Hope’s Cradle is a collaborative initiative to support mothers in need and save infants from unsafe abandonment.

Many of you may have heard that newborn babies have been abandoned in dumpsters, alleys, trunks of cars, etc. Many reasons led to these tragedies, but the silver lining is this;

These babies have been born. This gives us an opportunity to change their fate by creating an alternative to abandonment.

When a baby is placed in Hope’s Cradle it will be considered a surrender. Provided the baby is healthy, there will be zero repercussions for the person who chose this safe option.

It is critical that Gems for Gems continue to be nimble and respond to the community’s needs while still maintaining our commitment to ending the cycle of domestic abuse. Hope’s Cradle does exactly that.

We are honoured to make this resource available to women and their babies to ensure all children have the most basic right intact… the right to life.

Hope’s Cradle: FOUNDING STORY

Both Gems for Gems and Strathmore Fire Department worked independently for over two years prior to meeting each other. Amazingly, it was the same story of the baby being abandoned on Christmas Eve in 2017 in Calgary that sparked Homicide Detective Dave Sweet (Board Chairman for Gems for Gems), Jordan Guildford (Founder of Gems for Gems), and Eric Alexander (Captain at the Strathmore Fire Department) into action for the project that would eventually become Hope’s Cradle.

Gems for Gems and Strathmore Fire Department met, found they were both what the other had been missing, and the project progressed to completion within four months.

THE PURPOSE OF THE HOPE’S CRADLE INITIATIVE

The basic purpose of Hope’s Cradle is to save the lives of infants who may otherwise have been unsafely abandoned. It is also the desire that Hope’s Cradle brings awareness of postnatal mental health options for mothers. As such, the envelope within the cradle for the mother has resources for her mental and physical well being.

This cradle provides a safe and anonymous surrender of the baby thus protecting its life and the anonymity of the mother. Provided the baby shows no signs of abuse, the anonymity of the mother will be entirely protected.

It is important to note that a by-product of this initiative is that the mother is not committing a crime by surrendering the baby in our cradles. It is legally deemed a safe surrender location thus protecting both mother and child. The caveat again is that the baby shows no signs of abuse.