My name is Marianne Smith and I am the very proud granddaughter of Ken and Leitner Greiner. I have the unique honor to share a few things about Leitner Greiner, and how I hope and pray the generosity and love of both my grandparents can live on through the Rose Home and Willow Pregnancy Support.
Leitner Greiner was a unique and incredibly happy person. Honestly, the happiest person I’ve ever met and someone that smiled with her entire body and soul. She also LOVED children, and especially babies. Anywhere we were from church to the grocery store, or even a movie theatre, I have vivid memories of witnessing her iconic giggle as we came across a pregnant mom or a newborn baby. Her excitement for celebrating and caring for life was infectious and her determination and seriousness about defending and helping pregnant women was equally as palpable. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and passed away after a short, but awful battle with it in 2019. Even though her memory was blank in those short number of years, she never lost her joy for babies. Throughout her entire illness, we worked to see glimpses of our Leitner and if you started singing a church hymn or showed our matriarch a picture of a baby– a flash of light would sparkle her eyes and she’d be right there relishing in the moment with us.
Many people involved with this organization over the years knew my grandmother, but many of you reading now never had the pleasure of meeting the tiny, precious woman who was a fierce advocate for Willow and the Rose Home. She was always giving of her time and treasures-and had a gift of letting others know they were deeply loved, without even having to use words. She and my papa, Ken, were the most generous people I’ll ever meet. One time I asked my grandfather how they chose the different organizations they supported or if they had any favorite nonprofits that stood out to them. My papa Ken told me, “You can give to the global causes, and you can give your money to the big organizations you see on TV, but don’t forget to look to your right and to your left and see what neighbors in your community could use your love too.”
Ken and Leitner had a capacity to love more than most people I think… And they also had an incredibly strong stance on what it meant to protect women, children, and babies with a desire to love them just as God created them. We unexpectedly lost my papa in February this year, but I can still feel both of my grandparents with me, continuing to be proud of the moms who have walked in and out of the Rose home and experienced the love that Willow has to offer them. One year ago, I was sitting at a table next to my grandpa at the annual Rose Home Luncheon, listening to Makena, the director, talk about the very first resident and baby who were welcomed into the Leitner Greiner Rose Home after its new opening, and I sat and witnessed my papa cry with pride and joy as he looked over and saw that baby in his mom’s arms. He said something to the effect of, “Leitner would’ve thought this was all worth it for that one mom.” He was right. Leitner WOULD be so incredibly proud of the home that was built the for the moms of the Rose Home, but more importantly she would be proud of the women who have chosen to do what best for them, and for their children, by allowing us to love them while they live there.
After Makena spoke at that luncheon and asked for volunteers last year, I could feel my nana, Leitner, nudging me in that moment… so, I introduced myself to Makena and shortly after I started volunteering at the Leitner Greiner Rose Home. I have done super simple things like cooking breakfast for the moms, making friendship bracelets, holding a baby while a mom makes a coffee, or even wrapping Christmas gifts… and, honestly, what has struck me in the most over this past year, has been the JOY and resilience that I have seen in the residents. As my grandparent instilled in me, and I now finally understand that by showing up for people and loving them where they are at, can be just as powerful as donating once a month. Don’t take that the wrong way, we NEED to keep the lights on, but being a mom is hard and being a vessel for life takes a lot of work. Being able to walk with these women through pregnancy and their first few months as a mom to a newborn has changed my life forever.
Generosity comes in all shapes and sizes, and I have received way more from the Rose Home and Willow than I have given. If I could leave you with one thing today I would like to add… that I do not believe in a God of coincidences. You are here reading this, not by chance, but because it’s important to share with you the power and impact that the Leitner Greiner Rose Home is making in our own community. These are REAL women and REAL children in your backyard who are benefiting from your generosity, your prayers, and your support.
Leitner and Ken’s legacy is alive and well, but there are so many others who have put their heart and soul into the Rose Home and Willow, and I know these moms are grateful for your support. I am doing my best to look right and left in my community and I hope you can do the same.
