Our team and program sponsors
Parent advocates/bedside support team
Our bereavement care team is 100% volunteer and consists of big-hearted individuals of all backgrounds seeking to support the needs of families in our community walking the journey of pregnancy and infant loss. Many of them have been touched either personally or professionally by loss. This includes going bedside to support families at the time of loss to provide the gift of infant remembrance portraiture to connecting with loss families post partum as a parent peer match.
Kristen Samuelson, Bereavement Photographer/Parent Advocate
Kristen co-founded Three Little Birds to provide the gift of infant remembrance portraiture to local families experiencing loss so they have keepsakes and photos of their baby...something she herself wishes she was offered when she experienced stillbirth. Additionally, she provides personal consultations to families to provide them resources and to peer match them with another parent walking a similar journey.
Brent Samuelson, Bereavement Photographer/Parent Advocate
Brent co-founded Three Little Birds in memory of his daughters. He supports the nest as a Parent Advocate and volunteers his time as a photographer/advocate through our Bedside Bereavement Program. He has supported more than 100 families through capturing special moments of memory making and bonding. Additionally, he supports the dads in our nest at events and through our services and programs.
Christine Clarkin, NICU Nurse/Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Christine has more than three decades of experience as a NICU nurse in the Philadelphia region and has since become a Bereavement Doula and Parent Advocate through our Bedside Bereavement Program. Additionally, she serves on Three Little Birds Advisory Board and is working to expand our programs through the healthcare system in addition to going bedside and supporting families at events.
Ashly Hannah, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Ashly became a Certified Bereavement Doula after experiencing the stillbirth of her daughter Aubree. She has also launched a legacy project called Aubree's Adventures, to give families a social outlet with others walking a similar journey. Events he has hosted include a chocolate tasting, family game night and our popular Rage Room Smash event.
Brooke Koines, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Brooke was supported by Three Little Birds through various support and fundraising events after experiencing the loss of her son Xander at 24 weeks. She now supports other families in the nest by facilitating our monthly Craft & Heal support groups through her legacy project, Xander's Nursery. Additionally, she goes bedside to give the gift of infant remembrance portraiture. She is also interested in developing support specific to sibling loss.
Marci Bienkowski, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Marci completed our Advocate Training Program with the intention of helping others walking similar journeys of receiving a life limiting or uncertain fetal diagnosis. She is a professional physical therapist seeking to help families pregnant after loss. To honor her daughter Hope's birthday, Marci fundraisers to purchase grief support books. Thanks to Marci and Hope, Three Little Birds had copies to give to families that we support bedside or at our events. Additionally, she hosts an annual virtual support group for families experiencing termination for medical reasons.
Dominique Jimenez, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Dominique first learned of Three Little Birds bedside after delivering her son Luca Grey, who was stillborn. Since his passing, she has found healing and empowerment in supporting others walking similar journeys through her advocacy training and attending our monthly support groups. In addition to now being the advocate that goes bedside to support families like hers.
Sara Shepherd, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Sara found Three Little Birds through a friend after the loss of her son Oliver, and has since found a path to advocacy by supporting others. She is trained to go bedside through our Bedside Bereavement Program and supports others at our support groups and events.
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Erin Epstein, Infertility & Loss Support Group Facilitator/Parent Advocate
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Erin became involved in the nest after losing her twins, Dylan Charles and Madelyn Joy after years of struggling with infertility. In 2023, Erin began her journey in advocacy with Three Little Birds by launching our Infertility & Loss Support group which meets virtually. Additionally, she works as an Ambassador for the nest in strengthening our connection with other non-profits in the region with shared missions supporting the family building community.
Kristann Dolinsky,Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
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Kristann is a professional photographer who is finding healing in her own loss experience by becoming a trained advocate with Three Little Birds. She will use her talents to go bedside and give families the gift of infant remembrance portraiture in honor of her twins who were full term losses.
