New York City Donation

The Big Apple can be overwhelming with its big buildings and big crowds. And there was little old me in April 2010 roaming the streets awe-struck as always by this amazing city trying to find a way to make at least a small impact with Baby Teresa.

Many of our previous donations with Baby Teresa have been in Africa, or in Asia in parts of the world where the need for a donated baby outfit screams loudly and in an in your face kind of way. I know when I think of New York City I’d be more likely to think of a business person in a thousand dollar suit than a baby in need of clothing – but that’s what made this journey all the more challenging.




As we’ve said so often here at Baby Teresa – if you open your eyes and take the time to look, you’ll find babies in need everywhere in the world. For my trip to New York City I again reached out through the powerful network of Rotary and was put in contact with an organization that aligns beautifully with the goals of Baby Teresa.

Myself and my travelling companion Sarah were warmly welcomed into Sanctuary for Families (http://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org). In their own words: Sanctuary for Families is the leading nonprofit agency in New York State dedicated exclusively to serving domestic violence victims, sex trafficking victims, and their children. Each year, we help thousands of victims children build safe lives through a range of high quality services.



Going on a tour of their facilities was an eye opening experience. Each year thousands of families and children are affected by domestic violence in New York, many of whom leave those environments with nothing more than the clothes on their back.

I’m proud to say that Baby Teresa outfits are being added to the fantastic array of clothing on offer at no cost to the families that work with Sanctuary.



One of the most exciting parts of our visit was in seeing the way the “Butterfly Boutique” at Sanctuary is set up. So that the process doesn’t feel like a hand out – it’s been set up a like a beautiful retail experience giving dignity back to those going through this process.

I highly encourage you to take a look at Sanctuary’s website, to see what the 130+ staff do within their communities and to see if you can be a part of helping them in your own way be it large or small.



My sincere thanks to Sanctuary team members Emily and Lisa for their tour and their time, it was very uplifting to meet you and to see some of what you do. Thank you Sanctuary board member Cynthia for also being so involved that you came along to meet us as well. And huge thanks to Sheri from the Rotary Club of New York for making this donation possible with a great introduction.

- Kirsty