Clinton employee spearheads Safe Haven baby box donation
Two years ago, Amanda Murphy was reading the news when she stumbled upon a story from Carmel, Indiana installing Safe Haven baby boxes, a designated drop-off box for unwanted infants. Immediately drawn to the idea and story, she wondered why there was nothing similar in her community in Clinton, Indiana.
“It was over an hour drive to get to a Safe Haven box,” said Murphy. “I knew it was something that can benefit our area and our community.”
With this in mind, Murphy began fundraising. Safe Haven baby boxes are not cheap – with a $17,000 outright expense, construction fees and a yearly alarm fee, her work was certainly cut out for her. Murphy contacted key individuals; Fire Chief Chris Strohm jumped in to assist with logistics on the box itself. Mayor Jack Gilfoy joined the cause as well, pushing contracts and paperwork through that verified the Safe Haven box would be permitted at the firehouse and in the Clinton area.
“I worked for the local doctor’s office at the time and they donated a portion,” said Murphy. “Then the pandemic hit, no one was going anywhere and things hit a standstill.”
There was a lull for a while, until about two months ago. Murphy reached out to Caleb Nickels in the Clinton, Indiana office, as he manages giving back efforts for the area. Murphy wanted to see if there was any possibility of donation from the company with roots in Vermillion County, Indiana.
“Caleb walked me through the process, it was just a form I needed to fill out,” said Murphy. “I asked for the full $15,000 left. I was notified shortly after that the request was approved.”
After two years, Murphy’s work has paid off with $20,000 total fundraised for the box and installation. The check from IEA has been processed and the box itself is delivered - construction will begin at the Clinton Fire House shortly.
“I’m so proud we were able to do this for our small community. When I got word of how much IEA was donating, I was overwhelmed with the care for the community from IEA and JP,” said Murphy. “It’s overwhelming generosity from IEA to donate $15,000 to possibly even save one life.”
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