Noblesville parents launch kindness campaign to honor daughter’s memory
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A Noblesville couple is honoring their infant daughter’s memory one year after her death. Patricia and Mark Sweigart have launched “Josie’s Impact,” a social media campaign aimed at spreading random acts of kindness.
The parents asked people to complete one act of kindness every day for 18 days starting on March 18 because that’s how long their daughter, Josie, lived.
“She was born premature at 28 weeks on March 18, 2016. She weighed one pound, fourteen ounces. She got an infection while she was in the NICU and unfortunately she passed away after 18 days,” said Mark Sweigart.
A year later, Mark and Patricia Sweitgart are building the legacy Josie didn’t have time to create.
“When you have a child, you want them to grow up and do good things for people. We didn’t’ have the chance to do that with Josie,” said Patricia Sweigart.
The Sweigarts leave a card that explains their mission with every act of kindness.
“Eighteen days doesn’t sound very long, but when you’re doing something every single day and it makes it seem longer. I wanted people to know that even though it was only 18 days, it was a long time for us,” said Patricia Sweigart.
The Sweigarts say more than 100 people have taken part “Josie’s Impact.” The campaign has now reached more than a dozen states including Hawaii. So far, people have donated money, left gift cards for strangers, bought people coffee and dropped off treats for firefighters.
“So many people have reached out, sent us messages. It just feels like things are coming together. Like this was part of her purpose,” said Sweigart.
Patricia says the cards are finding the right people. By chance, they’ve even reached other parents who have also lost children.
“It’s brought us comfort. I hope it helps bring them comfort dealing with their loss. It’s really not just about Josie, it’s about all the other babies that are taken too soon,” said Mark Sweigart.
The couple hopes their effort will make sure those babies are never forgotten. They know they will always remember the little girl, who in just 18 days forever changed their world.
“Don’t be afraid to say her name. Hearing Josie’s name is the best thing. It makes our day. We think about her all the time, so I think people are afraid to say the name thinking it would bring us down, but it actually does the opposite,” said Patricia Sweigart.
The Sweigarts printed out more than 100 sets of cards. They quickly ran out and can’t keep up with the demand. If you complete a random act of kindness, the family asks you publicly share the post on social media including #JosiesImpact.
The family did have some good news to share, they told 24-Hour News 8 Patricia is expecting a baby boy in May.
Click here to view and print the card.