Brooklyn Ruritan Breakfast benefits Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands

At times, the line stretched outside the Brooklyn Ruritan Building on the north edge of town as local and area residents enjoyed a tasty breakfast of pancakes, omelets and other foods while helping an important county-wide organization further its mission.

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Held Sunday, Feb. 18, the breakfast offered made-to-order omelets, sausages, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, fruit cups, milk, juice and coffee, all for a free will donation.

Proceeds from the breakfast were directed to Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands, an outreach that raises funds to help local families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

In 2023, the organization helped eight families and eight babies who spent 448 days in the NICU.

Since its founding in 2012, the organization has helped 90 families and 99 babies who have spent 3,726 days in the NICU.

The nonprofit organization, under the leadership of an eight-member board, provides a daily stipend to families who have a child or children in the NICU.

The funds, which are in the form of gift cards, are used to offset housing, food and gas. The only requirement is that the family has a connection to Poweshiek County through work, family or as residents of the county.

The organization was started because there was a need for an outreach to families with prematurely born babies who spend time in the NICU or term babies with complications.

Some children can spend two or more months in the NICU.

Big Hearts board members are Brenda Day, Jenny Bos, Jess Renaud, Julie Meyer, Julie Hendricks, Katie Osborn, Katy Calkins and Jessie Lacaeyse.

All the board members have had a child or niece or nephew in the NICU or have helped other families with children in the NICU.

According to information provided by the University of Iowa children’s medical services, one out of nine mothers do not carry to full term (37 or more weeks) and roughly 100,000 babies end up in the NICU each year.

Babies born at 23 weeks have a 17% chance of survival. Babies born at 24 weeks have a 39% chance of survival, and babies born at 25 weeks have a 50% chance of survival

From 32 weeks onward, most babies are able to survive with the help of medical technology

Don and Diane Lastovka and Jim and Elsie Foels with the Brooklyn Ruritans co-chair the annual breakfast.

Jim said that several years ago he stopped at the Farm Bureau insurance office of Jenny Bos, a board member of the organization, to look at an insurance policy.

“I saw a brochure on Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands and picked it up,” said Jim. “I brought the brochure to the a Ruritan meeting, and we decided to host a benefit for the them. They receive the profits from the breakfast.”

This is the fifth year the Brooklyn Ruritans have held a breakfast for Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands.

This year, the Ruritans were given a donation of eggs from the Pleasant Grove Homestead in rural Montezuma and a monetary donation from Fremont Farms in Malcom, Jim said.

“It’s great to see all the support we have for families with babies in the NICU,” said Jessie Lacaeyse. “Our donors are the reason we are able to do what we do, and we couldn’t do it without them.”

“The support our communities of Poweshiek County gives Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands always surprises me,” said Jenny Bos.

“Over the years, they have showed up to our breakfast, gave generously and helped us in any way possible,” said Bos. “It is very heartwarming to witness such support. We also appreciate the Brooklyn Ruritans for choosing our cause to give to.”

Anyone who was unable to attend the event but would like to donate to the Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands foundation, may send tax-deductible donations to Big Hearts 4 Tiny Hands, P.O. Box 177, Brooklyn, IA 52211.