This media kit was created as a way for potential donors, supporters, recipients and the media to learn more about Taken Too Soon.

1. Taken Too Soon is a non-profit 501c 3 organization
founded in 2011 whose purpose is to provide financial
assistance to families whose children have been “taken too
soon.”
We are proud to say that we donate 100% of our proceeds
towards financially assisting grieving families.
Our tax ID#: 27-3113082

2. The financial burden of providing a proper resting place
for a child should be the last thing on a grieving
family’s mind, but we understand that this can add to
the emotional grief and financial burden of a child’s
death.
Our assistance brings comfort during the time of grief
and we can help families bury their child without the
financial stress.
We personally know the heartbreak and devastation
parents, family and friends go through – especially
when it comes to the expensive costs of burying their
child. Which is why we help pay for those costs.

3. Arizona child death rate for 2011:
• A total of 837 children younger than 18 years of age
died in Arizona
• 509 of those deaths were to children less than one year
in age
• The largest percentage of deaths was among infants
younger than 28 days (40 percent)*
*To learn more about the Arizona child
death rates, please click on the following
link: Arizona Child Fatality Annual Report

4. Grieving families have the additional shock of learning how
expensive their child’s funeral or burial will cost. Here is a list
of Arizona funeral and burial costs:
*To learn more about Arizona funeral costs, click
on the following article: Thinking ahead can save
on costs related to death

5. Taken Too Soon was co-founded by Stephanie French and Dale Imbriani in
2011. Stephanie lost her newborn son several years ago and was shocked not
only because of his sudden death, but also from learning how expensive her
son’s funeral and burial would cost.
Stephanie wondered how many other grieving parents can’t afford to bury their
deceased children. Stephanie wanted to help parents, so that “grieving parents
who have lost children … understand that they can’t bring back their children
but they should be able to at least honor them.”*
*Click here to read Stephanie's heartbreaking story.

6. “It is so unnatural to lose a child. Our children are supposed to outlive us – their
parents. When my newborn son Elijah died several years ago after living for only
eight hours, I felt lost. You see, I eagerly anticipated his birth but he came early.
He struggled to breathe while I struggled watching him as we cradled and rocked
for eight agonizing hours.
Instead of picking out baby pajamas with little tugboats stitched on the front, I
found myself picking out flowers and a casket. I found myself searching for a
funeral home when I should have been putting his crib together.”
Stephanie French – Co-founder of Taken Too Soon

8. Dale’s blogs: The Newtown massacre was more than a
national tragedy
Planning for a child’s burial is never easy, especially after a high profile tragedy
such as the Newtown massacre.
The families of those young
children were blessed in a way to
have local and national support of
our country. Toys, cards and money
poured into Newtown, all to help
lessen the burden on those grieving
families. When really, there wasn’t
any way to take away the pain and
heartache of those 20 deaths.
Sometimes, the heartache takes an eternity to
go away and sometimes that heartache is
worsened by the fact that burying children is a
challenge both emotionally and physically.
Click here to read more.

9. Taken Too Soon Goes for a Walk with Sharing Down
Syndrome Arizona
Down syndrome is a condition where a baby is
born with an extra chromosome. “Normally, a
baby is born with 46 chromosomes. Babies born
with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one
of these chromosomes. This extra copy changes
the body’s and brain’s normal development and
causes mental and physical problems for the
baby” these facts are supplied by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
About half the children born with Down syndrome
may die early (according to the U.S. National Library of Health –
National Institutes of Health).
Click here to read more.

10. A Toddler Washes Away
You may think that a toddler’s
funeral and burial might not be
that expensive, but it is. As a
matter of fact it costs just as
much as an adult’s funeral and
burial. A toddler’s funeral can
cost $5,000 and up (according to the
Federal Trade Commission), which
many parents are not financially
prepared for.
Parents don’t usually
financially plan for their
toddler’s funeral – it’s not
like a college fund where
parents are hoping to give it
to their toddler when it’s
older. No, a toddler’s funeral
and burial account is
unexpected, unplanned and
unfortunately a devastating
financial shock.
Click here to read more.

11. Once a Mother – Always a Mother
Stephanie’s family
contributed to paying for
Elijah’s funeral and burial
costs, but she couldn’t stop
thinking about all those
other families who want to
bury their children. She
learned that when families
don’t have the money to pay
for their child’s tombstone,
there won’t be any cemetery
marker (tombstone or
headstone) on the ground.
There’s just plain grass or
dirt where a child is buried.
This idea gnawed at
Stephanie enough for
her to start Taken Too
Soon – to financially
assist grieving families,
to help them bury their
children. She wanted to
help pay for their
funerals, plots and grave
markers. She’s tired of
visiting Elijah’s plot and
seeing all of these empty
grass plots – knowing
that children are buried
there.
Click here to read more.

12. How Much Money Can You Possibly
Raise by Washing Cars?
It’s sad to hear or read about
these deaths, but it’s even
sadder to learn that these
families don’t have enough
money to bury their own
child. Oh, don’t get me wrong,
I think car washes – or any
kind of fundraiser is great.
But really, how much money
can a car wash really raise?
Click here to read more.

13. Can You Imagine Your Toddler Dying and Financially
Struggling to Pay for the Funeral?
Click here to read more.

14. Phoenix Suns Charities Supports Taken Too Soon
Click here to read more.

15. Local charities with similar missions:
Click here to learn more.
Click here to learn more.
Click here to learn more.

16. You can find our ads in the monthly Arizona Golf
Central Magazine.
Click here to read more.

19. Quotes
“I never want to turn a grieving family away.”

20. Children’s cemetery

21. Taken Too Soon
611 North Golden
Key Street
Gilbert, Arizona
85223