First Year Cleveland

Have you registered yet for Ohio’s 4th annual Infant Vitality Advocacy Day?

Whether you’re new to advocacy or are a seasoned advocate, we welcome you to join us on September 29 in Columbus with partners from around Ohio to educate lawmakers about the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting families and uplift policies that support more first birthdays. The priorities we’re elevating this year are paid family leave and housing supports for pregnant Ohioans. The full issue brief will be available soon.

Visit lightingthewayto1.org to register and to access tools and information as you prepare for Infant Vitality Advocacy Day 2026!

CelebrateOne
Cradle Cincinnati
Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality
Collaborate Cleveland

Grief is here. But so is hope. And so are we. 🦋

If you or a loved one are navigating pregnancy and infant loss, PAIL's virtual support groups offer monthly meet-ups to process, heal, and simply be in a safe community of support among bereaved parents.

Meet-ups happen the second Saturday of each month. Registration required.

You are not alone! 💜

August will be another busy month as we prepare for Rx Kids’ arrival in Cleveland and Infant Vitality Advocacy Day in September. Read all about it in this month’s newsletter: bit.ly/452ZyIk

If you haven’t already, please join our email list to get the next newsletter straight to your inbox! bit.ly/subscribe-FYC

First Year Cleveland - August 2026 Newsletter Our team is over the moon as we welcome Rx Kids to Cleveland! Rx Kids is the nation’s first-ever, community-wide maternal and infant cash prescription program, founded by Flint, Michigan pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna and Luke Shaefer, PhD, Detroit's first Chief Executive of Health, Human Services an...

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...