The last two months have felt like quite a sprint!
From facing the potential of closing our doors to launching a high-stakes awareness and fundraising campaign, you could say we’ve had our hands full.
And yet, even in the midst of chaos, there was an unshakable sense of hope—not just for Maddie’s Place, but for the many families we serve.
So, what happened?
Throughout March and April, our team anxiously awaited word from the Washington State Legislature about whether we’d receive continued funding for the next year.
If you didn’t know, Maddie’s Place has been operating under a state pilot project for the past two years, through which we received $5.5 million to provide care and collect critical data. Of that amount, $190,000 was allocated to Washington State University to conduct a study on our services for the Health Care Authority.
This money is set to run out by the end of June 2025. Knowing this, our president/CEO, Shaun Cross, put a lot of his efforts last fall into advocating for our services to be covered under Medicaid. When that didn’t pan out, he shifted his focus to securing our place in the state budget.
The stakes were raised. When we heard that the state would be facing some major budget cuts, our resolve grew stronger, and our fight was bolstered. Instead of backing down, we doubled down.
Behind the scenes, Shaun made multiple trips to Olympia—meeting with key legislators, working alongside our lobbyists, and joining forces with one of our strongest allies, Senator Marcus Riccelli.
Time was running out. Tension was high. And then…
Katie Tolley (our Director of Advancement and Marketing) and I (Emma Jones) were pulled into a meeting with Shaun we’ll never forget.
“I need you to ring the alarm bells,” he said.
I knew then—we were in for a whirlwind. And yet, somehow, I felt peace.
Here’s the wild part—just weeks earlier, I had posted a video called “A Day in the Life of an [Infant Care Specialist].” It went viral and tripled our following.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Because when we asked for support—our community showed up. Big time.
We received an outpouring of donations, messages, and encouragement from around the world. From $3 to $300, every gift mattered. Every voice gave us strength.
Here are a few of the messages we received:
“I fell into addiction while pregnant with my fifth baby, Maddie. It was one of the hardest and most painful chapters of my life. What I needed most in that time wasn’t more judgment—I needed support, compassion, and hope. Mothers like me already carry so much shame. We don’t need to be shamed further—we need to be seen as human, as hurting, and as capable of healing. That’s why organizations like this one are so important. They offer care without condemnation, and hope without conditions. They help not just babies like Maddie, but moms like me find our way back—stronger, more supported, and never alone.”
“It’s not much, but it’s what I can do! Thank you for all your care!”
“Greetings from Macedonia! Your compassion has reached even our small country, I hope you keep doing this great work <3”
We were blown away. And we fought harder because of it.
Thanks to our team, our community of supporters, and Senator Riccelli’s tireless advocacy, the state pledged $2 million to keep our doors open.
You should’ve seen our staff—cheering, hugging, tears of relief. It was joy in its purest form.
But the work isn’t done.
While those funds help us stay open, we’re still more than halfway short of our annual budget.
Here’s the good news:
- We’ll receive $300K from the City of Spokane’s opioid abatement funds.
- Spokane County renewed their contract with us for another year at $600K.
Here’s the challenge:
- We still need to raise $1.1 million through grants and donations.
This led us to launch a campaign for the month of May to raise $300K—enough to fund one month of services.
The campaign sure was sweet! Since our efforts began on April 15th, we received $122,788.98 in donations, 103 people became monthly donors (bringing our monthly income to $4,250 which is more than halfway to our $8,300 per month goal), and those donations came from 17 countries and 6 Military Bases, including all 50 states + D.C. in the United States!
While we did not reach our $300K goal, the donations we received were an excellent start in closing the funding gap and continuing to do this important work. Moving forward, our team will continue to build community support, submit grants, and connect with individuals interested in helping us close this funding gap.
All of this will aid our continued advocacy for our services to be covered by Medicaid. Because if we are successful, we gain the opportunity to expand our services in Washington State, care for more infants and families, and pave the way for more facilities like ours to open around the country.
Cue a deep breath.
That’s what we’ve been up to! We truly couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible support we have received from those around us while we continue to build and protect these communities of hope.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Thank you for being a part of our mission to ensure that infants and families impacted by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome have a fighting chance.
We wouldn’t be here without you.
This blog was posted on June 13, 2025.
Questions? Suggestions? Email me at emma.jones@maddiesplace.org.