(Alexandria, Va. – June 18, 2008) – Sarah Collentine, vice chair of outreach and service for the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Student Unit (SU), and the other SU national officers are working with the Stork’s Nest program in Milwaukee to lead a national service project titled, “Nurturing the Future:  Help the Stork’s Nest Deliver Healthy Babies!” The Stork’s Nest is a community-based, prenatal health promotion program for low-income pregnant women, which is operated by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the March of Dimes, and cooperating community agencies across the U.S.

Collentine and the other student members have asked AAFCS members to make financial contributions or donate new baby items for the Stork’s Nest.  The donations will be collected from 2:30 – 3:00pm before the Opening General Session during the AAFCS 99th Annual Conference & Expo at the Midwest Airlines Center on June 19.  The students will then present the donations to Laura Vargas, a social worker and parenting educator who runs the Stork’s Nest program at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center.

“The main goal of the Stork's Nest is to improve birth outcomes and provide needed items to low-income women.  This incentive program encourages women to attend appointments and classes and engage in behaviors that will improve their health and the health of their babies,” said Vargas.  “Donations allow Stork's Nests around Milwaukee to continue to provide services to women and young children.  Each and every donation is greatly appreciated!” 

Sarah Collentine is currently serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center in Milwaukee, Wis.  In the fall, she will begin a master's program in child development at Erikson Institute in Chicago, Ill.

“Throughout my year of AmeriCorps service at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, I have had the opportunity to work in the Stork's Nest, interacting with mothers and their babies and seeing how this program benefits each individual participant,” noted Collentine.  “Being AAFCS student unit vice chair of outreach and service has allowed me the wonderful opportunity to combine this year's service project with my passion—improving the lives of women and children.  It is exciting to think that through this service project we will be able to stock the shelves of Milwaukee's Nests and provide baby items to those who need them most.”

About AAFCS
Founded in 1909, the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is the only national not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides leadership and support to FCS students and professionals across multiple practice settings.  FCS professionals help individuals, families, and communities make informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life.  AAFCS’ 7,000 members are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators, researchers, and administrators; Cooperative Extension educators; and other professionals in business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government.  With national headquarters based in Alexandria, Va., AAFCS has 52 affiliates located across the United States and Puerto Rico.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Gwynn Mason at 703-706-4600, ext. 4621 or gmason@aafcs.org.