We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Kramer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

In June 2021, a social worker with Wings Palliative and Hospice Care contacted the charity and asked if we could assist in fulfilling a special request of a mother who had just placed her daughter on hospice care as cancer treatments were no longer responding. The mother was requesting to celebrate her daughter’s 5th Birthday with a celebration as they knew she would not be alive to celebrate in August. Being the director of the charity, I said “we would be honored.” The social worker then sent over a request of decorations and stated “and any small presents you would like to send to assist the family.”

As a charity that supports families with children on palliative and hospice care, we knew we could do better. Within one week, the charity was able to create an early 5th birthday party that would provide life long memories. The charity provided the family with a giftcard to provide food for the party, decorations for the party, multiple birthday gifts, matching JoJo Siwa (theme of the party) tshirts for mom, daughter, and son; and were able to coordinate with a local company to have JoJo Siwa and 5 Disney Princesses make an appearance at the birthday party.

Mom and the sweet child were so thankful and mom stated, “I wish I could have captured the joy when she opened her presents for you all- it was the best.”

A couple days following the party, this sweet girl gained her angel wings and Gwendolyn’s Gifts charity was able to assist the family in funeral financial support to ensure she was given a proper celebration of life. We were so thankful the charity was able to assist in providing a wonderful 5th birthday celebration for this family as the photos and memories will hopefully last a lifetime and carry them through their dark moments of grief.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Erin Kramer, I am 36 years old. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Mark, and we have 3 beautiful girls.

We struggled with infertility and lost our first pregnancy to an ectopic pregnancy. Shortly following, we became pregnant again with our daughter, Gwendolyn. It was a perfect pregnancy and delivery and we were blessed with a beautiful daughter.

A couple weeks after Gwen was born, we started to noticing non-stop crying and then a delay in meeting developmental milestones. After MANY appointments, a brain MRI revealed devastating results- Gwen had a rare and complex neurological disorder. The following week, she was also diagnosed with epilepsy.

Shortly following Gwen’s 2nd birthday, a repeat brain MRI was completed which demonstrated “profound tissue loss across all areas of the brain.” Gwen’s condition with switched to progressive (terminal) with no cure. She was then admitted to palliative care.

Through our journey with having a child with a terminal illness, we have learned how to find joy in the smallest moments. Even when the world feels completely dark, you can always find a small moment to make you smile.

To celebrate Gwen’s 4th birthday, we decided to give back to other families walking a similar path. In lieu of birthday gifts for Gwen, we collected donations to make Smile Bags (essentially gift bags) for other children on palliative and hospice care in Saint Louis. We ended up collecting approximately $8,000 and donated 80 Smile Bags that were each valued at $100. Once we saw the positive difference this made for families, we knew it couldn’t be a one time donation.

The following year (in 2019), we created the charity, Gwendolyn’s Gifts, with a mission to provide emotional support and financial support to families with children on palliative and hospice care. Since 2018, we have assisted approximately 900 families and have donated over $150,000. The charity provides financial assistance for necessary bills (rent/mortgage, utility bills, etc), will purchase necessary household items (refrigerators, phones, etc), donates Smile Bags in September to celebrate Gwen’s birthday, provides assistance during Christmas Holiday, provides $3000 funeral assistance, and assists with fulfilling small requests for children on hospice care.

My daughter has taught me to find the positive during hard times. We know we walk this journey of having a child with a terminal illness so we know to serve those walking a similar path.

Personally, I am a natural care-taker. I was a Speech Language Pathologist for 12 years; have been a full time caregiver for the last 8 years; and the Executive Director of a charity. Giving to others fulfills my soul.

Before starting a charity, I had zero experience in the non-profit world. However, I have something that you cannot teach: passion. I am hard-working, attentive to details, and responsive because of my passions to help other families.

I am extremely proud of this charity. It was created organically but it is truly making a difference for families in the Saint Louis area and surrounding regions. My goal was to be able to add funeral assistance to families who are going through the unimaginable. In 2021, we were able to reach this goal by providing $3000 funeral assistance grants. In 2023, we have promised to increase this to $5,000 funeral assistance grants. No family should ever bury their child and we want to hold their hand as much as possible as they walk this heartbreaking process.

And most importantly, I am proud to be Gwen’s mother. This September, she turned 8 years old. We never thought we would get to have 8 years with her. Multiple members of her medical staff have stated that she has lived this long because of the care and love that is provided to her daily. I am proud to be her mom and proud to be the one that gets to love on her everyday. If love could cure; she would have been cured in an instant. I know that we have done absolutely everything we can to give her the very best life and I will forever be grateful to be chosen to be her mother.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

This is a humorous response:

Our CEO is my daughter, Gwen. So technically, she’s my “business partner” and “boss.”
While she doesn’t truly “run” the charity; she is the heart and soul behind the inspiration of the charity. She has taught us unconditional love and the importance of giving back and is 100% deserving of her title.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Like I mentioned previously, I have no formal education in non-profit or business management. I have a degree in healthcare, Speech Language Pathology.

Being that the charity is personal to me, it has unlocked a passion. It mixes my desire for helping others with finding a purpose to my daughter’s journey.

The creation of the charity has been healing for me. While I still have days that are full of utter devastation; I also have days that make me smile and feel immense joy as I watch the way Gwendolyn is making a difference and shining her bright light to so many.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gwendolynsgifts.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/gwendolyns_gifts
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/gwensfoundation

Image Credits
Brenna Jean Photography (photo of Erin and Gwen) Leave it to Beaver Photography (photo of Mark and Erin with logo in the background) The other photos are my personal photos.