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From a young age, Rickie felt like the world was working against her. Raised in a turbulent household surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and abuse, Rickie was only 9 when she started self-harming. Rickie turned to drugs and alcohol as a teenager, finding an escape from her depression, but addiction is a disease that quickly takes over.

Becoming a version of herself that she did not recognize, Rickie soon found herself in a relationship that was emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive. This man would become the father of her children and Rickie would become stuck in a treacherous cycle of addiction, domestic violence, and incarceration. In 2021, Rickie hit her self-described “rock bottom” when she was incarcerated and pregnant with her youngest son, Adrian.

“Up until this point, I had chosen addiction over the most important thing in my life—my babies. I was determined to give up drugs for good,” Rickie told us.

When she left prison, Rickie was accepted into the ReMerge program in Oklahoma City. ReMerge is a longtime referral partner of Infant Crisis Services, and they connected Rickie with our program so she could get the items she needed to be the best mother for her children.

“Having access to Infant Crisis Services is a relief for sure. It is nice to know that I can get help with diapers and formula—it’s one less thing to stress about when things get hard,” Rickie continued, “I get to focus on being a good mom to my boys rather than think about how I’m going to get them diapers and food.”

Today, Rickie has maintained her sobriety for nearly two years, making her the mom she always dreamed of being, she has her license and steady employment in IT support, and she is working hard to regain custody of Dakota so that she can be the mom he deserves. Rickie has even volunteered in our packing room, learning the value of giving back to the community and helping so many other mothers.

“I have seen rock bottom and I’m going nowhere but up.” Rickie shared.

When you support Infant Crisis Services, your impact reaches far beyond the walls of our building. Your support empowers parents, enhances our community’s ability to care for our neighbors, and strengthens not only our agency but the many agencies who refer clients to our services every day.

Please join the team at Infant Crisis Services in congratulating Rickie as she graduates from ReMerge and steps into this new chapter of motherhood.

“I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me moving forward”

Click here to support little ones like Adrian and Dakota!

Mission Moment with Miki

Today I want to highlight a partnership that plays a major role in ensuring we can provide diapers to the babies and toddlers who need them most. Infant Crisis Services is a proud member of the National Diaper Bank Network, a group that connects and supports over 225 community-based diaper banks across the U.S. We are honored to join the National Diaper Bank Network in their mission to end diaper need, but we cannot do it without your support.

Every day, Infant Crisis Services provides families with the basic items they need to help their little ones grow, but these items are anything but basic—they are life- sustaining. When families do not have enough clean diapers, their babies run the risk of infections and rashes, childcare and employment are jeopardized, and families face financial stressors that lead to unhappy homes. With you by our side, we can ensure that babies and toddlers across the state go to bed each night with a dry bottom. Join us September 18th through 24th as Oklahoma recognizes National Diaper Needs Awareness Week and know that your support actively challenges the statistics below.

Always for the babies,

YOU can help us create a community where no child goes without clean diapers and where parents can focus on nurturing their children’s dreams.

Planned Giving

Did you know you can make a planned gift to ICS without changing your will or trust? It’s as simple as requesting a beneficiary change form for any retirement plans you may have including an annuity, 401K, 403b, or life insurance policy. Financial institutions allow you to list charities, like ICS, as primary, partial, or contingent beneficiaries. Please consider designating a percentage of your retirement ac- count to ICS and ensure that Oklahoma babies and toddlers go to bed with full bellies and clean diapers for years to come. If you would like to discuss these options further, please contact Lisa Perry, Sr. Development Manager at 405-778-7638 or lisaperry@infantcrisis.org.

Give Diapers

Any contribution, big or small, makes a significant impact. Whether you can spare a single pack or host a diaper drive at your workplace or community, every diaper counts! Drives are a great way to share our mission with tangible results. If you would like to host a drive for the items we need most, reach out to Haydn Beatty, Development Coordinator at haydnbeatty@infantcrisis.org or (405)778-7620

Attend an event for ICS

Join us for our annual Feed Babies Luncheon on September 27th at 11:30am. This event is free to attend and will include a delicious lunch, tours of the agency, and an opportunity to learn more about our impact in the community. If you would like to attend or if you would like to host a table of your closest friends, please contact Lisa Perry, Sr. Development Manager at 405-778-7638 or lisaperry@infantcrisis.org

Gratitude Beyond Measure:

We want to extend our deepest thanks to OnCue for their continued commitment to feeding and diapering Oklahoma’s little ones. Since 2019, OnCue has graciously provided the fuel for our BabyMobiles so that they can take essentials across the state. This year, OnCue sold reusable cups with a portion of the proceeds going toward our BabyMobile program. We are overjoyed to announce that 53,000 cups were sold, and On- Cue presented us with $26,725. This selfless contribution came at the perfect time. Thank you for helping us feed babies for 4 years, OnCue!