The Miracle Milk® Stroll was conceived by Best for Babes, but it is truly a collaborative effort! Our nonprofit partners are critical to the human milk and donor milk pipeline. They work tirelessly to help mothers breastfeed and increase their supply so they can donate milk, they ensure that it reaches fragile preterm babies, and they help spread the word far and wide, building awareness and removing barriers!
2016 Nonprofit Partners
NEC Society
The Miracle Milk Stroll was inspired by Jennifer Canvasser, who tragically lost her son Micah to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) on December 11, 2012. Shocked by the lack of awareness and information she encountered, Jennifer founded the NEC Society shortly thereafter and is a founding partner of the Stroll. NEC is especially deadly to fragile preterm infants. 90% of the 5,000 U.S. and Canadian infants who develop NEC are preterm, and NEC takes about 500 babies away from families each year. NEC Society seeks to raise awareness of the factors that reduce the risk of NEC (human milk, probiotics) and the factors that increase the risk of NEC (formula, antibiotics, quick advancements of feeds). They advocate for protective policies, for hospitals to adopt such policies, and for research that prioritizes preventing, reducing, and treating NEC. “Necrotizing enterocolitis continues to devastate families as the disease claims the lives of approximately 500 infants and affects thousands more, every year,” said Jennifer. “We know that human milk can reduce a fragile infant’s risk of developing this often fatal disease by nearly 80%, which is why the NEC Society is honored and thrilled to partner with the Best for Babes Foundation on our third Miracle Milk Stroll. We will bring together communities, families and mothers from diverse backgrounds to help ensure fragile infants receive the Miracle Milk® they desperately need to survive and thrive. The NEC Society is deeply grateful to the Best for Babes Foundation for leading such an incredible campaign that raises awareness, funds and human milk donations in an effort to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis.”
United States Lactation Consultant Association
The United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA) is the professional association for lactation professionals in the United States. USLCA strives to promote and enhance the lactation profession. They advocate for policies that protect a family’s access to trained lactation professionals. In addition to advocacy efforts such as promoting licensure for IBCLCs, USLCA also provides continuing education opportunities, practice tools, and networking opportunities for lactation professionals. This is the third year USLCA has been one of our Miracle Milk® Stroll nonprofit partners. “USLCA is proud to be a partner in the Miracle Milk® Stroll on behalf of our membership: the IBCLCs and aspiring IBCLCs who advocate for vulnerable families who need donor milk the most. USLCA-member IBCLCs are on the front lines and in direct contact with families of preterm and sick infants. They also work behind the scenes writing policy and implementing hospital procedures which support the use of donor milk, and doing the research which has shown that pasteurized donor human milk is a critical part of supporting optimal health and wellness for even the most vulnerable babies,” notes Christine Staricka, BS, IBCLC, RLC, CCE, Director of Marketing for USLCA.
Human Milk Banking Association of North America
We’re pleased to welcome back the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) as one of our nonprofit partners. HMBANA works to make donor human milk safe and accessible to those who need it. This professional organization was established in 1985 to bring together human milk banks and medical professionals. They help the member milk banks collect, pasteurize, and distribute human milk to families who need it, and they work to educate NICUs on the life-saving power of human milk and it’s use in the NICU. In the past year alone, HMBANA-affiliated milk banks have provided more than 3.77 million ounces of human milk to babies who need it. That is a lot of lives saved! HMBANA relies on the generosity of its donors to keep its milk banks stocked; have you checked to see if you could be a donor?
La Leche League USA
La Leche League USA (LLL USA) has grown from a single meeting in 1956 to becoming La Leche League International and having a presence in over 70 countries to date. LLL USA offers mother-to-mother support through its LLL Leaders in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. LLL Leaders are mothers who have experience in breastfeeding and mothering and run support groups for expecting and new mothers, as well as providing individual assistance. Leaders also must support the LLL purpose and philosophy. Cathy Heinz, BA IBCLC, RLC, PCD(DONA), member of the LLL USA Council, explains, “La Leche League USA became interested in participating in the Miracle Milk® Stroll because we share a common goal of ensuring as many babies as possible receive human milk. While our primary mission is to support families in meeting their breastfeeding goals, we know that many of the most vulnerable need donated human milk. Events like the Miracle Milk® Stroll help us bring awareness of the need to donate excess milk, and the benefits of donor milk if their babies are in need.”
Baby-Friendly Initiative/Breastfeeding Committee for Canada
The Baby-Friendly Initiative/Breastfeeding Committee for Canada (BFI/BCC) is our Canadian partner for the Miracle Milk Stroll. BFI/BCC was created in 1991. Its vision is simple: to establish breastfeeding as the cultural norm for infant feeding in Canada. BCC is the National Authority for the Baby-Friendly™ Initiative (BFI) in Canada. It assists hospitals in achieving Baby-Friendly™ status. This includes adhering to the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and passing several assessments and reviews from the BCC. As of November 2015, there are 127 facilities across Canada that have earned the designation Baby-Friendly™.
Kellymom (Media Partner)
We are thrilled that for the first time ever, we have a designated media partner for the Miracle Milk Stroll. Kellymom.com was founded by Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC - a board-certified lactation consultant and mother of three. Kellymom.com is the leading independent, International Code-compliant website providing information on breastfeeding and other parenting topics that is backed by evidence-based practice. In a given month Kellymom.com reaches 1.8 million users, and receives 5.2 million page views. Kellymom.com has over 314K likes on FB; engagement averages 37.1K; and most posts reach over 100K. It has been a favorite of families and lactation professionals alike since its inception in 1996. Kellymom.com also offers a Facebook breastfeeding support group that provides a supportive, caring place for parents and professionals to interact.
The Best for Babes Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and the only independent, mainstream consumer-driven cause for breastfeeding and human milk. BfB’s mission is to change the cultural perception of breastfeeding and to eliminate the barriers — the Breastfeeding Booby Traps® — that prevent parents from making informed feeding decisions and from achieving their personal feeding goals. We harness the power of moms, celebrities, companies, advertising, the media and the medical community to build a true cause that can put pressure on the barriers, not moms, through education, advocacy and national fundraising campaigns. We raise awareness of the power of human milk (by breastfeeding or donated milk) as both prevention and treatment for pandemic diseases.
