Christina Lares, Administrative Coordinator, Communications & Advocacy/Outreach, San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition
There’s #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday...and then there’s #GivingTuesday, an International Day of Giving! Giving Tuesday is about all of us coming together and giving back to do extraordinary things. This year our community joined together to advance the cause of the San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition (SDCBC) to promote diversity in lactation education and increasing lactation support in underserved, marginalized communities.
From November 16-December 1st 2021, SDCBC board members, staff, and volunteers created peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns and raised over $2,800. Thanks to the generosity of our board member and founder, Dr. Nancy Wight, we were able to double our impact with a dollar-for-dollar donation match. That’s over $5,700 for countywide lactation scholarships.
In partnership with UCSD Extension's Global Lactation Alliance Program, SDCBC offers scholarships for community leaders who are pursuing the Lactation Education Counselor or International Board Lactation Education Counselor program, to increase lactation support in underserved communities. Each year the Coalition announces several scholarship opportunities and selects individuals vividly exhibiting a passion to serve San Diego families.
The impact of this program grows and grows each year. Metztli Lopez Torres, who was awarded a scholarship in 2018 shares the community impact.
“Since I was awarded the scholarship, I have supported more than 100+ new moms and babies because I was working in a community clinic as a Lactation Educator. This scholarship has benefited my professional life but also it has a real impact in the community I served. My hope is to continue providing breastfeeding support in the years to come.”
Breast milk is the perfect nutrition for newborns, filled with all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need to build immunity, develop protection from germs, illnesses, and diseases, and safeguard them from the inside out as they start life. We believe we can give San Diego County infants a healthier start by funding the lactation support necessary to meet each family’s breastfeeding goals.
We are looking forward to 2022 and announcing our next cycle of scholarship winners soon.
For more info on scholarships and how to apply, please visit https://breastfeeding.org/lactation-education-counselor-scholarship/. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed of all coalition updates.
The Coalition’s efforts and these scholarships are funded almost exclusively by donations. Visit the donation page at https://breastfeeding.org/donate/.
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