Buggy Bunch on a roll, fetes growth with museum event

Buggy Bunch supporters gathered at the Vero Beach Museum of Art to enjoy a Night at the Museum, celebrating the remarkable growth of the organization since its founding in 2009.

Tara Wright, Buggy Bunch executive director, said they are seeing an average of 10 to 15 new moms a week at their Buggy Bunch Family Center. In 2022 they served more than 3,700 men, women and children and provided some 27,000 diapers to families in need.

“We provide weekly educational playgroups that are just as important for the mother as they are for the child. We offer a single mom support group, teen mom support, financial classes, various Bible studies, health and fitness classes, marriage building opportunities, parenting seminars, park playgroups, and our diaper closet. And all of our services are free,” said Wright.

“Each day we are encountering moms from every socioeconomic background, every religious, non-religious background, every phase of life,” said Wright. “On behalf of the board of directors, the staff and the families that we serve, I truly thank you for helping us by touching hearts, changing lives and impacting families.”

Co-founder and board member Erin Refsland said it all began with four mothers, who had met in a Bible study group and would walk the Barber Bridge with their babies in strollers, while talking about whatever was on their minds.

After noticing another group of mothers exercising and learning that it cost $10 a class, they decided to start a free group.

“Our eyes were opened to the amount of moms that felt alone and isolated,” said Refsland.

As word spread, churches and businesses began offering space and volunteers helped with childcare.

“Over time, we could tell God was doing something big with this organization, and when we needed financial support, our generous and beloved donors came through just when we needed it,” said Refsland.

“The women at the Buggy Bunch have been my family’s rock and have prayed so, so much for my children,” said Nicole Campanelli, who discovered the nonprofit during COVID. In February 2022 she said, “I felt the Holy Spirit was screaming at me to go home and check on the baby.”

She did and found her 18-month-old son unresponsive. He was airlifted to Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando where they discovered brain damage to the cerebellum. Doctors didn’t know if he would be able to walk, talk, speak or swallow, but he continues to improve through hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“Tommy had an army of people praying for him and it worked,” said Campanelli.

Remarkably, a benefactor donated a hyperbaric chamber to the Buggy Bunch for her to use.

“I knew right then that God was providing exactly what we needed to help continue to heal my son. As a single mother raising two small boys, I am so grateful for this resource, for our family, and for the relationships I’ve gained coming here for the last three years. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for the Buggy Bunch and the lifeline that they’ve been for our family, especially for helping to save my sanity in a world that had gone crazy.”

Secretary Shevaun Harris of the Florida Department of Children and Families, spoke about Hope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, spearheaded by Casey DeSantis, wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis, and implemented by DCF and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in collaboration with the private sector, faith-based communities, nonprofits and government entities.

Hope Florida has transformed the way DCF engages with families by using Hope Navigators who form relationships with individuals and families, creating customized plans to connect them with the services they need to meet their individual goals.

They have served more than 54,000 families over the past 18 months, including employment, educational and vocational resources, housing, childcare, reduced reliance on public assistance benefits, and those referred by child protective investigators. “We want them to be able to thrive and be economically self-sufficient,” said Harris.

For more information, visit TheBuggyBunch.com.

Photos by Joshua Kodis