First Year Cleveland

Rx Kids arrival in Cleveland is fast approaching and so are opportunities to learn more about this whole-community hug for Cleveland moms!

Please join us for these learning opportunities in August:

♥️ Community Partner Meeting | Thursday, August 6 | bit.ly/4yOaib7

♥️ Community Partner Onboarding Training | Monday, August 17 | bit.ly/4yIGHzX

♥️ The City Club of Cleveland Forum | Friday, August 28 | bit.ly/3RxmWuh

There are several free community events coming up in August for expecting parents and families with babies. Please share to help our partners reach families with these important educational opportunities!

A list of upcoming community events is updated regularly on our website here: bit.ly/42Jcbab Be sure to submit your community events if you haven’t already.

Famicos Foundation Safe Sleep Training | Saturday, August 1 | bit.ly/4pNggov

Infant Massage Classes hosted by Achievement Centers for Children and Womankind, Inc. | Wednesdays in August & early September | bit.ly/4h43L5S

Project Milk Mission Breastfeeding Education | Tuesday, August 11 | bit.ly/4hDb0BQ

Project Milk Mission Latch & Paint | Saturday, August 29 | bit.ly/4hDb0BQ

Yes, first and foremost, Infant Vitality Advocacy Day (IVAD) is about, well, advocacy! But we wanted to share a story that speaks to the importance of the connections made at statewide convenings like IVAD…

A couple of weeks ago, a soon to be mom from Trumbull County got in touch with our organization in search of community support. Through IVAD we’ve worked with the team at Evolve Innovation Center in Youngstown. Founders Bryant Youngblood and his mom, Montez Favors are pictured here at IVAD 2024. One email to them and they set up an appointment with mom to connect her with diapers and transportation support.

We are stronger together and Infant Vitality Advocacy Day is one of our favorite annual showings of that. We hope you can join us this year on Tuesday, September 29 in Columbus. Visit lightingthewayto1.org to register!

CelebrateOne
Cradle Cincinnati
Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality
Collaborate Cleveland

Local and national fundraising, in partnership with Rx Kids and GiveDirectly, is underway–we're raising $40 million! This is a huge goal, and it's so joyful to talk about this loving investment in moms, along with a great pride for this city and so many committed partners.

We welcome your support to build awareness and raise funds! To give every Cleveland baby a healthy start, donations can be made at https://www.givedirectly.org/rxkids-cleveland or contact us at First Year Cleveland.

Does your organization work directly with pregnant moms in Cleveland? If so, we hope you can join us on Monday, August 17 from 3-4 pm for a virtual onboarding training for Rx Kids!

This session will cover:
✔️What the Rx Kids program is and its goals
✔️A walkthrough of the application and enrollment process
✔️The tools you need to support community outreach and participant enrollment

Register here: https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/gvpAA7PxSHiI33iu7_hhOg

GiveDirectly
Michigan State University Public Health

Did you hear? Dr. Mona Hanna, Founder of Rx Kids is coming to Cleveland for The City Club of Cleveland forum on Friday, August 28 with First Year Cleveland’s own Angela Newman-White! They will discuss the impact of Rx Kids, what Greater Cleveland can expect with the expansion, and the transformative potential of directly supporting families during pregnancy and infancy.

We hope to see you there!

Rx Kids: A New Maternal and Infant Health Model is Coming to Cleveland | The City Club of Cleveland | August 28, 2026 Pregnancy and infancy are critical periods in children’s development and are also the most economically vulnerable times for families. Rx Kids is a public health initiative addressing this dilemma for families in Michigan with a bold approach: It gives moms $1,500 during pregnancy and $500/month f...

Our next Community Partner Meeting is coming up on Thursday, August 6 at Tri-C Metro’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center! Join us to expand your own advocacy know-how and to support your clients and patients.

We'll learn more about:
❓ What's going on at the Ohio Statehouse in an election year
✔️ Voter registration tools and Get Out the Vote efforts
📣 Infant Vitality Advocacy Day on September 29
🎉 All you need to know about Rx Kids!

RSVP here: http://evt.to/esiuuoasw

We're thrilled to serve as the Community Champion helping bring this program to Cleveland! The Cleveland launch marks Rx Kids’ first expansion outside Michigan, where the program has demonstrated measurable improvements in maternal and infant health, increased access to prenatal care, and reduced financial stress for families during the earliest and most critical stage of life.

To give every Cleveland baby a healthy start, donations can be made at https://www.givedirectly.org/rxkids-cleveland or contact us at First Year Cleveland. Learn more at RxKids.org.

Every baby deserves the healthiest possible start, and every family deserves the support to get there.

That's why we're excited to welcome Rx Kids to Cleveland. By providing direct cash support to eligible mothers with newborns, this initiative helps reduce financial stress during one of life's most important moments.

Reducing infant mortality requires investing in families before and after birth. Rx Kids is an important step to ensuring healthy lives for Cleveland's children.

More details about eligibility and enrollment will be announced soon.

Rx Kids is targeting Cleveland’s highest-need communities first—starting where infant mortality and child poverty are most acute—with a vision of reaching every baby born in Cleveland.

The program will expand as quickly as funds are raised. Learn more about our fundraising goals at firstyearcleveland.org.

You can join in this effort too! To give every Cleveland baby a healthy start, donations can be made at https://www.givedirectly.org/rxkids-cleveland or contact us at First Year Cleveland.

GiveDirectly
Michigan State University Public Health

Join First Year Cleveland’s Maternal Mental Health Policy Subcommittee on Wednesday, July 29 to discuss the Medicaid billing survey findings and potential strategies to make Medicaid billing easier for everyone. Breakfast and networking starts at 8:30 and the program at 9:00.

Register here: bit.ly/4vcPtTO