Little Lanterns

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Little Lanterns Little Lanterns is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 bringing comfort + play to babies in NICUs, PICUs & early intervention. One little light at a time.

We deliver enrichment toys to support development, healing, and hope.

Today is the LAST DAY to become an event sponsor for our 86 Days of Hope Kick-Off!For $250, your business or organizatio...
10/14/2026

Today is the LAST DAY to become an event sponsor for our 86 Days of Hope Kick-Off!

For $250, your business or organization can help us kick off 86 days of giving, hope, and community while supporting this year’s campaign benefiting a local Special Care Nursery.

As an event sponsor, you’ll receive:
-A sponsor yard sign displayed at the event
-Your logo on our event T-shirt
- Bi-Weekly social media recognition throughout the 86 days
-Recognition on our website

Our Kick-Off takes place October 26 from 5–7 PM at Miller Point Park, where we’ll gather as a community to decorate luminaries, enjoy warm refreshments and Live Music by Amy Yore, and light the first lantern of this year’s campaign.

✨ If you’ve been thinking about becoming a sponsor, today is the day!

👉 Email us TODAY to secure your spot: [email protected]

Not able to sponsor? You can also make a tax-deductible donation at https://givebutter.com/little-lanterns-86-days-of-hope-20262027-vmxmt6

In just TWO WEEKS, we’ll be gathering at Miller Point to light the first lantern of this year’s 86 Days of Hope.And we w...
10/12/2026

In just TWO WEEKS, we’ll be gathering at Miller Point to light the first lantern of this year’s 86 Days of Hope.

And we want to fill the park with YOU!

Bring the kids, grandparents, friends, and neighbors! Everyone is invited to join us for a family-friendly evening centered around community, hope, and giving back.

You'll be able to decorate a luminary and add it to our display as we work together to Light the Way for the babies and families who will benefit from this year's campaign.

🏮 Decorate a luminary
☕ Enjoy warm refreshments
🎶 Listen to Live Music by Amy Yore
💛 Learn about Little Lanterns and 86 Days of Hope
✨ Help us fill Miller Point with light!

Want to help us Light the Way? THIS IS OUR LAST WEEK for $250 event sponsors to help make our 86 Days of Hope Kick-Off possible!

Not ready to sponsor but still want to support the campaign? Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and will help us make an impact for this year’s local Special Care Nursery.

Make a donation here: https://givebutter.com/little-lanterns-86-days-of-hope-20262027-vmxmt6

There will also be plenty of opportunities throughout the evening to donate and learn how you can continue supporting 86 Days of Hope through January 20.

📅 October 26
⏰ 5–7 PM
📍 Miller Point Park

Two weeks to go! Tag someone you want to bring with you. 💛👇

A beautiful evening of light deserves the perfect soundtrack!Thanks to the generous support of HealthMarkets Insurance -...
10/09/2026

A beautiful evening of light deserves the perfect soundtrack!

Thanks to the generous support of HealthMarkets Insurance - Santos Agency , Amy Yore will be performing live from 5–7 PM while our community gathers at Miller Point to decorate luminaries, enjoy warm refreshments, and help us officially light the first lantern of this year’s 86 Days of Hope.

HealthMarkets – Santos Agency has been an ongoing supporter of Little Lanterns, and we are incredibly grateful to have them once again step up to help us create a memorable evening for our families and community.

Please help us give them a BIG Little Lanterns thank you for helping us Light the Way!

86 Days of Hope Kick-Off
📅 October 26 | 5–7 PM
📍 Miller Point Park
🎶 Live Music by Amy Yore

💛Maybe your family has experienced a NICU or Special Care Nursery stay.💛Maybe you want to make a donation in honor of a ...
10/07/2026

💛Maybe your family has experienced a NICU or Special Care Nursery stay.
💛Maybe you want to make a donation in honor of a child, parent, nurse, or medical professional who holds a special place in your heart.
💛Maybe your business wants to give back without becoming an event sponsor.
💛Or maybe you simply believe in what Little Lanterns is working to accomplish.

✨Every gift matters.✨

Your donations throughout these 86 days will help us purchase needed items, provide meaningful resources, and fulfill needs identified by the Special Care Nursery we are supporting this year (to be announced at our kick-off!)

✨ Give $10. Give $25. Give $100. Create a family collection. Get your coworkers involved. Every contribution becomes part of something much bigger when our community comes together.

Little Lanterns is a nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

💛 Ready to help us Light the Way?

Donate at: https://givebutter.com/little-lanterns-86-days-of-hope-20262027-vmxmt6

From October 26 through January 20, let's see just how much hope our community can create in 86 days.

Thank you to HLC Therapy Group, LLC for inviting Little Lanterns to be part of your Fall Fest & Trunk or Treat this pas...
10/06/2026

Thank you to HLC Therapy Group, LLC for inviting Little Lanterns to be part of your Fall Fest & Trunk or Treat this past weekend!

We had such a great time getting out into the community, seeing all the creative costumes, meeting families, and joining in on the fall fun. Events like this give us an opportunity to not only have a little fun ourselves, but also connect with families and continue spreading the word about the resources and support available through Little Lanterns.

