ANDREW MILLER JESSICA HARPER JOHN GESSNER
Mother opens in-home head lice removal service 2A Cousins Subs may come to Dakota County 7A Hooters closes in the city of Burnsville 40A
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DATE ##, 2009 NOVEMBER 11, 2010
VOLUME 30, NUMBER # VOLUME 31, NUMBER 37
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Eagan nonprofit in business of bridging loved ones online by Jessica Harper DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
The loss of a child is often the most daunting moment in many parents’ lives. It was also the inspiration behind the online nonprofit CaringBridge. In 1997, founder Sona Mehring faced the heartbreaking task of notifying loved ones of the premature birth and later death of her close friend’s baby girl, Brighid. Mehring, a website consultant, thought an online site would be the most efficient way to notify people. From there, CaringBridge was born. “I was wowed by how powerful it was in getting everyone connected,� Mehring said. Mehring chose the name CaringBridge for the Ea- Sona Mehring gan-based nonprofit as a way to illustrate how the site “bridges� loved ones. It was also a way to incorporate Brighid’s name, since she was the inspiration, Mehring said. The website provides a free, online service that enables people with CaringBridge is an online nonprofit serious illness or injury to located at 1715 Yankee Doodle connect with friends and Road, Suite 301, in Eagan. family. CEO: Sona Mehring “It’s centered around a Employees: 50 patient’s deep, meaningful Website: www.caringbridge.org conversations,� Mehring said. The client is able to control the level of with health crises. The organization started as a side project, privacy for each site, which includes photos, while Mehring worked as an independent conjournal updates and an online guest book that allows loved ones to write words of encourage- sultant creating websites for small and medium-sized businesses. ment. But as the organization quickly took on a Unlike social networking sites, no memlife of its own, Mehring decided to quit her bership is required and there is no advertising, consulting career in 2002 to run CaringBridge Mehring said. Additionally, all sites are off-limits to search full time as CEO. That same year, the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit. engines, she said. Mehring said the move was nerve-wracking at first since the start-up had been financed by In its infancy A few months after Brighid died, Mehring her consulting business. “It was a leap of faith,� she said. “But it was began creating sites for other families dealing
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Since CaringBridge’s creation, more than a half million people from across the globe have connected through the site. so important to have it go to more and more people.� The most difficult task was raising awareness, Mehring said, especially when the Internet was still relatively new. But as more people started going online, the barrier broke down, she said.
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‘Bridging’ people Today, the organization advertises by reaching out to other charities, hospitals and faith groups, and by word of mouth. In the end, the risks were worth the reward,
General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Advertising 952-846-2011
See CaringBridge, Page 40A
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