This Thanksgiving I am once again running the Southbury Turkey Trot on behalf of Every Mother Counts. This year I’m lucky to have found 10 amazing women who have joined Team EMC and will be running this race with me.  We need your help to raise funds for this wonderful organization.

Every Mother Counts is a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization that is dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother.  Every two minutes a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, and up to 98% of those deaths are preventable.  Every Mother counts assists pregnant women located in 7 core countries around the globe (including here in the United States) by providing them with three key resources:  Transportation, Education and Supplies.

Every Mother Counts adheres to a strict 100% model with its donations.  Which means that 100% of donated funds go directly to programs that improve maternal health.  So you know your donation is directly impacting a very worthy Mommy.  In light of this 100% model, I truly mean it when I say that no donation amount is too small.  By way of example, one of the ways EMC has impacted maternal health across the globe is by providing pregnant women with transportation to and from hospitals and birthing centers.  These women would otherwise be forced to walk long distances to attain the medical care they need; often making these walks late into their pregnancies.  $5.00 covers the cost of one such transportation voucher.   Which means that by donating as little as $5.00, you can make a direct and life changing impact on the maternal health of a pregnant woman.   Take a moment to think about something you might spend $5.00 on in any given day, that you could stand to forgo for one day and put towards EMC instead (cough, latte, cough).  Each of you making one small gesture like this would make an enormous impact on the lives of women who struggle through pregnancies with issues that most of us don’t have to face.  Across the world, too many pregnant women and their babies are dying during pregnancy and childbirth.  98% of these deaths are completely preventable, these women simply don’t have the resources to address their issues.  With your help, we can save their lives.

I hold Every Mother Counts so close to my heart, because I’ve personally faced life threatening pregnancy complications twice.   I had an ectopic pregnancy in 2013 that caused significant damage to my right fallopian tube.  A year later, a second ectopic pregnancy in that same fallopian tube lead to an emergency surgery to have the tube removed before it ruptured.   Without proper medical treatment, either one of these incidents would have killed me.  I am very fortunate to have the luxury of proper medical care.   So many women across the world are not so lucky.  Please help me in my effort to see to it that the lives of these women and their babies are protected.

As always, I appreciate your support!

XOXO,

Christine