The Angel Gown Initiative has received a well-deserved award for helping mothers and families grieve the loss of babies lost too early.
Gordon’s Bay, South Africa (15 March 2021) – The Angel Gown Initiative (TAGI) has been celebrated for its work in South Africa. The organisation recently won a prestigious award for helping grieving mothers.
An Angel Gown is a beautiful garment made using donated wedding dresses in which a bereaved mother buries her child; this charity is helping SA families.
TAGI is an Angel Gown charity that collaborates with various hospitals and organisations to provide grieving families with beautiful gowns to bury their young loved ones. The Angel Gowns are made from dresses donated by brides.
Eric Elronde, owner and founder of couturiers Erikr House, saw a Facebook post in 2017 that inspired him to start this project in South Africa. There was something truly beautiful about this gift, whether you are the one donating your dress or receiving an angel gown. Eric’s friend shared the post and asked if anyone could create Angel Gowns using her wedding dress. He reached out and offered to create the Angel Gowns for her.
Eric identified 4 sizes, Micro, Tiny, Preemie and Newborn. Every Angel Gown is carefully wrapped up, a hand-written card to the family receiving the gown is placed inside, and the package is hand-delivered with the utmost care.
We can never know what the family receiving one of these Angel Gowns would be going through, but it makes a massive impact when one is donated.
Incredible Recognition.
The Angel Gown Initiative (TAGI) has been awarded the prestigious MEA business award for Best Bereavement Support Service in South Africa. The MEA Business Awards honour and celebrate the diverse talents across the industrious MEA region. All nominations are judged purely on merit to ensure only the most deserving are acknowledged.
The award is so deserved; the work being done by this organisation brings a small piece of calm to families facing the greatest heartache.
“I am truly honoured and humbled that TAGI has won. This reward is recognition of our dedication and commitment in the support we give to bereaved parents. As a non-profit organisation, to win an award dominated by for-profit companies, speaks to our excellence and the true impact our work has in the bereavement sector.
We started as a handful of individuals supporting a few local hospitals and has now grown into an international organisation, pioneering how bereaved parents say goodbye with grace, beauty, and dignity, everything that we stand for.
I would like to personally thank every volunteer, sponsor, donor and individual that has and continue to assist us, our work is not possible without your valuable contributions.” said Eric Elronde, CEO and founder of TAGI.” – Eric Elronde
You can find out more about TAGI via the Facebook page here. Take a look below at an example of how a wedding dress is converted into 8 Angel Gowns. Praline Leonard donated her dress, and it was transformed into these beautiful garments.