Kanei Green-Scott, Bereavement Doula/Licensed Practical Nurse/Child Life Counselor/Parent Advocate
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Kanei is committed to all things women's health related and wants to use her new certification as a bereavement doula to educate others in the classroom, the workplace and through various encounters. As a nurse, she will also focus on providing compassion and empathy while creating standard practices for perinatal bereavement care in the workplace. Kanei will support our families bedside through our training workshop and give the gift of validation and memory through infant remembrance portraiture.
Gianna Collins, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
Gianna learned about Three Little Birds through a friend after experiencing the loss of her son, Hayes. Since then, she has been a regular at support groups and events and in 2024, she took a leap into advocacy through our Perinatal Bereavement Training Program Scholarship with other loss parents. This past year, she welcomed her rainbow baby, Hayes's sister Fiadh and she continues to support the nest as a bereavement doula and friend to others. Read more about her story here.
Ariadna Lima, Bereavement Doula/Parent Advocate
Ariadna experienced the loss of her son, Liam, while visiting family and friends in Brazil and found comfort in connecting with other loss parents after returning home. She attended Three Little Bird's annual Wave of Light, she took a leap into advocacy in Liam's memory as a bedside bereavement and peer advocate for others experiencing the loss of their baby. Sadly, Ariadna also recently experienced the loss of her twin sons, Anthony and Declan, who were born prematurely. Read more about her story here.
Jenaiyah Lewis, Sibling Bereavement Advocate
Jenaiyah was only 13 when her baby brother, Josiah, was born sleeping. After navigating the grief of losing a sibling during her adolescence, she is now supporting other siblings as a young adult by developing a program and in-person events for other kids so they can connect with others who "get it" and can have time to be a kid again. Read more about her story here.
Jacquelyn Russo, Perinatal Bereavement Advocate/Registered Nurse
Jacquelyn's passion and commitment to perinatal bereavement comes from both a professional and personal perspective. She has professionally supported bereavement from time to time as a bedside nurse at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. It wasn't until her precious niece, Maria Rosa, was stillborn that she realized the need for awareness and support towards education and programs supporting the loss of a baby through memory making and bonding. It is her goal to support families through our Bedside Bereavement Program in Maria Rosa's memory. Read more about her story here.
Deja Houser, Perinatal Bereavement Advocate/Social Worker
Deja is a licensed social worker, full time medical social worker in pediatrics and part time therapist and hospice social worker. She received her undergraduate degree at Temple University and earned her Masters degree from Rutgers University. It is her goal to utilize her education and empathy to support perinatal health and bereavement with Three Little Birds. Read more about her story here.
Program Sponsors
Virtual support program
Three Little Birds currently offer several virtual support options monthly and are open to all. They are held via Google Meet at 6 PM EST. Thank you to our program sponsors!
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Pregnancy/Parenting After Loss Support - 1st Tuesdays of the month
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Hey Mama Lactation & Perinatal Care - Chelly Andrews; heymamalpc.com
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Kelly Paugh, LSW, Postpartum Wellness Initiative of South Jersey, snjpc.org
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Caitlyn Rankel, Birth & Bereavement Doula, Labor to Love Doula Services
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Virtual Group Therapy with Licensed Providers - 2nd Mondays of the month
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Susan Gold, LPC, 609-706-1332
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Goodnow Counseling, Ashley Perry, LPC, Goodnow Counseling, 856-242-1436
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Dr. Jana Hartjen, Licensed Psychologist, 856-208-7225
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The Artemis Center for Guidance, Kate DeStefano-Torres, 856-589-3420, ext 100
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A Hopeful Tomorrow Counseling, Alicia Carpenter, LPC, 856-649-6241
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Palliative Care Program/Bedside Bereavement Sponsors
Three Little Birds collaborates with other groups and providers to support families bedside. We want to extend a personal thank you to:
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Wondertime, LLC - Glenda Barachko, 3D/4D Ultrasounds for Palliative Care families, wondertimellc.com
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Heaven's Baby Angels - Angel Gown Sewing Circle, heavensbabyangels.com
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