A STRONGER START GALA 2024
MommyTu was honored to invite our community to our 2nd annual A Stronger Start Gala: A Gala for Healthy Postpartum Recovery & Mental Health at the Crystal Ballroom, St. Augustine, Florida. Our focus was to increase awareness and support for maternal mental health and advance postpartum care. With over 100 guests in attendance, we came together to honor our community of professionals & advocates, MD’s, OBGYN’s, midwives, therapists, doulas, birth workers, mothers & fathers and expecting parents who have all championed, supported, advocated and were committed to the physical and mental well-being of postpartum families.
The night was filled with networking with like-minded stakeholders, a champagne toast with hors d’oeuvres, delicious dinner & dessert, participation in our silent auction, visiting of local community vendor booths, storytelling from our keynote speaker & presenting sponsors, honoring of our postpartum community leaders, dancing to upbeat music provided by our local DJ, and celebration!
With our community’s support in 2023, we were able to host 11 free in-person postpartum support groups. The funds raised from our silent auction allowed for us to award our MommyTu Scholarship to a local family for postpartum support services with a doula.
This year we strive to bring more impact to our community by meeting new scholarship goals, engage with community leaders to develop a referral system that will open doors to timely and quality postpartum care. To remain in alignment with our mission of ‘No More Lonely Postpartum Recovery Journeys’, we will continue to advocate the importance of mental wellness by hosting elevated in-person connection events. As the year progresses, we will be boldly addressing the Black maternal health crisis in our community through our intimate 'Connection Groups' that support conversations & sisterhood.
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Thank you 2024 Gala Sponsors!
Meet our 2024 Gala Keynote Speaker Julia "Jill" Garrett, PSY.D., PMH-C @motherhoodfeels 🥳 Dr. Jill Garrett is a mom to two girls and a licensed psychologist who specializes in perinatal mental health. Dr. Garett is the founding psychologist and program director of Baptist Health’s maternal mental health program, The Motherhood Space. In addition to founding the first wellness-inspired, mental health day program for moms in the U.S., she is also the founder of Motherhood Feels, a platform that offers more supports for new and expectant moms and families. Motherhood Feels partners with healthcare systems and corporations to offer proactive mental health coping ahead of baby through Dr. Garrett’s Before Baby Boot Camp. She is the author to two rhyming storybooks with healthy mental health and safe sleep messaging for parents, Motherhood Feels: M is for Mom and Fatherhood Feels: D is for Dad. Dr. Garrett is the host of the podcast, Hindsight is 20/20: A Motherhood Feels Podcast, where she interviews seasoned parents on what, in hindsight, they wish they had known ahead of their parenting journey. She is currently working on her next venture, filmmaking; creating a docuseries that features patients who have participated in The Motherhood Space Day Program. When Dr. Garrett is not working, she enjoys exercising, neighborhood pool-hopping with her family, and actively avoiding laundry.
You can learn more about her work at www.motherhoodfeels.com and The Motherhood Space channel on YouTube. Social handle: @motherhoodfeels.
Looking to contribute? Consider becoming one of our ENDURANCE SPONSORS to help keep our mission going. Proceeds help fuel postpartum planning & recovery workshops in our area with our local postpartum experts, as well as focused support groups for our individuals and families.