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| Spring 2010 | Vol 2, Issue 1 |
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| Dear Friends, |
In our excitement to get this out to you, we sent it without the proofread! Here is the final version.
Spring is in the air. We have been busy keeping up with the many referrals we receive for our birth doula services. With more than 85 pregnant women coming through our door from January through April, we are operating at full capacity through June. We continue to benefit from a committed group of doulas who volunteer their time for our clients. We also continue to gain recognition across the country for our dedication to paying our contract doulas at market rate.
Recently our program model has been adapted to give doulas more time with mothers before their births and after their babies are born. Birth doulas note that our mothers are increasingly stressed by the economic conditions and fewer have constant emotional support, whether by a partner or family. In many cases, women are referred to us from public health programs because they have voiced uncertainty over their ability to cope with their pregnancy or parenting.
This is when we are proud to say that our doulas have a tremendous impact. Doulas provide information to women about their capable bodies and what they can ask for in labor. As a result, women are encouraged to advocate for themselves, giving voice to their needs during and after delivery. This sets women on a trajectory of self-confidence that carries over into their early parenting, their seeking care for their families, their relationships, and ultimately their participation in their communities. |
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| 2010 Luncheon Success | |
Our second annual spring luncheon was held on March 24th at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel in downtown Seattle with almost 250 in attendance. At the luncheon, we heard from staff and clients about the work of Open Arms and from Rachel Abramson, Executive Director of HealthConnect One, our national partner in creating our community doula model. Rachel had many interesting and exciting things to share with us about this work on the national level, current research linking doula care to positive birth outcomes, the importance of home visiting programs to the growth and development of families and children, and the inclusion of the community doula in national discussions on essential health services to new families. The full text of her presentation is available online at our website.
The luncheon, emceed by Dennis Bounds from King 5 News, attracted many new Open Arms fans and raised over $36,000. This has been a challenging year economically for all nonprofits, but we are pleased that not only did we attract fabulous sponsors, but we received even more support from our individual donors than we did last year.
We believe that our serving more women (30% more than in 2008) in a down economy demonstrated our tenacity to many donors. It is certainly an achievement to celebrate.
If you were not able to attend the luncheon but would live to make a contribution, please do so at www.openarmsps.org.
Open Arms would like to thank our sponsors and community friends for your support of the 2010 Open Arms Spring Luncheon.
Our sponsors: Ater Wynne, LLP, Foundation for Early Learning, Frank & Cents, HealthConnect One, Melissa Grace Photography, Midwives Association of Washington State, Milkmakers, Parent Map, Talaris Institute, and Thrive By Five Washington.
Community friends: BNB Builders, Foundation for Early Learning, and Lake Washington Midwives.
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| 2009 Summary Statistics |  Here are some of the highlights of our 2009 Demographics and Outcomes: 80% of our clients are at or below the Federal Poverty Level 10% are homeless or in unstable housing at time of birth 24% speak little or no English 60% are women of color and or immigrants Our clients had a 22% C-section rate, compared to 38-40% in local hospitals Our mothers had a 94% breastfeeding initiation rate 93% of the babies born had normal infant outcomes (only 5% were preterm and only 2% intensive care admissions)
We look forward to sharing more of our detailed outcomes analysis in a future issue of the newsletter! |
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Visit from Makaha Studios |  Exciting news: In April, the Open Arms staff spent the day with a film crew from Hawaii who were filming "the story of outreach doulas" for the Kellogg Foundation. As Kellogg funds Thrive By Five, we were included in the documentation about "programs that are making a difference." The crew was from Makaha Studios, a groundbreaking media company founded as a social enterprise. Makha Studios shares a commitment to mentoring, and fostering community that is also embraced by our Open Arms family. They are based on the Waianae Coast of Oahu in Hawaii.
The filming director was so touched when learning about our outreach doula program at WCELI (White Center Early Learning Initiative) that he decided the story needed to be told. Open Arms Executive Director Sheila Capestany and Open Arms outreach doulas Libin Egal and Yen Baynes were filmed along with two of their clients. The languages represented during filming were English, Somali, Spanish, and Hawaiian Pidgin.
Staff agreed that the highlight was talking to these young men about their own experiences with birth and breastfeeding, and how returning to traditional practices such as nursing is a part of reclaiming their Hawaiian culture. |
| Anti-Shackling Legislation Signed by Governor Gregoire | |
On March 23rd, Open Arms applauded Washington State legislators in passing legislation that bans the use of physical restraints on women inmates as they deliver their babies. Supporters of the bill, including Open Arms, gave moving testimony about the inhumanity of keeping women shackled during labor, which restricts their laboring normally and poses huge medical risks. Only a handful of states have passed similar legislation and we hope the passage in Washington State influences reproductive justice policy in other parts of the country. |
| Visit Our Blog |  The Open Arms blog is located at http://openarmsps.blogspot.com.
It is updated every few days with links to articles, videos, local and international news. Join in the conversation by adding your own comments or queries. Only in the second month of blogging, our readership extends as far away as New Zealand! |
| Call for Prospective Board Members | |
Ever wonder what it takes to run a family-centered and culturally versatile nonprofit such as Open Arms? Do you have skills in marketing, fund development, web-based communication, or social networking? We have a dynamic and diverse Board of Directors and are looking to grow by a few more members over the next year. If you would like to offer your valuable skills, please contact Sara Thompson at sara@openarmsps.org to apply. |
| Welcome to the World | |
James Mathew Kane, born February 28th to our Board member Emily Kane.
Evan Yasunori Sugita, born April 17th to Erica Sugita of our Open Arms staff. |
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Board of Directors:
Emily Kane, Erica Nixon-Mack, Geoff Miller, Lisa Chin, Peggy Fitzgerald, Sara Thompson, Sarah Pulliam, Tom Vasquez
Staff:
Annie Moffat, Erica Sugita, Frank Chilelli, Hawa Egal, Jeff Deveaux, Jennifer McArthur (interim), Libin Egal, Margarita Celis, Michelle Sarju, Sheila Capestany, Yen Baynes, Yvette Dioubate
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