Our seventh annual Saving Grace dinner gala fundraiser took place in Manhattan on the evening of Saturday, November 12. It was simply a wonderful evening, replete with raw emotion, inspirational stories, hope and gratitude. Together with The Foundation for America's Blood Centers, another worthy charity dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and babies, we reached a broad and extremely engaged audience of almost 500 guests. With the support of so many individuals and our event sponsors - Johnson & Johnson, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Merck, Abbott and many others - we grossed nearly $550,000 to support the vital missions of our organizations!

Our theme this ...

Some of the most important participants at the Promise Walks for Preeclampsia are healthcare providers who come out to support the Foundation. Many are community physicians and nurses who treat preeclampsia on a regular basis. The Promise Walk is an annual event held in numerous cities that allows the preeclampsia community to come together and mourn their losses, celebrate their hopes, and work together toward the common goal of raising money to fund research and create awareness.

Many Promise Walks invite healthcare providers to speak about their own professional experience with preeclampsia. That provider brings their own professional validation to the need for awareness and research, while giving attendees hope, knowing that there are medical professionals working diligently to solve the "preeclampsia puzzle."

So what causes these health care providers to be so passionate for the preeclampsia cause and to join our efforts at the Promise Walks? To provide ...

The 2011 Promise Walk has come to an amazing close and the Preeclampsia Foundation is already looking toward 2012!   Have you considered hosting or volunteering at a walk? Even if you have just few hours to volunteer, we need you! Join us for the first Promise Walk planning call of the 2012 season on September 13 to learn about what it means to organize a Promise Walk, or email National Walk Director Becky Sloan about how you can support the efforts.

In 2011, Promise Walks were held in 24 locations, and for 2012, we are looking for eager volunteers who are interested in creating even more new walk sites or in volunteering a few hours to help an existing walk be successful.  Organizing a Promise Walk is a little like a planning a party…if you’ve put on a birthday party or organized a wedding you are likely qualified to plan a Promise Walk!

There are five main components of helping to organize a successful Promise Walk: Logistics, Sponsorships, Registration, ...

The live auction at Saving Grace - A Night of Hope is lively and energizing. Shrieks of laughter and good natured competition inspire the audience to interact and bid high, receiving a fun and exciting trip, package or unique experience in return. These prizes are supplied by the overwhelming generosity and connections of our auction donors...individuals and businesses like you!

At this year's New York City Saving Grace on November 12, we plan to again include some fantastic prizes, with proceeds going to fund research and education programs of the Preeclampsia Foundation and the Foundation for America's Blood Centers, but we need your help! The Manhattan planning committee wants to outdo all previous events and is looking for charming live auction items for donation: trips, sports packages, luxury hotel and restaurant accommodations, jewelry, original artwork, are all popular prizes that ...

This was the biggest year in Promise Walk history, with more walks, more participants, and the most funds ever raised!  Promise Walks were held in 24 cities in 19 different states and raised more than $271,000 for the Preeclampsia Foundation, with 2300 participants nationwide. Our largest walk hosted around 300 people.  State governors and mayors proclaimed preeclampsia awareness day in 13 states and cities.
 
Many special tributes and fun features made each walk an inspirational and unique event. Butterfly releases in San Diego and Boston, a dove release in San Jose, survivor sashes in North Conway, personalized mile markers in Chicago, and a special feature with the Field of Cradles exhibit in Boston made each walk inspiring. Some of the fun features included face painting for kids and adults, and specialized desserts like Promise Walk heart cookies and "feet" cakes!  

Walk participants at a few locations were treated to special guest ...

Amy Robbins-Wilson, the lullaby singer from Maine who wrote three songs for the “I Gave You Words”/Field of Cradles art exhibit, will be singing for participants of the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia™ in South Boston on Sunday, July 24th.  Her performance will be a highlight for both children and adults present at the walk, and will be dedicated to the many babies lost each year, including the babies memorialized in the Field of Cradles exhibit, displayed at this year’s Promise Walk.
 
The Field of Cradles display is a poignant reminder to all that pass by, a grassy field of empty cradles, each representing a baby that has lost his or her life to preeclampsia. Inside each cradle lies a blanket with a poem on it written to and for that child, while Robbins-Wilson’s gentle lullabies play in the background.

Deeply moved by her involvement with the Field of Cradles exhibit and the words of ...

