Spring It On!
With your help and support, the Spring It On! 2020 AABCF Challenge raised more than $8,000! We had 60 athletes who, together, traveled more than 3,000 miles. All forms of participation, whether as an athlete, a donor, or sharing our posts on social media, contributed to our success. With these funds we could award 4 Accreditation Support Grants, 7 Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarships, 10 Amy Polk Memorial Scholarships, or 24 Membership Support Grants. These scholarships and grants allow us to make a positive impact in the birth center community and fulfill our mission. Join us again next year for the Spring It On! 2021 AABCF Challenge.
Scholarships
Congratulations to 2020 Amy Ellen Polk Memorial Scholarship winners Passion Smith (Goldsboro, NC), Rebekah Dunlap (Bemidji, MN), Denise Washington (Austin, TX), and Myla Flores (New York, NY)! The Amy Polk Scholarship is a tuition scholarship to attend the AABC How to Start a Birth Center Workshop in person or online. The Amy Polk Scholarship will aid Rebekah in opening a birth center on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation to serve her people. Passion, meanwhile, seeks to provide more holistic options for women in her community, where only one OBGYN practice remains. Denise’s goal is to provide more options for people of color and reduce disparities and poor outcomes. Finally, Myla wants to increase the diversity in the birth work field and build a birth center that practices respectful birth culture.
The AABC Foundation accepted applications for the 2020 Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarship from March 30th through June 25th. The Lisa Ross Scholarship provides tuition to attend the 2020 AABC Birth Institute. Read the next issue of the Foundation Communication to find out who the awardees are.
Volunteers to Sprout Change
Volunteers are critical to the work of the AABC Foundation, so in this issue we’re shining the spotlight on dedicated board member Abbie Synan!
How did you become involved with the AABC Foundation?
The AABC & the AABC Foundation have thankfully been on my radar since I started working within the birth center community in 2005. Before joining the AABCF, I was an administrative director for a freestanding birth center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first year I worked at the birth center, our owner had taken me to the annual Birth Institute and first was introduced to the work that the Foundation is doing.
In 2012, I transitioned to a remote position, and when I pulled back from my duties at the birth center, I looked to find a way to stay involved in maternity and reproductive health issues. Being part of an organization like the AABCF gave me the opportunity to still participate in the conversation surrounding birth, health and wellness, without physically working at the office.
What has been your favorite experience with AABCF?
One of the highlights for me was when the 2016 Birth Institute was in my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. My mother, sister along with a few family and friends had a chance to attend our gala and they got to hear firsthand how the organization has helped throughout the years. It was a nice way to share the work that the foundation does with people outside of the midwifery community.
What are some of the takeaways from your experience as part of the AABCF committees and Board?
AABCF Board Member Abbie Synan
I've learned so much from my time both being involved within the midwifery community, as well as with the Foundation! It has given me a chance to see the positive influence midwifery has within our healthcare system. Being part of the Foundation has provided me with a chance to see that midwifery care plays a vital role in things like research, statistics and a viable, necessary option for birth and wellness care. It has shown me how vital, safe, quality care is and how important it is for patients to be knowledgeable supporters for their own choice and their own well-being. When I first started, I was amazed at how much I didn't know about the healthcare industry in the US, and how much I've learned about the importance of things like evidence based medicine and birth center models of care.
Lastly, any words of encouragement for anyone considering volunteering with us?
We all have talents we can share with organizations like the AABC Foundation that will help strengthen our mission to provide safe, quality care options for parents-to-be and their families. I think everyone can bring something to the table, especially if you're passionate about the advancement of better maternity care here in this country. Now, more than ever, we need to recognize there are issues within our systems, and the healthcare system is no different. Volunteering to help change and ameliorate these problems is one way to effectively advocate.
Learn how you can be involved today!
Grants
Congratulations to Astoria Birth Center (Astoria, OR), and Magnolia Birth House (Miami Beach, FL) who were each awarded an Accreditation Support Grant! The Accreditation Support Grant assists applicants by providing half of the funds needed for first-time accreditation or renewing accreditation. Astoria Birth Center founder Rebeckah Orton is working to open in the next few months, advancing her previous plans and timeline, as the COVID-19 pandemic has created a greater demand for out-of-hospital birth. Tamara Taitt has been operating in the north Miami Beach area since 2016, and is seeking accreditation to provide sustainability to their center and provide better and higher quality care for clients. See if an Accreditation Support Grant is right for you!
Has the current crisis put your ability to pay your AABC birth center membership dues in question? The AABC Foundation also awards Birth Center Membership Support Grants on a rolling basis. A Membership Support Grant provides half of the funds needed to renew or become an AABC Birth Center Member, no matter your dues level. Learn more today.
Grow More Birth Centers AABCF Telethon
As you’ve heard by now, the 2020 AABC Birth Institute is going online. Unfortunately, the AABC Foundation doesn’t feel that a virtual gala will have the same effect, and we would rather have no gala at all than have a disappointing one. So instead, on October 3rd, we invite you to attend the Grow More Birth Centers AABCF Telethon! Join us for an evening of live entertainment, hear about the impact of the foundation, and help us raise funds to grow more birth centers! Interested in becoming a sponsor, sharing your talent, or helping plan the telethon? Email Linda Baysore at lindabaysore@aabcfoundation.org to see how you can become involved!
