christmas raffle, Balicki said.

“That was a big project,” Balicki said. “It took us two years to buy the chairs. They were a lot of money.”

Balicki said the St. Dennis CCW is a “great organization that “warmly welcomes new members.” Members need not belong to St. Dennis, Balicki said.

“We have great fun at our meetings,” Balicki said. “We want everyone to leave with a smile on their face.”

For more information about the St. Dennis CCW, call the church office at 815-838-2592.