Gala to Grow Birth Centers
The annual AABCF Foundation Gala to Grow Birth Centers was a great success. Held at the 2022 AABC Birth Institute, the gala themed “Midnight Marina”, was a beautiful evening under the stars.
Participants enjoyed silent and live auctions, fundraising games, and fellowship. The net proceeds fro the event totalled almost $70,000 thanks to the generosity of participants and sponsors.
Welcome New Board Member
Welcome Miajanell Peake, MSPH, CHES, CD(DONA), the newest member of the AABC Foundation Board of Trustees. Miajanell brings rich experience to the AABC with many years of professional international experience in reproductive health and justice ranging from birth justice in the southern region, abortion care and access, reproductive medical services access improvement, maternal mortality reduction, and perinatal health quality improvement. She is currently the Program Coordinator for CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health. We are thrilled to have her on the Board.
Fiscal Sponsorship
The AABC Foundation became fiscal sponsor for the Louisiana Birth Centers. The group is working to challenge new regulations that have created significant barriers to the viability of the birth centers.
Scholarships
Congratulations to the awardees of the 2022 Lisa Ross Memorial Scholarship: Mariah Wharton, Anne Schwanke, Neelu Shruti and Bailey Little! The Lisa Ross Scholarship is an annual scholarship to attend the AABC Birth Institute. It is named in honor of LIsa Ross, an early pioneer of the development of birth centers.
Birth Center Grants
The AABC Foundation has two grant programs for birth centers, Changemaker Accreditation Grants and Membership Support Grants.
Changemaker Accreditation Grants provide a birth centers with the initial CABC accreditation fee (or annual fee if already accredited). The grant was established in honor of the founders of the birth center movement and the current and future changemakers who propel the movement forward. The most recent grant recipients are:
Cocoon Wellness & Birth Center (Waverly, NY)
Celestial Sanctuary (Greer, SC)
This makes 8 accreditation grants awarded this year.
Membership Support Grants assist birth centers with their annual AABC membership dues. Five birth centers have recently received grants:
Earthside Birth & Wellness (Cheyenne, WY)
Clarksville Midwifery (Clarksville, TN)
Hill Country Birth & Wellness (Burnet, TX
Lopez Legacy (Las Cruces, NM
Tyler Birth Center (Tyler, TX)
Honoring Changemakers
As 2022 draws to a close, we remember AABC Founding Mother Kitty Ernst, an undaunted advocate of the midwifery birth center model. Kitty’s vision inspires the changemaker in all of us to carry her legacy into the future through the support of the AABC Foundation.
With your support, we can continue to provide resources and opportunities to changemakers in communities across the nation through programs such as scholarships, accreditation grants, research grants, membership grants and fiscal sponsorship.
In just the last 3 years we have given more than $165,600 in awards thanks to the generosity of donors like you.
Please consider a gift to the AABC Foundation to honor the changemakers - past, present, and future. Donate at aabcfoundation.org.