Give $7 on the 7th to The Liz Logelin Foundation, or just look at the cute baby photo

Almost one-year-old Madeline Logelin, who has a lot of toys; photo by Matt Logelin

I don't really know how to do justice to Matt and Madeline Logelin's story, so I will just quote from The Liz Logelin Foundation site, which I am encouraging you to donate to today.

On March 24, 2008, little Madeline Elizabeth Logelin came into this world.

The next day, her mother left it.

From this impossibly tragic event, a community was born. A community of individuals, united in their desire to help and support Madeline and her father, Matt. This community formed the basis for what would become a worldwide charitable foundation:

The Liz Logelin Foundation – For the Love of Liz.

After the catastrophic loss of his wife, Matt Logelin coped by turning not only to his wonderfully supportive family and friends, but to the internet. He had already begun a casual blog to keep friends and family abreast of Liz’s pregnancy; within 2 weeks of her passing, that blog became what it is today: a place where Matt can share his joys and frustrations, challenges and heartbreaks; where concerned friends, new and old, can meet, talk, laugh, and cry with Matt; and most importantly, where other widows and widowers can offer – and be offered – support and friendship.

So strong and large was the community that spontaneously formed around Matt and Madeline, it seemed not only natural, but necessary to harness the strength of that network and turn it into something – something that could help ease the pain and lighten the load felt by widows and widowers everywhere.

And it all sprang from the Love of Liz.

Welcome to the Liz Logelin Foundation.


photo of Liz Logelin by Matt Logelin

I've been reading Matt's blog since he was featured in People magazine a little while ago and have been truly moved each and every time. I think the idea that this mother didn't even get to hold her baby is so sad. His blog has stirred up so many thoughts in me - about love, about family - but I will save those for another time to try to keep this short and swet. He is not asking for sympathy, but simply sharing his story. He is asking people, instead of adding to baby Madeline's toy chest, to donate to the foundation. I did, and encourage you to as well. They have a "7 on the 7th" campaign, encouraging people to give $7 on the 7th of each month.



If you can't give, I encourage you to check out Matt's blog and his Flickr stream, which is in many ways even more powerful. And for those who want to go all out, he's also on Twitter. But really I just wanted to call your attention to the foundation.