For the third consecutive year, On Angels’ Wings (OAW) brought smiles, costumes, and heartfelt joy to families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) through its annual NICU Halloween Mini Sessions. The nonprofit hosted this year’s sessions on October 29 and 30 at Mercy St. Louis, Mercy Springfield, and Cox South Springfield, offering free professional portraits to NICU families and their little fighters.
Each year, OAW organizes the event in close collaboration with hospital staff, handling every aspect from registration and communication with families to photographer coordination months in advance—a challenge during photographers’ busiest season. The organization provides flyers for hospital staff to distribute, ensuring that all interested families can participate. Once sessions are complete, OAW’s volunteer photographers rapidly edit each gallery within 48 hours, and the OAW team curates and delivers the final photos. This year alone, 55 personalized galleries were sent to families within two days.
Some of the crocheted costumes used in the Springfield hospitals were lovingly provided by OAW, giving families adorable seasonal outfits that were both NICU-safe and camera-ready.
“As the chief organizer of this event each year, it’s my sincere honor to help bring a bit of joy into uncertain and often stressful circumstances,” says Michelle Cramer, Founder and Executive Director of On Angels’ Wings. “Many of these families have spent weeks or even months in the NICU, watching their tiny warriors fight to survive with little they can do beyond loving them through it. They didn’t get to bring their newborns home right after birth, take traditional newborn photos, or introduce their child to family and friends. They often don’t know when the nights sleeping on a hospital couch will end. Through this project, we offer them a sense of normalcy—and the chance to celebrate one of the most fun holidays of the year just like every other parent.”
Volunteer Photographers Share the Experience
“Volunteering for the NICU Halloween Minis fills my heart SOO much. Seeing them all dressed up and being able to give back to my community doing something I love means the world to me.”
— Jessica Sagerty | Jessica Sagerty Photography | St. Louis
“Giving back to the community and making a difference for the families is so important to me. I hope that one day, when the babies are grown up, that they can look back at these photos and remember how far they have come and how strong they are.”
— Ariel Ferman | Artistry By Ariel Photography | St. Louis
“This is a huge reward for me. It’s an honor to be able to capture these special moments! As a retired NICU nurse, the staff also have just as much fun preparing for their photoshoot!!”
— Lisa Logan | Little Twigs Photography | Springfield, MO
“To me it’s the cutest day of the year, and a chance to bring something that feels normal about this time of year into a space where nothing feels normal. Away from home, in a new environment with a baby they can’t just snuggle all day long. I love giving parents a sense of normalcy and light-hearted distraction.”
— Becky Burger | Bloom & Gather Photography | Springfield, MO
“As one of the nurses said to me this year, ‘this is our Super Bowl!’ It really is a special time for these babies and their families to feel like every other family celebrating Halloween and dressing up their sweet babies. Capturing it on camera is the cherry on top.”
— Tiana Aschenbrenner | Evergreen Horizon Portraits | Springfield, MO
“This was my first year involved in this project and every room I walked into the families smiled. It was so special seeing these families looking down at their babies and soaking all the cuteness in! The nurses are really there for the families and helping make this day very special as well! I loved to see that!”
— Nicole Zohner | Nicole M. Photography | Plato, MO
The NICU Halloween Mini Sessions began in 2023 and have quickly become a cherished annual tradition for both hospital staff and OAW volunteers. Each session celebrates resilience, community, and the small but powerful joys that can exist even in the most delicate circumstances.
