Griffin Cares: When
Once in a Blue Moon Becomes a Mission
10/29/2025
On July 1st, 1996, Pamela and her husband Paul Caine gave birth to their sweet baby, Griffin Matthew Caine. Griffin came into this world full of life and the Caines brought him home to meet his big sister and begin their lives together as a family of four. On his ninth day of life, Griffin suddenly and unexpectedly became very sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. He died in the NICU on July 13th, just thirteen days into such a promising life ahead.
In Pamela and Paul’s founder message they remark that when their lives were turned upside down, they had no idea where to start processing their grief. After months of trying to find
support, they finally found a support group and met some other bereaved families. Once they connected with those families, they became the anchor and lifeline for their journey of healing. But after starting to get above water, a question came to mind: Why did this all have to be so hard?
For over 28 years, the Caines “have been working as activists, fundraisers, advisors, and mentors to help families connect with other families following a pregnancy or infant loss.” They created
Griffin Cares to offer a safe space for bereaved families to feel seen, heard, and supported. Their community aims to walk alongside those parents and their loved ones to help navigate life after loss and honor their precious baby’s memory.
After initially focusing their efforts on their local community, they proudly have expanded their program to support more families in partnership with a dedicated board of compassionate volunteers and generous donors. Today, Griffin Cares Foundation has a base in New Jersey that offers local programming and also serves families in 35 states with their virtual programs and resources.
The foundation is deeply committed to excellence in perinatal bereavement care, and the goal of their Caring Cradle initiative is to ensure that families who experience a loss are treated with respect and given the time they need to create forever memories.
Blue Moon
Luna is a Latin word that translates to “moon” and Celeste comes from the Latin word "caelestis," which means “heavenly” or "celestial." We at the Caring Cradle think that name is so beautifully fitting for the support that her memory honors.
In regard to the logo design, their website states: “The Griffin Cares Foundation logo features our blue moon and visually reflects the feeling of care and connection at the heart of our organization. It was designed in the colors of pregnancy and infant loss awareness as a show of support for all baby loss families.”
Logo design was created by Karla Moriarty and Marybeth Kearns
Fundraisers
Griffin Cares Foundation's Annual Fundraiser runs throughout Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month each October. All proceeds from this effort fund their peer support services and the critical resources and training for their hospital partners, including the placement of Caring Cradles. The generosity of the foundation’s donors and Remembrance Day event sponsors and the dedicated work of their volunteer team enable this organization to provide all their programs and resources free of charge to loss moms, dads, and siblings.
Our Partnership
Griffin Cares Foundation has placed six Caring Cradles in the New York and New Jersey area. Those hospitals are: Mount Sinai (L+D and NICU), Neonatal Comfort Care Program, Englewood Health, Holy Name Hospital and Valley Hospital. Their partnership in placing these cradles provides the opportunity for hospitals to offer the gift of time.
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One of the unique aspects of Griffin Cares Foundation’s Caring Cradle initiative is that each of the Caring Cradles they donate honors a beloved child of a family in the Griffin Cares Community. Their donation includes the honoree's name on a beautiful plaque and a dedication ceremony. At the ceremony, the honored family shares their story, offering a meaningful account of how a Caring Cradle can make an enduring difference. Staff members who attend the dedications often share how this personal and powerful message impacts them deeply and inspires them to support families in the future with extra care and compassion. Griffin Cares believes that the donation of Caring Cradles provides an impactful opportunity for education and training that will improve the quality-of-care for future families and set a gold standard in compassionate perinatal bereavement care.
Looking back, Pamela and Paul reflect on the difference a Caring Cradle would have made in their own personal story by giving them more time with Griffin. The Caring Cradle team is grateful to walk alongside Griffin Cares Foundation, helping place cradles in their local hospitals. We aim to empower families and healthcare professionals with the proper tools and resources to gently begin the grieving process of losing a little one.
