Thank you Whole Foods and all of our shoppers! Our 5% Community Giving Day was a huge success. With your help, we raised just over $2,700! What a huge help during this crucial time during our start-up. We can't thank you all enough for coming out and shopping and for taking the time to share your thoughts, concerns and ideas with our board members during the day. We can see that you are excited to have a birth center and we are thrilled to be so close to giving you one! Thank you again and a very special thanks to Whole Foods for choosing to partner with us for this amazingly generous event.

On Januray 12, 2010, Whole Foods on Carlisle and Indian School is welcoming Full Circle Midwifery Birth & Health Center for a 5% Community Giving Day. This means that five percent of the net sales from the entire day will be donated to the birth center! Come out and join us on this special day. FCM Board members will be there to answer your questions and provide information between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. Thank you to Whole Foods for choosing to support our center! And thank you to all of you who attend and support us as well!

We are very excited to report that we have just been awarded our first grant from the New Mexico McCune Foundation. We have also raised nearly $20,000 in individual donations! However, we still have not raised enough money to open this much needed center. Each week we are contacted by women who desire a birth center birth or an opportunity to be able to work at such a wonderful center.

In light of the current financial climate, we have drastically redesigned the vision for the center and reduced our start-up budget a great deal. Our original goal was $500,000; our new goal is $200,000. This new budget is the bare minimum needed to open our doors. We thank all of you that have donated so far and ask those who have yet to contribute to do so today. We have an opportunity to submit a “matching” grant proposal on June 1st. This means we have the potential to match, dollar for dollar, all donations we acquire until then. This is the time to make your tax-deductible donation! Please donate today. I understand that the current financial situation is challenging at this time, but most of us can still afford some sort of contribution. So whether it is $50, $100 or whatever you are moved to give, do so today. Please find the donation pledge card on our website under "Donate".

We have also posted a “wish list” on our website for items to be donated. This includes medical items such as autoclaves, microscopes and speculums to household furniture to client education material and books. The more we are able to obtain new or gently used items the further our budget will go! So please, if you can not donate money, start looking around your homes and offices for what items you can donate. You can still deduct the estimated value of the items from your taxes.

Please do not underestimate how much your contribution can help change lives. Thank you all so very much for your generous support. Again, remember that we are a non-profit and your contribution is tax deductible. Please feel free to visit our website at www.fullcirclebirthcenter.com or e-mail us.

In addition to mailing in your contribution, you can also donate via Pay Pal on our website. Just be sure to specify that your donation is for the capital campaign and leave contact information so that we can send you a receipt for your tax deduction.

Thank you all so much for your consideration,
Alisa Henning, CNM
Co-Founder, Board President

We are currently launching a capital campaign for a home for this much needed center. You can download the PDF brochure. I am asking each of you to email all of your friends and family that you think might be interested in supporting this crucial project. I also ask each of you to contribute at the level you feel comfortable.

Additionally, I wanted to update you all about our progress. Since the inception of the center: we were incorporated in August of 2007, received our federal non-profit 501(c)(3) status, built a wonderfully dedicated Board of Directors, are working with a fantastic consulting physician/medical director, have been submitting grant proposals, have had several very successful community benefit concerts and have gained the support of many community members.

I know this request for financial contributions comes at an awkward time, but there are many reasons that this is perfect time:

• Because of our current market, your contribution can go further today than it could have yesterday. For example, the home that we are interested in has been reduced in price and many materials and labor are also greatly discounted.
• As financial times become trying for some of us, we can cut back on luxuries. But women who are supporting their family and working hard to make ends meet as it is will find it even more difficult to access vital healthcare and prenatal care.
• No matter how slow the economy becomes the need for excellent healthcare for our women and babies will not change. In fact, the need for this important and cost effective care will become of greater importance.
• If our President elect Barack Obama can raise more money than any other presidential candidate with the majority of his contributions being under $100.00, then we also have an opportunity to raise the money needed for this center with the support of all of you.

Thank you all so very much for your generous support. Remember that we are a non-profit and your contribution is tax deductible. In addition to mailing in your contribution, you can also donate via Pay Pal on our website. Please be sure to specify that your donation is for the capital campaign and leave contact information so that we can send you a receipt for your tax deduction.

Again, I urge you to send this campaign brochure on to others dedicated to supporting women's health and midwifery.

Thank you all so much for your consideration,
Alisa Henning, CNM
Co-Founder, Board President

October 4th was another wonderful benefit concert for Full Circle Midwifery Birth & Health Center. This one was held at the Outpost Performance space. Linda Johnson was again gracious enough to lend us her talents and open the show with her beautiful guitar styling and velvety voice. Then Po’ Girl hit the stage with their very fun and eclectic music, a bit of folk/jazz/soul fusion. The show was a sell out of more than 150 people, helping the birth center raise about another $3,000 for start-up costs!! Thank you to Linda, Allison and Awna of Po’Girl, Rick Thaler, Tom Guralnick, and all of you who came to support us! We look forward to many more community events!

Full Circle is still very busy and working hard towards opening this coming spring. We are currently writing for grants and searching for the perfect home for the center.