October Newsletter

We knew October was going to be a busy month and it's exceeding our expectations. As you all know (cause we won't stop talking about it), we're gearing up to run the NYC marathon and we’re excited to get you involved too. No, you don't have to run 26.2 miles, but by walking or running a 5k in your community you can be a part of the solution with us. Plus, whenever you run, jog, walk or bike, (yes, your daily jog counts as does every mile you spend training for your next big event) you can help unlock more dollars for EMC. That’s because Charity Miles, an iPhone and Android app, tracks your distance and makes a donation for every mile you run, walk or bike.  If you need more convincing, take a look at our powerful newly released film, titled "The Walk." Then, share it with your familiy and friends. This why we run - so others don't have to walk. We hope it inspires you to join us! 

Maybe another piece of inspiration will come from knowing how the funds we raise are being spent and that leads to our big news: Every Mother Counts is proud to announce we’ve awarded two new grants this month!  A portion of the funds we've raised this year are going to Midwives 4 Haiti and Baylor Uganda to support their missions to advance maternal healthcare. Thank you for your support and dedication, because you’ve made this dream come true for EMC. One of our new grantees, Baylor Uganda does work that ties in directly to all this talk about distance. We'll be providing transportation vouchers to pregnant women in western Uganda who just need a ride in order to access critical maternity care. As little as $3 can insure that she receives the care she needs and your effort has made this possible. Check our progress page to see how those funds are helping real peaple. We plan to return to Uganda in mid November to kick this all off. Stay tuned…
 
We’ve also awarded a grant to Midwives 4 Haiti, which will educate a class of 15 women to become skilled birth attendants. We're  proud to support these women in their journey to make childbirth in Haiti safer.  We'll be keeping you posted on their progress.
 
Throughout October we blogged about a wide variety of subjects, but focused on the big four:  International Day of the Girl, which we celebrated all month long, National Midwifery Week, several new partnerships and preparations for our 5Ks and the ING New York Marathon.  In addition, we added new staff to the Every Mother Counts team. Wei Wei Liu is our new Business Development and Partnerships Manager.  And, as they do, Christy and Erin kept their schedules packed with speaking engagements. 

Here are some of the highlights:
International Day of the Girl represents the core of what we know will change women’s lives, starting from childhood – education, equal opportunity, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene and elimination of child marriage and harmful cultural practices.  This celebration of girls inspired us to run our “Let Girls be Girls” photo contest and explore serious subjects from a range of perspectives.  And let the Facebook shares testify – people are passionate about the wellbeing of girls. 

National Midwifery Week gave us a chance to recognize the important role midwifery plays both here in the US and around the world in shifting the paradigm of women’s health.  Jennie Joseph and Cara Osborne are two of our favorite midwives because of their common sense approaches to advancing maternal healthcare.

Our new partnerships with Tracy Anderson, Oiselle, Hail Merry and ErgoBaby added the fun factor to October.  We’re delighted to be teaming up with these inspiring women and creative organizations.  And, we’re really impressed with Christy’s flair for design with the ErgoBaby collection.  Who knew?  Oiselle’s outfitting team-EMC for the upcoming marathon with the most comfortable, beautiful (and, we’re pretty sure, fastest) running gear we’ve ever worn.  And we’re going to need Oiselle and Tracy’s help because we plan on totally indulging in Hail Merry’s incredible deserts.  Each of our partners is donating a portion of proceeds to EMC and we couldn’t be more grateful.

And speaking of the marathon (Seriously, we’ll stop harping on this next month); we’re within days of running the distance with women and men all over the country and as we keep telling you:  every mile, every runner and every mother counts.  We’re asking a few teammates and friends to contribute to our blog series: Why We Run.  Keep an eye on our site in November for more marathon details.

And can we just say it again?  Thank you for all you do for Every Mother Counts.  It’s only because of your participation that we’re able to do anything at all and our gratitude knows no bounds.  Together, we can make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all moms!

Thanks again for all your support,
Team EMC

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