Children who are medically fragile come to A Rosie Place for up to 10 nights at a time for respite stays. During this time, parents are given the gift of time. If you are seeking respite care for your medically fragile child, call A Rosie Place at 574-235-8899.

By: A Rosie Place For Children

Donors are an important part of how a nonprofit organization operates, and A Rosie Place for Children is no different. Donation dollars are used for everything from purchasing new interactive toys to building wheelchair-accessible paths, to more mundane things like purchasing pens and paper to do paperwork.

It’s critical for the mission of nonprofits to create good relationships with other businesses and organizations to develop partnerships with potential donors. One business that A Rosie Place for Children has developed a special relationship with is Impress Jewelry Creations.

Impress is a locally-owned jewelry boutique that’s passionate about helping its customers discover the perfect piece of jewelry.

“We try to create a boutique feel as opposed to a stuffy, old-time jewelry store that your great-grandparents shopped at,” says Bill Martin, the CEO of Impress Jewelry Creations. “It’s a different feel, it’s a little bit more contemporary, it’s a little bit more clean and the focus is on people and the jewelry that they want to look at or have made.”

That passion for customer service is an ideal that Tieal Bishop, the CEO of A Rosie Place for Children, says her organization shares in common with Bill Martin and Impress.

“For me, it really resonated that Bill has the same spirit as we do at A Rosie Place, we both strive for excellence, and I knew it was kind of an immediate fit,” she says. “ We don’t just partner with anyone, they need to share our values.  I think our joy and excitement in partnering with Impress was really because of who Bill is and how he handles himself in business.”

A Rosie Place for Children is Indiana’s only specialty hospital for medically fragile children – those who need daily care by specially trained caregivers. It serves all 92 counties in the state. Medically fragile children can stay at A Rosie Place for up to 10 nights, which provides respite care to families who need a break.

Martin is dedicated to bringing awareness to the public about the existence of A Rosie Place for Children. One part of that is having conversations with his clients simply about the nonprofits existence, but a larger part is explaining the impact it has on families of medically fragile children.

“I really think the benefit [of A Rosie Place] is to their parents, who are lovingly attached at the hip to these kids that require medical intervention and equipment and procedures and things that are just their 24/7 life,” he says. “These parents never get a break from that. Not that they’re even asking for it, but mom needs surgery, mom needs to be able to go to her doctor’s appointments and when does she make time?”

Martin says that it’s important to him, and for any business, to think beyond the bottom line. Paying attention to profit and loss and being fiscally responsible is necessary to keeping your business afloat, but he sees a humanitarian bottom line and responsibility for companies to conduct business.

“We become emotionally vested with (our clients), not only on their occasion, but their why…. We care about the why. As a connection to that [having a why] in the community and uplifting people around us is important to me personally,” Martin says. “The fact that a business has an opportunity to make an impact, I think they absolutely should. The bottom line is one thing, but there’s a humanitarian bottom line that shouldn’t go unnoticed.”

The connection to a why is a huge part of the partnership between A Rosie Place for Children and Impress Jewelry Creations, according to Bishop. When discussing the nonprofit’s mission, she says she tries to discover a person’s why in order to connect with them on a human level.

“The why is really important, I think both in the profit and nonprofit sectors,” she says. “When you have businesses that are forward thinking like that, it stops being just about the profit and loss and it comes down to: ‘What’s the impact I made on my community for the services that I deliver and the impact that I’ve had because of my success?’”

Impress Jewelry Creations has become a true partner with A Rosie Place for Children. Martin and his staff have committed to supporting the nonprofit by educating others about the services that the nonprofit provides, volunteering, and financially by sponsoring initiatives.

If you’d like to volunteer or donate to A Rosie Place for Children, visit their website. Families who use the services of the nonprofit don’t pay a dime thanks to the generous donations of individuals and businesses in the community. For more information, or to apply, contact A Rosie Place for Children at 574-235-8899.