Latest news with #OpenArms
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Newton nonprofit holds fundraiser to install safe haven baby box
NEWTON, Iowa — A nonprofit in Newton is halfway to its fundraising goal for a safe haven baby box to be installed at the community's hospital. The plan was first presented in 2024 when Jasper County Attorney General Scott Nicholson brought the idea to the Open Arms Foundation of Jasper County, a nonprofit that provides support for children facing crisis or are in the foster care system. Open Arms was founded last year and provides backpacks with necessary supplies and comfort items to children who were removed from their biological families. So far, the nonprofit has helped 200 children and families, according to founder and director Nick Pietrack. At the beginning of 2025, Open Arms started fundraising for a baby box in Newton. Their goal is $30,000. Pietrack says the box is estimated to cost $20,000, plus $500 in annual fees for maintenance, training, certification, and other expenses. His goal is to raise enough that the cost is covered for many years. Sen. Joni Ernst responds to backlash from her sarcastic comments on Medicaid Around $15,000 has been raised so far, but the organization plans on fundraising for the rest of the year. Pietrack said the baby box will be installed in Newton even if the fundraising goal isn't met, but he commends the community's ability to come together in support of this cause. 'I've seen a tremendous ability in Jasper County for us to gather our community for positive things. So, it's very heartwarming and wonderful to see the support and we're excited about it,' he said. The baby box will be located at the MercyOne Newton Medical Center. Pietrack said the current plan is to have the box located outside the emergency room and near the ambulance bays, however the hospital will be remodeling soon, so the exact location in the hospital is subject to change. 'We want to be proactive, not reactive. So, the reason for some of the baby boxes being installed in other communities are reactive towards horrible incidences that have happened, tragic deaths of infant children,' he said. Newton is now the fourth Iowa community to start the process of installing a baby box. The Iowa Safe Haven Act went into effect in 2002, and it provides parents in crisis an option to safely surrender an infant up to 90-days-old. The law was expanded in 2023, allowing communities to implement their own safe haven baby boxes. Since then, baby boxes were installed at the Fort Dodge Fire Department and the MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines. The Norwalk Fire Department announced last year that they are in the process of installing a baby box as a result of a baby's death in 2023. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that a baby girl was recently surrendered safely through the Safe Haven Law. She is the third infant to be surrendered this year and the 77th since the law was put into effect, according to the department's press release. Iowa News: Iowa veteran passes halfway point on Appalachian Trail Newton nonprofit holds fundraiser to install safe haven baby box Storms move in, along with cooler air Miguel Angel Jimenez wins playoff in Iowa for 3rd PGA Tour Champions victory of the year Forecast: Smoke exits, storms move in Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scottish Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Richard Gere shares very rare photo with his children after their life out of the spotlight
Plus, more about the good cause Richard was seen promoting in his Instagram post PRETTY FAMILY Richard Gere shares very rare photo with his children after their life out of the spotlight RICHARD Gere has shared a very rare photo with his children after keeping them out of the spotlight. The esteemed actor, 75, shared a sweet snap with his youngest sons on Friday, as he posed with them - and his beautiful wife - for a good cause. Advertisement 3 Richard Gere posed with his wife and two youngest sons in his latest Instagram post Credit: Instagram/Richard Gere 3 Richard married Alejandra Silva in 2018 Credit: Getty Standing in the garden with his two sons and his wife Alejandra Silva, after recently moving to Spain, Richard promoted non-profit organization Open Arms. Standing beside Alejandra with their two sons in front of them, Richard smiled and penned a meaningful caption. He said: "This whole family is a proud supporter of @openarms_fund and their mission to save lives. @alejandragere." In the snap, the four family members posed while donning matching sweatshirts promoting non-profit Open Arms. Advertisement Read More about Celeb Kids FAMOUS LOVE Celeb kids who dated other celeb kids as Ryder Hudson & Iris Apatow go official According to the foundation's website, Open Arms "provides a home away from home at no cost for those who must travel to receive medical treatment". Richard married his wife Alejandra, who was seen beaming beside him in the new snap, in 2018. The smitten couple share two sons, Alexander who is six years of age, and James who is five. Richard also has a third son, Homer, from his previous marriage to Carey Lowell. Advertisement Fans were quick to react to the sweet snap, with one person commenting: "Lovely family." Another said: "Very beautiful family, all 4 of them are beautiful." Watch the moment Richard Gere makes obscene gesture at TV host leaving her stunned While a third added: "Congratulations to this beautiful couple, and their beautiful children." "Love you and your family," penned a fourth. Advertisement And a fifth wrote: "What a truly beautiful family. Love to Richard from Los Angeles." While a sixth swooned: "Sweet picture." The Pretty Woman actor, who starred alongside Julia Roberts in the hit movie, has been involved - publicly - with the organization Open Arms since 2019. It was in 2019 that he was first publicly linked to the charity. Advertisement This came when he was seen on a rescue vessel on the Mediterranean Sea. While he was on the vessel, Richard helped to take supplies to the 121 migrants on board. The migrants had all fled Libya. Speaking about his decision to go on the boat and offer his assistance, Richard said how "inspired" he was to do so at the time. Advertisement In a chat with The Guardian he said: "I'm inspired by Open Arms. "I'm deeply committed to their point of view of the universe,' he told the outlet." He added: "They're dealing up close with these people, and that's where you want to get your information. "They said it was deeply serious, not only to them, but to other rescue boats as well. Advertisement "And that's when I made a very quick decision. I said: 'Look, I gotta see this for myself.' I jumped in a car and arrived at the Rome airport in literally five minutes."
