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Birthing Project USA:
"The Underground Railroad for New Life"
An International Organization & Resource Center for improving birth outcomes for women of color.
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the News The Birthing Project, The Birthing Project now has three e-mail based groups that will allow members, staff, participants and supporters to connect from any location! JOIN IN!
The Underground Railroad for New Life on the Move... Stop # 75 Nashville, TN Stop #76 Milwaukee, WI Stop #77 Limon, Honduras Stop # 78 Jackson, MI Stop #79 Sumner, MI Stop #80 Anguillla, MI Stop #81 Sunflower, MI Stop #82 Cleveland, OH Stop #83 Get Involved |
The Little Miracles Campaign
Pictured: Linda Parson BPUSA Board Member & Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, BPUSA Director
Uniting to reduce infant deaths and Save Babies’ Lives Grassroots Organization Birthing Project USA Teams with Dr. Miracle’s in National Campaign to Combat High Infant Death Rate In African-American Community NEW YORK, February 28, 2007 – In terms of infant mortality, the United States ranks thirty-fourth behind every developed nation and several other countries, including Cuba and Taiwan. The rates for African-American babies are a minimum of 2.5 times that of other babies in every state, making their chances of survival closer in comparison to Honduras and other developing countries. To raise awareness of the high number of infant deaths in the Black community, Birthing Project USA (www.birthingprojectusa.com), the only national, community-based African-American maternal and child health organization in the country, is partnering with Dr. Miracle’s (www.drmiracles.com), the fastest-growing ethnic hair care company in the industry, to implement a national campaign that is also designed to recruit volunteers to participate in its signature “SisterFriends” program. According to Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, founding director of The Birthing Project, “The fact that the U.S. buried more babies than soldiers during the last century is totally not acceptable and this inability to save our babies has to stop…now!” The Birthing Project assists communities in organizing themselves into small groups to provide pregnant teens and women with one-to-one social support, education and connection to health care and other resources. During the last 19 years, more than 10,000 babies have been born into 80 projects in the U.S., Canada and Honduras. Dr. Miracle’s co-founders Ollie Johnson, Nene and Brian Marks, and Rich Lombardi chose to sponsor the Birthing Project USA campaign because of the high rate of poor birth outcomes for African-American women. Like most people, they were surprised to learn that regardless of their education, income or social status, African-American women are at risk of delivering babies that are born too soon and often too small or sick to survive. “For the women of color who use our products, infant mortality is an alarming, yet all-too-frequent occurrence,” said Marks, president of Dr. Miracles, LLC. “We at Dr. Miracle’s are proud to support The Birthing Project USA and its vital work in reducing infant deaths and we look forward to a meaningful partnership full of little miracles.” As the exclusive corporate sponsor of this nonprofit, which is built on volunteers and provides social support to African-American women, Dr. Miracle’s is embarking on a range of activities, from funding and aiding in the establishment of new Birthing Project chapters, to underwriting and creating educational sessions, volunteer drives, and online marketing initiatives. The company will also disseminate Birthing Project USA information at retail. Built on “Sister©Friends” – volunteers who provide one to one support to women during their pregnancy and for one year after the birth of their child – The Birthing Project USA provides access to resources and programs, working closely with such organizations as The March of Dimes and local and state health departments. About The Birthing Project USA The goal of The Birthing Project is to keep more babies of color alive by recruiting, training and supporting community “Sister©Friend” volunteers to provide direction, emotional support and education to their mothers. This support continues for one year after the birth of the babies. For each pregnant woman, “Sister©Friends” help identify services available to them like doctors, clinics, insurance, and other resources offered through agencies including the health department, criminal justice, children's protective services and social services. Volunteers attend childbirth preparation and parenting classes and act as a birth partner, where appropriate. During this year, the “Sister©Friend” support her extended family in obtaining the parenting and life survival skills, such as finding and using resources (housing, transportation, child care, drug rehabilitation); identifying and pursuing educational and employment goals; and understanding that she is an important and valued member of a community. The Birthing Project USA was founded in 1988 by Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, D.Div, M.P.H., an internationally renowned health advocate with more than 30 years experience in public health administration and community health education. She has been honored as Woman of the Year by the California State Legislature, a Hero in Healthcare by the Coalition for Excellence in Healthcare, and Child Abuse Prevention Professional of the Year by the California Statewide Child Abuse Consortium. Hall-Trujillo is also the recipient of the Essence National Community Service Award, the United States Public Health Service's Women's Health Leadership Award, and the California State Maternal and Child Health Certificate of Excellence. About Dr. Miracle’sDr. Miracle’s is the fastest growing ethnic hair care company in the industry. Celebrating its third anniversary with more than 25 products on the market, most of which are in the top 10 best sellers at national mass merchants and drug stores chains, Dr. Miracle’s is surpassing brands that have been around for decades. Dr. Miracle’s has created an intensely loyal following as a result of its exclusive Thermalceutical Complex “Feel It Formula,” which focuses on creating a healthy scalp and solves common hair problems such as slow growth, breakage and dandruff. Dr. Miracle’s is available nationwide at Wal*Mart, Sally Beauty, CVS, Walgreens and Rite-Aid, in addition to thriving in the all important nationwide Beauty and Barber Supply class of trade. The national campaign, “Little Miracles,” began February 1 and will continue as long as necessary. The ongoing theme of the campaign is “The best way to honor our past is to invest in our future.” For more information and to get involved in this historic campaign, visit www.birthingprojectusa.com, e-mail birthingproject@mail2world.com or call (888) 657-9790. |
