Sponsor A Birth

My “Back to Basics� Approach to the Holidays

by Cindy Beams, Infante Sano Diplomat

Although nobody welcomes the financial straits we’re all in, I’ve decided to mark the occasion with a “back to basics� approach to the holidays.  The pressure – real or imagined – to fill the holidays with too much stuff is one I’ve never been able to resist.  However, this year actually is going to be different! With the full support of my dwindling bank account, I’ve painted a new face on the holidays -  the face of Infante Sano.   It’s the face of no stuff and an Infante Sano donation. Much to my surprise, my children, who have been making detailed holiday wish-lists for thirty years, are in full support.  At some level, our return to the basics has made us more grateful than ever for our many blessings.

Why did I get involved with Infante Sano?

Having sold my business, I suddenly had the freedom to be on the lookout for an organization that captured both my imagination and my heart.  I was open to all sorts of possibilities, and loved having the latitude of an open-ended search -  open-ended until I met Kim Wilson and Bill Haney, founders of Infante Sano.  Almost immediately I knew that I wanted to get involved in this fledgling organization.  Let me tell you why:

• Because Infante Sano is in its early stages, there’s lots flexibility and opportunity for involvement. I’ve identified interests and talents I never knew I had, and been able to contribute in multiple ways.  It’s been a delightful process of mutual discovery.
• As the mother of two adult daughters, the experience of their gestation, birth and infancy are the most memorable moments of my own life.
• Thinking about what matters at the end of the day, I believe the bonds between parents and children are what really matter.  Being able to contribute to the unfolding of these bonds is the joy of working with Infante Sano.
• Working with people from other cultures – especially around maternal-newborn issues in the developing world – is a constant reminder that we are share much more in terms of our similarities than our differences.  This reminder of our common humanity has been an ongoing gift of my involvement with Infante Sano.

Traveling to the Dominican Republic with members of the Infante Sano team has only strengthened my desire to stay involved.  There’s simply no substitute for on-the-ground experience.  The taste, touch, sound and smell of the Dominican Republic is compelling, and images of the women and children Infante Sano serves populate my mind as well as my heart.

This holiday season, I’m making a commitment to Infante Sano’s Sponsor a Birth Program and I encourage you to do the same.

http://www.sponsorabirth.org/