Whether it's a backyard barbeque in Dad's honor, hot dogs in the park or a play date at the swings, summer is the time to turn off the television and enjoy the easy spirit of extended daylight. It's also when we reconnect with our neighbors and friends... but it can also be a great fundraising and awareness opportunity!

Not only is it fun, but neighborhood yard sales and block party picnics are great chances for people to learn about preeclampsia and contribute to the work of the Foundation. Here's how to enjoy the sun and organize a local neighborhood block party:

1. Invite each family to provide a side dish.  Ask the manager of your local grocery store, hotdog stand or ice cream shop to donate food, water, or a sheet cake. With enough notice, most will be happy to get behind a community charity event.
2. Line up activities like Frisbee, water balloon toss, face painting, basketball, family sack races, or inflatable bounce rental. 
3. Host in ...

On Wednesday, May 18, the Preeclampsia Foundation's Board Chairman Pat Dignan hosted a Saving Grace 2011 'Kickoff Reception' in midtown Manhattan. The purpose of the event was to gather New York City area constituents, share thoughts and ideas, and really build momentum toward the gala.

"Mission Accomplished!" announced Dignan. "We had a great turnout, despite a rainy and blustery Manhattan evening."

Attendees included area medical practitioners, corporate and individual sponsors, as well as leadership members from both the Preeclampsia Foundation and the Foundation for America's Blood Centers (FABC), since this year's Saving Grace Dinner Gala is a joint fundraiser, to benefit both foundations.

After Dignan welcomed the guests and delivered some opening remarks, a series of stellar presentations followed:
 
Lauren Larsen, President and Chief Ambassador of the FABC detailed how severe preeclampsia impacted her ...

Throughout the month of May, the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia has been raising awareness across the country: from Ohio to Florida, Minnesota to Texas, and California to Massachusetts, two dozen sites hosted walks with many of these being first time events. This year's walk season represents the largest effort to date with the most number of major cities and walkers participating, raising over $230,000.  

The National Promise Walk team ambitiously raised the national fundraising goal to $225,000 this year. The Promise Walk coordinators took this challenge and delivered. San Jose, Calif., raised more than $30,000 as a first time walk; San Diego, Irvine, Calif., and Davenport, Iowa, were just shy of $20,000 each, while Chicago raised over $26,000 at the second annual Walk-turned CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) certified 5K walk/run.
 
All walks included guest speakers such as preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome survivors, researchers and health care ...

Many of our newsletter readers will participate in or support a Promise Walk for Preeclampsia this May and June. The Promise Walks are one of the biggest fundraisers that the Preeclampsia Foundation hosts: they not only generate funds for the Foundation, but raise awareness about the disease in local communities. For many people, a walk is their first experience with the Foundation - their first time connecting with our community and becoming aware of preeclampsia's devastating impact. This connection is an excellent opportunity to motivate Promise Walk attendees to become year-round Foundation supporters within their local community.

There are many ways you can help get your neighbors, friends and families involved after the Walk is over:

• Encourage walkers to sign up for the Expectations newsletter to stay connected and motivated about our work; to see the impact their contributions are making.
• Host an event to raise awareness or money ...

Raising awareness in 2011 is no easy task.
 
A recent internet search of awareness efforts in May turned up 22 different causes, from asthma and allergy to stuttering awareness. As yet, the National Health Observances Calendar doesn't include Preeclampsia Awareness Month, although efforts are underway (with Congressional support) to add it.
 
So what can the Preeclampsia Foundation, an organization that recently celebrated its 10th birthday, learn from more established organizations and their campaigns?
 
Pink ribbons, red dresses, and yellow rubber bracelets immediately come to mind. Certain trends are prevalent in these successful awareness campaigns: a concerted public relations campaign, a celebrity spokesperson, partnerships with like-minded organizations, but most importantly, a clear message of the impact that a condition has on the American population.
 
Can an awareness "month" matter as we seek to raise the profile of our ...

The countdown to The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia continues with teams and individuals scrambling to secure the most donations. This month we celebrate our top three teams: Scuderia Reyes (San Diego),
Cooper Landon Barnett (San Jose), and Team "Down with BP" (Chicago), all with over $1,000 raised so far!

The top three individuals are giving the teams some stiff competition. Lisa Bloch (San Jose) has already brought in over $1,000 and Sarah Scott (Raleigh) and Stephan Pollitt (San Jose) are already over $500. With a little over a month to go for some of the walks, turn on the heat!