By Cathy Heinz, Virginia Beach, Virginia

LLL USA partnered with the NEC Society and Best for Babes Foundation to participate in the Miracle Milk™ Stroll for the first time in 2015. Events were held at 150 locations across North America and Japan. Of those, LLL Groups coordinated strolls in 29 cities with 1114 participants showing their support. In total, 50 Groups participated in Strolls across the nation. These events promote the importance of breast milk for all babies.

Babies who are medically fragile or whose parents are unable to provide the milk they need to thrive should receive donor milk whenever safely available. Events like the Miracle Milk™ Stroll also encourage mothers who find they have excess milk to donate so medically fragile infants receive the best start while the mother is working on increasing her milk supply. The use of human milk in Neonatal Intensive Care Units has shown to reduce the risk of Necrotizing Entercolitis (NEC) by 79%. NEC is one of the top 10 causes of infant death, according to UNICEF.

How LLL USA became involved

Tova Ovits, a Leader in New York, was instrumental in making this partnership happen. As an organization, we have immense ability to spread the word through our Leaders and social media outlets. The Miracle Milk™ Stroll doubled in size from a year ago, thanks in part to the participation of La Leche League Groups.

Volunteers from La Leche League and Best for Babes worked tirelessly to make this year’s Stroll such an amazing success. With a shoestring budget and strong dedication to the cause, they organized t-shirt sales, social media campaigns, swag bags, and so much more to make this event a reality. Partnering with such wonderful dedicated people was truly an honor for LLL USA.

Strolls were promoted entirely via social media and received an overwhelming response. Many participants who had given or received donor milk shared heartwarming stories. These stories were a part of each event.

Through t-shirt sales and direct donations, Best for Babes raised over $50,000 to further the mission of all three partnering organizations.

As this event continues to grow, awareness in the community will also expand. If you’d like to find out more about how to become a milk donor please visit www.hmbana.org to locate a local milk bank. More information on the Miracle Milk™ Stroll can be found at www.bestforbabes.org.