On April 21, more than 200 guests, dressed in their best “Southern chic,” attended the In the NIC of Time Gala at Carmel Country Club. Guests enjoyed an elegant southern barbeque that included an auction, music, and special remarks from grateful patients and physicians. The event raised a record $98,000 to benefit the Cottie and Cake Fund, which supports the Charlotte Fetal Care Center and the Neonatal Intensive Care Nurseries at Levine Children’s Hospital.

Established in 2011 by grateful patient-family – Meghan and Russ Hampton and Meghan’s parents Fran and Don Russ – the Cottie and Cake Fund has generated more than $538,000 to ensure a world-class patient experience for families at Levine Children’s Hospital and Carolinas Medical Center. Most recently, the fund has supported aesthetic and equipment upgrades to the six sleep rooms located in the Neonatal Intensive Care Nurseries at Levine Children’s Hospital. These rooms enable parents to sleep overnight with their infants as they prepare to transition from the hospital to their homes.

Additional funding from Cottie and Cake has supported:

  • A NICN bead journey program that helps families acknowledge and celebrate their infant’s accomplishments, emotions, and milestones in a creative, memorable way;
  • Equipment that enables the Charlotte Fetal Care Center to provide Intra-utero Fetoscopic Laser Ablation – the only center in the Southeast to offer this procedure; andA neonatal webcam system that allows for real-time viewing of babies while parents are away from the hospital
  • A neonatal webcam system that allows for real-time viewing of babies while parents are away from the hospital.