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Richard Gere shares very rare photo with his children after their life out of the spotlight
RICHARD Gere has shared a very rare photo with his children after keeping them out of the spotlight. The esteemed actor, 75, shared a sweet snap with his youngest sons on Friday, as he posed with them - and his beautiful wife - for a good cause. 3 3 Standing in the garden with his two sons and his wife Alejandra Silva, after recently moving to Spain, Richard promoted non-profit organization Open Arms. Standing beside Alejandra with their two sons in front of them, Richard smiled and penned a meaningful caption. He said: "This whole family is a proud supporter of @openarms_fund and their mission to save lives. @alejandragere." In the snap, the four family members posed while donning matching sweatshirts promoting non-profit Open Arms. According to the foundation's website, Open Arms "provides a home away from home at no cost for those who must travel to receive medical treatment". Richard married his wife Alejandra, who was seen beaming beside him in the new snap, in 2018. The smitten couple share two sons, Alexander who is six years of age, and James who is five. Richard also has a third son, Homer, from his previous marriage to Carey Lowell. Fans were quick to react to the sweet snap, with one person commenting: "Lovely family." Another said: "Very beautiful family, all 4 of them are beautiful." Watch the moment Richard Gere makes obscene gesture at TV host leaving her stunned While a third added: "Congratulations to this beautiful couple, and their beautiful children." "Love you and your family," penned a fourth. And a fifth wrote: "What a truly beautiful family. Love to Richard from Los Angeles." While a sixth swooned: "Sweet picture." The Pretty Woman actor, who starred alongside Julia Roberts in the hit movie, has been involved - publicly - with the organization Open Arms since 2019. It was in 2019 that he was first publicly linked to the charity. This came when he was seen on a rescue vessel on the Mediterranean Sea. While he was on the vessel, Richard helped to take supplies to the 121 migrants on board. The migrants had all fled Libya. Speaking about his decision to go on the boat and offer his assistance, Richard said how "inspired" he was to do so at the time. In a chat with The Guardian he said: "I'm inspired by Open Arms. "I'm deeply committed to their point of view of the universe,' he told the outlet." He added: "They're dealing up close with these people, and that's where you want to get your information. "They said it was deeply serious, not only to them, but to other rescue boats as well. "And that's when I made a very quick decision. I said: 'Look, I gotta see this for myself.' I jumped in a car and arrived at the Rome airport in literally five minutes." 3
The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Richard Gere shares very rare photo with his children after their life out of the spotlight
RICHARD Gere has shared a very rare photo with his children after keeping them out of the spotlight. The esteemed actor, 75, shared a sweet snap with his youngest sons on Friday, as he posed with them - and his beautiful wife - for a good cause. Advertisement 3 Richard Gere posed with his wife and two youngest sons in his latest Instagram post Credit: Instagram/Richard Gere 3 Richard married Alejandra Silva in 2018 Credit: Getty Standing in the garden with his two sons and his wife Alejandra Silva, after recently moving to Spain, Richard promoted non-profit organization Open Arms. Standing beside Alejandra with their two sons in front of them, Richard smiled and penned a meaningful caption. He said: "This whole family is a proud supporter of @openarms_fund and their mission to save lives. @alejandragere." In the snap, the four family members posed while donning matching sweatshirts promoting non-profit Open Arms. Advertisement Read More about Celeb Kids According to the foundation's website, Open Arms "provides a home away from home at no cost for those who must travel to receive medical treatment". Richard married his wife Alejandra, who was seen beaming beside him in the new snap, in 2018. The smitten couple share two sons, Alexander who is six years of age, and James who is five. Richard also has a third son, Homer, from his previous marriage to Carey Lowell. Advertisement Most read in Celebrity Exclusive Fans were quick to react to the sweet snap, with one person commenting: "Lovely family." Another said: "Very beautiful family, all 4 of them are beautiful." Watch the moment Richard Gere makes obscene gesture at TV host leaving her stunned While a third added: "Congratulations to this beautiful couple, and their beautiful children." "Love you and your family," penned a fourth. Advertisement And a fifth wrote: "What a truly beautiful family. Love to Richard from Los Angeles." While a sixth swooned: "Sweet picture." The Pretty Woman actor, who starred alongside Julia Roberts in the hit movie, has been involved - publicly - with the organization Open Arms since 2019. It was in 2019 that he was first publicly linked to the charity. Advertisement This came when he was seen on a rescue vessel on the Mediterranean Sea. While he was on the vessel, Richard helped to take supplies to the 121 migrants on board. The migrants had all fled Libya. Speaking about his decision to go on the boat and offer his assistance, Richard said how "inspired" he was to do so at the time. Advertisement In a chat with "I'm deeply committed to their point of view of the universe,' he told the outlet." He added: "They're dealing up close with these people, and that's where you want to get your information. "They said it was deeply serious, not only to them, but to other rescue boats as well. Advertisement "And that's when I made a very quick decision. I said: 'Look, I gotta see this for myself.' I jumped in a car and arrived at the Rome airport in literally five minutes." 3 Richard has a third son, Homer, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Carey Lowell Credit: Getty
