News from CelebrateONE Columbus • October 2022

Raising Awareness about Infant Safe-Sleep Practices in October

October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month. Approximately 3,500 infants die annually in the United States from sleep-related infant deaths.

In 2021, Columbus Public Health reported 17 sleep-related infant deaths.

Here are a few facts about SIDS

• SIDS is a sudden and silent medical disorder that can happen to an infant who seems healthy.
• SIDS is sometimes called "crib death" because it is associated with the time when the baby is sleeping. Cribs themselves don't cause SIDS, but the baby's sleep environment can influence sleep-related causes of death.
• SIDS is the leading cause of death among babies between 1 month and 1 year of age.
• Slightly more boys die of SIDS than girls.
• In the past, the number of SIDS deaths seemed to increase during the colder months of the year. But today, the numbers are more evenly spread throughout the year.
• SIDS rates in the United States have dropped steadily since 1994 in all racial and ethnic groups. Thousands of infant lives have been saved, but some ethnic groups are still at higher risk for SIDS.

A safe sleep environment can help reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant deaths. When putting your baby to sleep, it’s always important to follow the ABCs of infant safe sleep. Babies should always sleep ALONE on their BACK and in an empty CRIB with no blankets, bumper pads or stuffed animals.

To learn more, visit https://www.columbus.gov/celebrate-one/safe-sleep/safe-sleep-home/

A Few Memories from our First Birthday Party

Approximately 150 babies dug into a cupcake to celebrate their first birthday while parents and grandparents snapped lots of photos.

The First Birthday Party celebration was hosted by CelebrateOne recently at Dorrian Green Park at COSI. The festivities included music, food, costumed characters, face painting, early childhood education resources and a special gift from CelebrateOne for families.

This was the last event of the 2022 season but we are already planning for our 2023 events and we will share all the details in the months ahead.

We're Hiring!

Join the CelebrateOne Team

We're hiring!

Do you want to make a difference in our community?

When you join our team, you will be helping Columbus families to thrive.

We have positions open for a director and managers and we are also seeking community health workers.

The director and manager positions are members of our leadership team and will lead our efforts to engage with our partners to ensure all babies celebrate their first birthday.

As a community health worker, you’ll connect soon-to-be moms and new moms with the right people and resources in our community to ensure a healthy birth outcome.

Our health workers also assist with events, such as baby showers and birthday parties and conduct safe sleep trainings. This position offers full and part-time opportunities. No experience is required but customer service or community outreach experience is preferred.

If you want to join the dynamic team at CelebrateOne, please complete the following two steps:

1. Email a resume and cover letter to Jennifer Moore, director of operations, JLMoore@columbus.gov
2. Apply online https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/columbusoh

Baby & Mommy Care Event Set for October 28

Our Partner, Men For The Movement, has a Baby & Mommy Care event set for October 28 at JPS Creative Space, 1014 Parson Ave.

There will be tons of baby giveaways: Food, Clothes, Diapers & more! To learn more, visit their Facebook Events Page: https://fb.me/e/2QjNmAG4D or visit their website: https://men4movement.org/

Staff Spotlight

Meet Whitney Gordon - Senior Project Manager/Birth Equity

When did you join CelebrateOne?

August 2021

Tell us about your job as Project Manager/Birth Equity

As the senior project manager of birth equity, my job is to spearhead research and assist in strategizing, as well as implementing new and equitable interventions for CelebrateOne.

Examples of such work include: birth center research, community doula initiatives and development of a Community Innovation Hub which focuses on intentional coordination of neighborhood services, including prenatal care.

You are also involved with a new group that was recently organized called Queens Village Columbus. Can you tell us about it?

As part of its new five-year strategic plan, CelebrateOne has committed to being more deliberate about the ways in which we address disparities throughout Franklin County. Many of the proposed activities in the strategic plan are centered on equity to help drive our work.

Founded in January 2022, Queens Village Columbus is another key step in honoring Black women’s voices and lived experiences in order to refine CelebrateOne’s focus and our partners’ focus by promoting higher standards of healthcare, intentional self-care methods and support tools to improve maternal-child health outcomes in our community.

What are some of the challenges of the job?

Some of the initiatives and interventions that we have researched are very exciting and could prove useful for communities in Franklin County. However, as a backbone agency with a wide network of partners and stakeholders, which drives a lot of our work, there’s a delicate and necessary balance to consider in terms of collective capacities and alignment of mission, vision and services.

What do you like most about your job?

I enjoy the opportunity to advocate, help shape change and create new opportunities for women and children who need it the most.

What have you learned since joining CelebrateOne?

The lessons learned since joining CelebrateOne are innumerable; however, one of the most critical lessons is to have patience, as change on any scale takes time and perseverance. In the words of my beloved mentor, “You can’t boil the whole ocean!”

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