Preparation!

We have all been busy bees preparing for our trip! All of us have clinical sites we are committed to (which means some of us are all on-call  24/7), we still have commitments to our classes which includes weekly trips to Gainesville from Tampa and Jacksonville, and we each have families to take care of. Our lives are CRAZY but we are so excited for this trip and serving the women of the DR that we are carrying on our preparations- even without sleep some days (who are we kidding- MOST days!) because we have committed so much time and love to our mission.

There were two successful fundraising efforts in Tampa for our journey. One was a movie screening of Le Primier Cri held at Totally Chiropractic- we enjoyed sharing the film which showcases several women around the world and the way they give birth. Thank you to everyone who supported this night of fundraising, especially Dr. Alexa Fagan for the generous use of her office. The second event was a night of Music of Midwives, graciously hosted at Sacred Grounds Coffee House in Tampa, and showcased several local musicians. It was lovely to share our mission with those who knew nothing about midwifery all while raising money for our trip. Thanks to all of the musicians, and everyone who came out to learn and enjoy great live music!

Here are some photos of what we have been up to!

Some of the donations beginning to flow in! 

 Charlie's daughter Elliot helps make the newborn bags each baby will receive

 More organizing of donated supplies- thanks to everyone who shared so generously with us!

 Charlie right in the middle of the baby clothes and other goodies!

Shea's dog Sam taking a rest after helping her pack up some newborn bags!

So many thanks to everyone who has donated goods, funds, their time, their energy, and everyone who has been supporting us thus far. None of this would be possible without you! We begin our 10 day count down today and look forward to updating you all with more exciting things as our departure nears. 

For peace in birth, 

The heart and hands gals. 

Our first donors!

The support and love we are already feeling from our communities is HUGE and making our hearts so full- and leaving us feeling so grateful to be connected to so many beautiful people.


We wanted to take a moment and say thank you to our donors thus far:


+Morgynne Northe


+Will Bozeman


+Angie Shoemaker


+Ivalee Hackney and Family


+Adi Spencer


+Charlene Scott


+Richard Medicke


+Alexa Fagan


+Melissa Taylor


+Kimi Oleari


+Charlotte Bozeman


+Lakeland Midwifery Care


+Brannon and Gail Sparks


and


+Joanna Watson King


Words cannot express how thankful we are for your generous donations. This trip would not be possible without your support.

Greetings

Dear Friends and Family,

In March 2012, we are participating in an amazing mission trip that is very close to our hearts. We have decided to call it "Heart and Hands for the Dominican Republic" and it's a 10 day trip to the Dominican where we will be working in a busy hospital helping to deliver babies and take care of mothers in the maternity wing. The goal of this remarkable journey is to bring the hospital new equipment and supplies, and provide the mothers and babies with humanized care while soaking in knowledge from the native staff.

Birth in Dominican hospitals can be quite traumatic for both mothers and babies. The hospitals do not have the first world luxuries we have here in the states. In fact, many of the women must give birth on bare metal hospital beds as they are not able to provide sheets to most of them. The staff is also unable to perform basic life saving techniques because they do not have the equipment and are often lacking skills needed for resuscitation of a newborn, to control bleeding in mothers, and provide follow up care in the postpartum period.

We are writing to you today to ask for your support. Our paths to midwifery are all different. Some have been colored by our own unsatisfactory birth experiences, the painful lack of evidence based care in our own country, and a deep appreciation of how much birth DOES matter and our own deep dedication to preserving women's rights during those years. We cannot think of any other way we would rather serve women than to help them have a better experience in bringing their babies into the world. That is why traveling and working in the Dominican so close to our hearts.

You can keep up with our journey on the group's blog http://heartsandhandsstudentmidwives.blogspot.com/. Our goal is to each raise at least $2,500 for this cause. You can help by making a donation. That donation can be monetary or in supplies (a list of needed supplies can be found on our blog, you can also find us on Facebook). You can give online at http://giving.piryx.com/streams/Hearts-and-Hands-for-the-Dominican-Republic/THAy7w6f or send donations to the address listed below.

Thank you for your consideration and support. We plan to keep you updated on our progress as we continue fundraising efforts and take part in this inspiring event.

Warmly,
The ladies of Heart and Hands for the DR
Bree, Charlie, Jessica, and Shea

Blogging

Hello friends, family and supporters,

This is our blog to keep everyone updated on our progress as we plan out trip to the Dominican Republic in March, 2012.

Please feel free to follow this blog and share it with your friends. You can also find us on Facebook and Piyrx Giving Stream.

We look forward to sharing this adventure with you.

Blessings,

Bree, Charlie, Jessica and Shea