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Richard Gere shares rare glimpse of his kids with wife Alejandra Silva after keeping them out of spotlight
Richard Gere gave a rare glimpse of his youngest sons as he posed for a sweet snap along with wife Alejandra Silva on Friday. The Pretty Woman actor, 75 - who recently moved to his wife's home country of Spain - could be seen posing outside with his family while also promoting the non-profit organization Open Arms. The star tied the knot with the Spanish activist in 2018, and the couple share sons Alexander, six, and James, five. Gere donned matching gray hoodies with Silva and their two sons - who had their backs turned towards the camera to show off the back of the sweatshirts. In the caption of the post, Richard penned: 'This whole family is a proud supporter of @openarms_fund and their mission to save lives. ♥️ @alejandragere.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Open Arms Foundation 'provides a home away from home at no cost for those who must travel to receive medical treatment,' per the official website. Richard has been involved with the charity for years and back in 2019, was seen on an Open Arms rescue vessel on the Mediterranean Sea. He helped bring supplies to the 121 migrants on board who at the time, had fled war-torn Libya. During a past interview with The Guardian, Gere reflected on his decision to go onto the boat and offer his assistance. 'I'm inspired by Open Arms. I'm deeply committed to their point of view of the universe,' he told the outlet. 'They're dealing up close with these people, and that's where you want to get your information. […] They said it was deeply serious, not only to them, but to other rescue boats as well.' The star continued, 'And that's when I made a very quick decision. I said: "Look, I gotta see this for myself." I jumped in a car and arrived at the Rome airport in literally five minutes.' Gere's latest post comes not long after the star officially moved to Spain with his wife Alejandra and their children. The Primal Fear actor is also father to son Homer, 25, whom he shares with ex-wife Carey Lowell. Silva has another son named Albert, 12, from a previous relationship. While talking to Elle España earlier this year in January, Richard and Alejandra opened up about the big move. 'The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum. We are happier than ever,' the Hollywood star expressed. Silva also gushed, 'We are like soulmates. We have the same values, we see the world in the same way and from the first moment we felt like we have known each other for a long time. And this only happens once, if it happens at all.' In regards to how they have all settled in Spain with their children, Alejandra stated, 'Richard is a very devoted and present father. He loves to read them stories. 'It seems like an idyllic photo, but it's true. He's a great dad. He doesn't cook. I do it, but when I cook, he plays the guitar.' Late last year in November, Gere explained why he and his family have chosen to relocate to his wife's home country while on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. 'My wife is Spanish and she gave me about seven years here, so we're going to spend some years in Madrid with her family.' The star also told the late night talk show host, 'Our kids are bilingual, so they're going to flourish there.' A few months earlier in March, Silva paid a special tribute to Richard as he celebrated his first 'Spanish Father's Day.' She uploaded a sweet photo as the actor talked to their three youngest kids and added the caption: 'Happy 1st Spanish Father's day to the best dad of the world.' However, last month in April - it was revealed that the couple and their children have plans to still return to the U.S. Alejandra shared the big news while exclusively talking to at the City Harvests Presents The 2025 Gala. 'For a few years [we'll live in Spain], and then come back. But we're always coming back.' The activist added, 'We'll come back here in the summer because we have the kids at camp. We just have to balance our lives there and here. 'I'm with my family ... I missed them a lot. But I miss the U.S. So we come back and forth.' Gere also still has projects under his belt such as the upcoming romantic comedy titled The Making Of. The film - which is still in its pre-production stages - additionally stars Blake Lively, Diane Keaton and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The premise is: 'Long-married filmmakers have cast overemotional actors to portray their younger selves in the story of their great love. Unfortunately, by the time shooting begins, their fabled marriage is unraveling,' per IMDB.
