Our Biggest Moments in 2017
Thursday, 1/11/2018
What a year Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas had in 2017! Over the course of the last 12 months, MMBNT celebrated the fragile and premature infants who benefited from donor human milk and the mothers who selflessly donated that milk. We also took huge leaps forward into the next chapter of the milk bank’s history.
A grant from the North Texas Community Foundation provided the funds for MMBNT’s community awareness campaign, Bright Beginnings. These ads, including a billboard located at the busy intersection of Camp Bowie Boulevard and Bryant Irvin Road in Fort Worth, educated the community about donor milk and the miracles it’s making right here in our city.
MMBNT staff kicked off the summer season with the HMBANA Symposium, a 2-day event that brought together administrators and staff from nonprofit milk banks across North America. We enjoyed networking with colleagues, contributing to the strategic planning process and learning about the latest research in milk banking.
The summer included many events planned especially for milk donors. We celebrated moms who donated during the past year by treating them and their families to a Donor Appreciation Day at the Fort Worth Zoo. Bereaved milk donors, who donated milk in memory of their babies who passed away, honored their babies at the Carmen’s Tree Memorial, our biennial memorial ceremony.
MMBNT participated in Tarrant County’s Family Expo and Big Latch On during World Breastfeeding Week in August. In September, we commemorated the milk bank’s 13th anniversary at our annual luncheon, Little Babies and Big Dreams. During the luncheon, we launched the public phase of our capital campaign, More Room for More Miracles: The Campaign for Healthy Babies.
More Room for More Miracles is a $3.067 million campaign to raise funds for the construction of a new milk bank facility. In November, we broke ground on the project and now look forward to progress, both on the building and the campaign, in the coming year.
November was a busy month for MMBNT, as local news station WFAA highlighted the milk bank in an original feature. It also hosted a Facebook Live chat on its page, providing community members the opportunity to ask questions about donor human milk.
We are thankful for a year of growth in our organization, connection with our community and miracles for the tiny babies we serve. As we get back to business in 2018, we can’t wait to see what the next 12 months bring.
