Welcome to the Western Washington Chapter of the Star Legacy Foundation!
Established in the fall of 2018, our chapter serves all of Western Washington and is based on beautiful Whidbey Island. We are a group of motivated parents, family members, and friends that have either suffered from miscarriage and/or stillbirth themselves or know someone who has.Â
Our Mission
- Support bereaved parents
- Educate the medical community and public about stillbirth
- Increase awareness and address the stigma surrounding stillbirth
- Raise funds for research
- Prevent the loss of children to stillbirth
Current Initiatives
- Monthly Chapter meetings: Third Monday of every month (Jan-Dec) from 7:00 – 8:30pm at Grigware Hall in Freeland, WA
- If you are in the area and want to connect with other parents who have experienced the loss of a child, or want to learn more about our cause, please contact us at [email protected]
Future Chapter Services or Initiatives
- Peer Support. Peer companions are individuals who have first-hand experience with pregnancy loss and neonatal death and have been trained to help others along their grief journey.
- Care Packages and a bereavement resources guide for families who have experienced a loss.
- Advocacy Efforts. Our chapter will be working on state legislation surrounding stillbirth. More to come…
- Educational Efforts. We plan to offer training related to stillbirth and child loss to healthcare and mental health providers.
Upcoming Events
Many parents and grandparents of stillborn children want to do something to prevent other families from experiencing this type of loss. Others want to honor the memories of their children by volunteering. For these reasons and more, we encourage you to get involved in our chapter. Members of the Western Washington Chapter meet monthly. Aside from our current and future initiatives, we have several other champion events planned and we welcome your assistance and participation to help make these events a success. Want to know more or have some other great ideas to share, contact us at [email protected].
- Coffee and Community Dinner and Silent Auction: Mukilteo Coffee Roasters – Date to be determined
- Bunco Night Fundraiser – Location and date to be determined
- Forget Me Not Keepsake Box Sponsorship
Stillbirth Facts – why we do what we do……
Statistics: Facts of Stillbirths in the US
- Stillbirth is the most understudied issue in medicine today.
- The stillbirth rate in the US has not changed in the last 50 years.
- More than 26,000 babies are stillborn each year – 71 per day.
- One in 160 pregnancies end in stillbirth.
- 50% of stillbirths occur at full term and often seem to be otherwise healthy babies.
- 85% of stillbirths occur before delivery.
- More babies are stillborn annually than die from prematurity and SIDS combined.
- 77% of parents never worried their baby would die after the first trimester.
- The US ranks 48th out of 49 developed nations in the world for annual rate of reduction of stillbirths.
Source: Star Legacy Foundation
Contact Us
Email:Â [email protected]
Phone: 952-715-7731, ext. 724
Team
- Rebecca West, Chair
- Jan McNeely, Vice Chair
- Angela Rogers, Secretary
Grief Support
If you or someone you know is grieving the loss of a child, you can call 952-715-7731 x 1. Certified Grief Counselors available.
Star Legacy Foundation provides live, online support groups for families who have experienced a perinatal loss and for individuals experiencing a pregnancy after a loss. Groups are held via HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing and facilitated by trained health professionals. Registration is required only for the first time you attend. After that you will receive a reminder before each session that will include login information specific to each session.
- Bereaved Parents of Perinatal Loss – 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month at 6:30 pm central. Group facilitator is Debbie Fischer, LAMFT
- Pregnancy After a Loss – Every Monday at 7:30 pm central. Group facilitator is Joann O’Leary, PhD
- Parenting After a Loss – Every Wednesday at 10:00 am central. Group facilitator is Joann O’Leary, PhD
- Grandparents & Extended Family – 1st Wednesday of each month 6:30 pm central. Group facilitator is Joann O’Leary, PhD
