Welcome to the Foundation Communication where we report all things Foundation! In our feature, you’ll find all of the latest news regarding AABC Foundation scholarships and grants, awardees, fundraising campaigns, and more.
Rebecca Simmons
Denise Barrett
We kick off this installment by giving a warm welcome to the AABC Foundation’s two newest Board of Trustees members: Rebecca Simmons, BA and Denise Barrett, MBA.
Rebecca is the owner of lifestyle blog SimplyNaturalMom.com, previously served on the board of directors of the Lisa Ross Birth and Women’s Center, and was a journalist for more than ten years.
Denise is currently employed as the Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Frontier Nursing University, and has 15 years of grant writing under her belt. Denise’s grant experience and Rebecca’s writing experience will be a great help to the Foundation and its work.
Fundraising
The AABC Foundation gives a grand thank you to all who supported the Foundation at the 2017 Gala to Grow Birth Centers held October 7, 2017 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska. With the generosity of our donors, the gala raised more than $60,000. These funds will be used in 2018 to provide accreditation support grants, scholarships to the Birth Institute, grants to fund birth center research, and more. Isn’t it gratifying to know that your donations have a direct impact on birth centers and midwives in the United States? We think it is!
The AABC Foundation is currently running a campaign to support the AABC Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns results. Click here to learn more about the campaign and find out how to contribute.
We will be launching a spring peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in April, so look for more information to come. Do you want to learn more now, like what ‘peer-to-peer' means or how you or your birth center can be more involved in our fundraising efforts? Send me an email at lindabaysore@birthcenters.org
Grants & Scholarships
Congratulations to Bella Vie Gentle Birth Center who was awarded an Accreditation Support Grant! Bella Vie Gentle Birth Center is located in Salem, Oregon and is co-owned by Desiree LeFave and Petra Prostrednik. The center is well on its way to accreditation, so congratulations on taking this critical step to make your birth center the best it can be for you and your clients. Are you interested in accrediting your birth center but need some financial assistance? Applications for the Accreditation Support Grant are accepted year-round. Visit our Birth Center Accreditation Support Grant page to learn more and apply.
Congratulations are also in order for Wasatch Midwifery and Wellness, LLC in Holladay, UT and In Due Season in Zephyrhills, FL! They have been awarded Membership Grants and are now first-time AABC Established Birth Center Members. Wasatch Midwifery and Wellness was opened in 2017 and is owned and operated by Adrienne Brown, CPM, LDEM. Adrienne was eager to make her birth center an AABC member, and the Foundation Membership Grant helped her reach that goal. In Due Season also opened in 2017 and was founded by Lucie Bryant, LC, CBE, who will soon be a CPM. Lucie believes there is power in numbers, and by joining AABC with the Foundation Membership Grant and moving towards CABC accreditation, she makes the voices of all birth centers in the U.S. louder. Know a birth center who wants to become an AABC member but aren’t sure about dues? Has your own birth center been experiencing some financial difficulties? Visit the Membership Support Grant page to learn more.
Cecilia Jevitt at the Normal Labour & Birth Conference
The AABC Foundation is currently reviewing applications for our Research Grants. We accepted letters of intent last fall, selected those projects that most closely met the goal and mission of the Foundation, and invited them to submit a complete application for consideration. By awarding research grants, the Foundation seeks to contribute to the birth center evidence base, and help develop programs and methods that can be applied to birth centers everywhere. For example, the AABC Research Committee was awarded a Research Grant that resulted in the recently completed Birth Center Survey Report. In addition, in October of 2017, with their research titled “Birth Outcomes of Women with Pregravid BMIs > 30 Enrolled for Care at AABC Birth Centers,” Cecilia Jevitt, Susan Stapleton, and their fellow investigators won Best Research Poster at the International Normal Labour and Birth Conference. Did you know that this research was partially funded with a $5,000 AABC Foundation Research Grant? The AABC Foundation is proud to have supported their research and congratulates them on their success!
Last but not least, the Foundation is accepting applications for the Amy Ellen Polk Scholarship. The application form went live on January 15, 2018 and will be open until February 25th. This scholarship is awarded annually in the form of a tuition grant to attend the How to Start a Birth Center Workshop, whether in-person or online. To be eligible for this scholarship, the applicant must be actively working on the development of a freestanding birth center in their community and demonstrate financial need. Does this sound like you? Then consider applying by visiting our Amy Ellen Polk Memorial Scholarship page.
That’s all for this installment of the Foundation Communication! Check back later this year for the Summer 2018 edition to learn about the projects that will be awarded a 2018 Research Grant, the individuals and organizations that were awarded an Amy Ellen Polk Scholarship, and to find out if we reached our goal of raising $20,000 to support the AABC Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns results!