March 2008 Hall of Fame
BOLD - Improving Health Care, Women's Lives & Babies' Beg...
BOLD - Improving Health Care, Women's Lives & Babies' Beginnings through the Arts
Q1: Operating with a Virtual Office - As an all volunteers (so far) organization with staff in 3+ states, keeping in touch is a challenge. Managing documents, staff meetings and email is hard, especially without a budget! How can we keep a cohesive group of dedicated volunteers in touch & efficient?
Idea Description
BOLD is an international project to educate and empower women through the use of Theatre Arts. We provide education, community, and support to grassroots community organizers who host BOLD events in their communities. BOLD Events include - Performance & Talkback Initiative - Communities perform Birth a play by Karen Brody and host a talkback panel that discusses the documentary-style play and local health care issues effecting mothers & babies; Red Tents - Communities host birth storytelling "tents" at which women can give voice to their experiences, and get support and learn from each other; College Campaing - Supports health advocacy & body image education for college age women.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
3 key tasks that will stabilize our organization and allow us to continue to grow:
1. Create a more professional & streamlined web site, with email for our voluneers, an integrated online bulletin board for communicating with our dozens of community organizers and a more coherent expression of our vision of creating a positive, woman centered birth culture. 2. Attend technical assistance & board development workshops that will allow us to finish our nonprofit incorporation process and create a professional board. 3. Add to our Matching Funds pool of donations to increase incentive for our upcoming fundraising drive.
Wonderful idea! best of luck to you
Karen Brody and BOLD are changing the world with promoting Mother Friendly Birth. Imagine a world where all beings come into the world happy, nurtured and loved. Imagine a world where no drugs are offered during the first moments of life ... who knows, it might mean that no drugs are desired later in life ... higher quality of life for all generations. Karen Brody, YOU ROCK! Robin G. Maui, Hawaii
I played the character of Sandy in the 2006 and 2007 performances of BIRTH in Rochester, NY. Good luck to you all!!!
I participated in a BOLD event last year - it was a moving experience!! This is a great organization and a worthy cause!!
BOLD is a great way for young women and pregnant women to begin thinking about how their births will effect them and their children. It is an eye opening opportunity for those in healthcare to realize their impact on women and families. By hearing the real stories of women's birth experiences it is easy to apply the information and knowledge to myself. You won't be disappointed if you attend the play and the movement this play is intended to make is a worthy one especially in America which has such a high C-section rate. Only when women become informed and ask for the care they deserve will a change come about.
This is a really important time for women who are planning to have a baby to find ways to become educated on the positives and risks of birthing in today's society.Before I started learning how important it is to be informed, I would have just gone blindly into labor and delivery and not found out what is best for my baby. BOLD gives women a chance to share women's birthing stories and enlighten a community!
Your website 'Birth On Labor Day' is great. Finally, a movement that challenges the Western medicine fear machine. Thank you! Good Luck!
The time is now to be BOLD! We are in a maternity care crisis across the country with rising c-section rates and a maternal mortality rate that has not improved since 1982! We need BOLD to bring an awareness to this issue and to change maternity care for the better for mothers, babies, and their families.
What a wonderful organization. I fully support educated, empowered women. Medically, pregnant women are treated as though they suffer from unwanted disease. BOLD is doing a great work to educate and make aware the issues and concerns surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.
This is a fantastic idea -- empowering and important! Thank you!
This is a great idea. Linking birth, maternity and arts will definately ease the cultural barriers that affect the transfer of experiences between adults and the young in especially very traditional communities.
Karen and BOLD for maternity care for women.....fabulous, play on awareness of the world of birth and women.If you ever get a chance to see it....do so....you will laugh, cry, and wanta fight for women's voice in birth. Jenna Houston Homebirth Midwife
Well, if my business venture did not win this month, I guess this would be the most worthwhile one.
BOLD is a fabulous way to engage women in a positive, not preachy way about pregnancy & childbirth. Womens voices on stage, telling real stories, talking about the issues that impact women's and children's health! If you have been pregnant or ever plan to be, support BOLD! Tell your friends about this contest - Vote for BOLD!
90% of women will give birth at some point during their lives. So support BOLD! Birth matters!
MotherVerse Magazine and its editors support BOLD in their quest for the Ideablob award. You are providing a fantastic and unique resource for mothers and babies. Good luck!
I participated in the play Birth in 2006 in Eugene, OR as part of the BOLD program and it was a wonderful and inspiring endeavor! Keep up the fabulous work! I voted for you! - Kara Spencer, LMT, CD, CBE
If you are looking at this page and have not yet voted for BOLD, please consider doing so now! This is an amazing grassroots organization that is really dedicated to making real, progressive, necessary change in our culture of birth. The prize would mean so much.