November Newsletter

Happy Holidays!  We’re not sure how the holiday season got here so quickly, but we have a lot to celebrate. First thing - we want to take this opportunity to tell you your support is our pipeline for getting into the holiday spirit. We’re hearing from so many people that this year, the holidays mean more than ever and everyone’s making Every Gift Count.  We’re hoping that taking a peek at our Holiday Gift Guide will give you some ideas.  A portion of every purchase will support Every Mother Counts' mission to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all moms.

While we’re gearing up for exciting events in December, we’re still blown away by the significance of last month. November didn’t turn out at all as we expected.  With our lead up to the marathon featuring team EMC interviews about Why We Run, we fully anticipated waking up on November 4^th, Marathon Day, to run, jog, walk and limp our way across the finish line.  Instead, just two nights before we planned to lace up our sneakers, the marathon was cancelled and our mission to educate people about distance (one of the biggest barriers women face when they need critical maternity care) turned into a mission to rescue those affected by Hurricane Sandy and an effort to fulfill commitments made to marathon donors who supported us. 

Among those supporters were a close friend whose restaurant washed away and Jen, a fellow marathoner who lost her house and neighborhood on Staten Island. While we were disappointed we couldn’t run this year, we were happy to help our friends. We know there will be other marathons and we’re grateful that Jen will be joining our team for next year’s NY marathon. Friends like Linda and Jen inspire us with their resiliency, motivation and graceful attitudes in spite of their post-Sandy struggles. They remind us of so many moms we meet around the world who prevail against unfathomable obstacles. Talk about gratitude, Jen and Linda schooled us in counting our blessings.  Thank you to all of you who extended your marathon support to include our Sandy recovery efforts.  You guys never fail to amaze us with your generosity. 

Here are some of the other blessings we’re counting:

 *   Our 5K runners across the country who put their sneakers to the pavement on our behalf.  We’re always saying, “We run so mothers don’t have to, “ and in this case, our 5K runners ran the marathons many of us couldn’t run ourselves.  Thank you for putting in the miles for us. 

 *   Team EMC continues to participate in marathons around the country. Last month we had a number of men and women run in the Philadelphia marathon and half-marathon, as well as in the Seattle half-marathon. We want to say congrats to everyone who ran and thanks again for supporting our cause.

 *   All the walkers, bikers, and runners who are continuing to log in miles for us through Charity Miles, an app that lets you raise funds for EMC (that go directly to helping mothers) with every mile you log. Thank you for making Every Mile Count. 

 *   Our dear friend Dr. Robert Porges, who evacuated from NYU Langone Medical Center when it flooded during Hurricane Sandy, went home and quietly died, surrounded by family.  We count Dr. Porges as a mentor, friend and inspiration of a life well lived.

 *   Our friends, Lian Lunson and Martha Wainwright, who created a bittersweet documentary testimonial to Martha's mother, Kate McGarrigle.   Martha shared an intimate reflection on the magic bonds of motherhood and daughterhood. If you missed the documentary, watch the trailer here and keep an eye out for the full documentary, which will be released next year.

 *   That women’s votes and voices were heard during the election and that women won a record number of seats in the House and Senate. 

 *   Our partnerships that help us do all we do for moms and allow you to participate too. Here are a few new ways to take action:

• ESPRIT has joined us as a corporate partner, and for those of you on the other side of the Atlantic, you can now say "Count Me In!" by purchasing a charity tee that benefits us. 

• We're now the national charity partner for ZOOMA Women's Race Series--boutique women's 5K/10Ks and marathons held at beautiful resort locations. Now all of ZOOMA's runners can join our effort as EMC fundraisers. 

The Big Trip: 

We were off to Uganda just a week after getting power back in our neighborhoods when Erin, Jessica (our new portfolio manager) and Christy spent a week visiting our Saving Mothers Giving Life partnership program sites and documenting on-the-ground progress in delivering maternal healthcare. We also got a chance to see how our new marathon funded transport voucher grant (which insures moms can reach providers when they go into labor) really works. We came home inspired and hopeful after visits to the field with SMGL and meetings with White Ribbon Alliance and Shanti Uganda. Together we've made substantial progress, but there is still a long way to go before we know for certain that Every Mother Counts.

Every Season Counts:

Returning home in time for Thanksgiving wasn’t lost on any of us. We are filled with gratitude for all that you continue to do to help us help mothers and for the friends, family and colleagues who make our lives so rewarding.  

We’ve been invited to join The Mozilla Firefox Challenge again. This year we’re fundraising to provide "Mama" kits for mothers in Uganda who have no access to basic supplies used in deliveries. Firefox is donating $50,000 to the charity that raises the most money.  We kicked off our campaign on #GivingTuesday.

We can’t do the work we do without you and we can’t think of any greater gift than having the privilege and opportunity to help others live better lives.  Together, we can make pregnancy and childbirth safe for all moms.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Team EMC

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