The Warrior Mom T-shirt is available now! The women's fitted shirt features the "Warrior Mom" logo and is available in chocolate brown, black and pale yellow in sizes S-XL.
The women of NOFAS - Erin Frey,
Brianna Montgomery and Kathy
Mitchell - modeling the Warrior Mom shirt.
Last week, the Circle of Hope/Birth Mother's Network (COH/BMN) convened for their annual meeting. Twenty-nine birth mothers from across the United States were in attendance. The meeting was held in conjunction with the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence Building FASD State Systems (BFSS) meetings. (fasdcenter.samhsa.gov)
Two COH/BMN members, Marion Doan and Julene Zizza, manned an exhibit table and greeted BFSS attendees and informed them about the COH/BMN. Other members facilitated workshops at the BFSS: Sue Terwey from Minnesota facilitated a workshop Addressing PAE/FASD in Recovery Programs for Pregnant and Parenting Women with Substance Use Disorders Utilizing Federal Block Grant Funds; Julie Gelo from Washington State provided a mini-training, I Am Me-First Person Language; and Kathy Mitchell from NOFAS (Washington, DC) provided a workshop The Twelve Steps Revisited for Individuals with FASD and their Families. Mercedes Alejandro from Texas participated in the SAMHSA SAFA
• The NOFAS Circle of Hope/Birth Mother's Network Speakers Bureau recently
met in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a two-day training. Nine new
members were trained as speakers and the existing members received a
refresher course. For more information on the Circle of Hope/Birth
Mother's Network Speakers Bureau, please contact Kathy Mitchell at
mitchell@nofas.org.
2012 Circle of Hope/Birth Mother's Network
Speaker's Bureau training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
• NOFAS Affiliate, Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) recently launched a Circle of Hope Birth Mother's group. For more information on their new network, please visit http://www.mofas.org/2012/01/find-healing-at-the-circle-of-hope/.
• COH/BMN members gathered for the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellance Building FASD State Systems meeting entitled Hope, Faith, and Care: Rising to the challenge of FASD on May 11 -13 in Phoenix, Arizona. In a workshop, BMN members Kathy Mitchell, Sue Terwey, Naomi Michalsen, and LaShaunda Harris provided testimony about the experience of the birth mother. Additionally. BMN member Peggy Combs-Way monitored a workshop focused on recovery where Dr. Mary DeJoseph provided an overview about addiction as a brain disease. Members had an opportunity to gather for dinner and experience the Tex-Mex cuisine in Phoenix.
• The COH/BMN held their 6th annual meeting on January 19th in Palm Springs, California. Birth mothers from across the country met to discuss ways to inform others about FASD and support women who may be suffering with addiction or have a birth child with FASD. The following day, NOFAS facilitated a peer training for members of the COH/BMN. Peer trainers will be listed in the BMN Speakers Bureau, and will be available to speak about FASD and their own experiences.
• An international birth mother's panel will be featured at the Fourth International Conference on FASD in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, March 2-5.
• A series of educational events targeting addiction treatment providers and women in treatment is also planned for late March at multiple locations in Hawaii, in conjunction with Dr. Ira Chasnoff, Director of Children's Research Triangle..
2010
• Twenty-three women joind the Circle of Hope this year, and there are four new state/regional coordinators!
• Kathy Mitchell provided a COH/BMN overview and provided materials at Crossroads Alcohol and Drug Residential Services in Fairfax, Virginia.
• In November, Kathy Mitchell facilitated a poster session and met with prospective international members at the First European FASD Confernece held in the Netherlends.
• Pip Williams established a Birth Mother's Network in the United Kingdom.
• In September, Kathy Mitchell presented a workshop at the Caron Foundation in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.
• COH/BMN members met for the annual Summit in July in Orlando.
• On March 14, the University of British Columbia held their 3rd International Conference on FASD in Victoria, British Columbia. Kathy Mitchell presented two workshops: Hope for Women in Recovery: Facilitating a Women in Recovery Summit, and Making a Difference: Facilitating a Best Practice FASD Community Awareness Campaign.
Kathy met many of the 1,200 attendees at the NOFAS exhibit booth, selling and distributing the NOFAS K-12 curriculum and NOFAS education materials. This year, the new NOFAS Warrior Mom Tee Shirts were the ultimate hit! On the last day of the conference Kathy joined eight other birth mom warriors from all over the world. Together they shared their experiences on a panel entitled, What Makes a Difference: Reflections from the Experience of Birth Moms. Needless to say, there was not a dry eye in the audience! Kudos to Jan Lutke and the planning committee for another incredible FASD conference.
2009
• On June 8 and 9, in Orlando, Florida, NOFAS and SAMHSA’s FASD Center of Excellence held a peer training for birth mothers and grandmothers of individuals with FASD. The goal was to train birth families to speak about their experiences and to “spread the message” of preventing FASD.
• The COH/BMN met on May 11, in Albuquerque, New Mexico as part of the FASD Center for Excellence meetings.
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