A huge THANK YOU to HLC for hosting such a wonderful community event and including us! We loved being part of it and appreciate everyone who stopped by to say hello. 💛

Well, hello to all the new faces around here! 💛If you found Little Lanterns recently, welcome. I’m really glad you’re he...
10/06/2026

Well, hello to all the new faces around here! 💛

If you found Little Lanterns recently, welcome. I’m really glad you’re here.

Little Lanterns is something that started from a very personal place for me after Colin’s NICU stay, and it has grown into something so much bigger than I ever expected. We’re here for families who are navigating the NICU, early intervention, therapies, developmental differences, and all of the things that can make parenting feel a little heavier than you expected.

One thing I never want to lose sight of is why we’re here. Families don’t need more people telling them what they should have done, what they could have done differently, or making them feel like they have to explain themselves before they deserve support. We’re here to listen, find solutions, share resources, and help families take the next step. No judgment. No shame. Just people helping people.

And if you’re new here, this is a great time to jump in! Our 86 Days of Hope: Help Us Light the Way kicks off October 26 at Miller Point in McHenry from 5–7 PM. We’ll be coming together to share stories of hope, raise awareness, and support local families who have children in the NICU and early intervention.

Thank you for being here. Whether you donate, volunteer, share a post, show up to an event, or simply tell another family about Little Lanterns, you’re helping us keep the lanterns lit. 🧡

-Megg

The countdown is officially ON!On October 26, Little Lanterns will take over Miller Point for a very special evening as ...
10/05/2026

The countdown is officially ON!

On October 26, Little Lanterns will take over Miller Point for a very special evening as we kick off our annual 86 Days of Hope campaign.

This year, we’re starting with LIGHT.

💛 Want to help us Light the Way? We are still looking for $250 event sponsors to help make our 86 Days of Hope Kick-Off possible! Email us at [email protected] for more info!

Not ready to sponsor but still want to support the campaign? Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and will help us make an impact for this year’s local Special Care Nursery.

Make a donation here: https://givebutter.com/little-lanterns-86-days-of-hope-20262027-vmxmt6

Families and community members will have the opportunity to decorate luminaries that will come together to illuminate Miller Point. Each little light representing the hope and support our community can provide when we come together.

And this beautiful evening is only Day 1.
From October 26 through January 20, we'll spend 86 days raising funds, collecting needed items, and rallying our community to benefit a local Special Care Nursery (to be announced at the event!)

📅 October 26
⏰ 5–7 PM
📍 Miller Point Park

Save the date, invite your friends, and help us spread the word!

One night. Hundreds of lights. 86 Days of Hope.

Why does 86 Days of Hope begin on October 26?Because this campaign is personal.Little Lanterns was born from founder Meg...
10/01/2026

Why does 86 Days of Hope begin on October 26?

Because this campaign is personal.

Little Lanterns was born from founder Megg’s own experience with her son Colin, a micro-preemie who spent 86 days in the NICU from October 26 through January 20.

Each year, we take those same 86 days and turn them into 86 Days of Hope for other babies and families.

And this year, we’re beginning with light.

On October 26 from 5–7 PM, we invite our community to join us at Miller Point Park for our 86 Days of Hope Kick-Off.

Families will decorate luminaries that will come together to illuminate the park, a beautiful reminder that one small light may not seem like much, but when a community brings those lights together, they can shine incredibly bright.

Learn about Little Lanterns, donate, and find out how you can support this year’s campaign benefiting a local Special Care Nursery that will be announced at the event.

📅 October 26
⏰ 5–7 PM
📍 Miller Point Park

https://www.facebook.com/share/1aovGFgunr/

Come help us light the first lantern and begin another 86 days of hope.

09/30/2026

Today is the final day of NICU Awareness Month.

NICU life and NICU trauma can feel like a revolving door. In that phase of life, you learn to put your head down and get through it. You become harder and softer at the same time. You become resilient and vulnerable all at once.

It doesn’t end at discharge.
You carry it with you.

I can only speak for myself. I am less than two years out from the NICU, and we are almost celebrating my son’s second birthday, a birthday that wasn’t supposed to come until December. And yet, the NICU still affects me every single day.

Everyone’s experience is different. Everyone’s healing is different. And everyone’s ability to move forward looks different, too.

Maybe you are still in the NICU. Maybe you just came home. Maybe your child is thriving, maybe they are still facing challenges, or maybe you are somewhere in between. Maybe years have passed and something still catches you off guard.

Wherever you are in your NICU journey as a parent, and wherever your child is in theirs, you belong here at Little Lanterns.

There is a place for you here.
There is a place for your story here.
Always.

NICU Awareness Month may be ending, but the experience doesn’t simply end when September does. It changes you. It becomes part of your story. And for many of us, we will carry it with us forever.

So today, and every day, I SEE YOU.

The parents still sitting beside an isolette. The parents learning how to go home without their baby. The parents navigating therapies, appointments, diagnoses, feeding struggles, equipment and everything that comes after. The parents who are still trying to understand what happened to their family.

You are not alone.
Keep your lantern lit.
Can’t today? We will light it for you.
🧡
-Megg

Address

4300 Pearl St Rd
McHenry, IL
60050

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