The novel, Lucky Boy, by Shanthi Sekaran published in 2017 is our 7th feature in OYFF’s First/Birth Mother Point of View (POV) series. The novel covers many themes relevant to birth/first mothers; including culture, socioeconomic factors, and health care access. It is also set in Northern California.
Thank you to everyone who came and marched with us! It was an inspiring day and we were proud to represent OYFF. Special thanks to OYFF Board Member, Christina Ogburn-Chow, who paved the way for OYFF to participate as a contingent group and to have one of our members holding the banner at the front of the march. And, thanks to Pearl Chen for designing our empowered t-shirts!
OYFF at the Front of the SF Women's March
Happy New Year to you all! This year On Your Feet Foundation has started off the new year with a bang by leading the women's march and the call for the equitable and fair treatment of women of adopted children. Be sure to check out our photos of OYFF in the women's march on social media and our website.
The OYFF team has been working diligently to make sure that we reach even more birth mothers this year. Already we have planned events throughout the year to extend our impact to even more communities in California.
We also have three new board members who all bring a passion for serving our clients based on their own personal experiences as well as an array of incredible talents and skills they are looking forward to incorporating to fulfill our mission.
Marching on!
2017 marks the 10-year anniversary of the release of the movie "Juno". Following is Pearl Chen's review; OYFF's 6th Point of View piece.
Synopsis of "Juno"
Juno (played by Ellen Page) is a quirky, witty high school junior who finds out she is pregnant after a bored afternoon fling with her friend, Paulie Bleeker. After leaving mid-appointment before the local health clinic is able to “procure a hasty abortion”, Juno decides to place her baby for adoption. Juno and her father meet the prospective adoptive couple, Vanessa and Mark Loring, and Juno strikes up an instant friendship with Mark over their love of music and horror movies.
Los Angeles Outreach
Executive Director, Robin Endres, and Program Director, Jenny Sindel, flew to LA one day last month. We visited with the Latino Family Resource Organization, Vista Del Mar, Black Women for Wellness and scouted potential retreat locations. It was an exciting day as we heard a lot about community resources, shared our mission, and forged new community connections in Southern California.
“There are to be no toeholds for love. We are two-legged wombs, that’s all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale
Jennifer graduated on May 1 with a BA and honors in Individualized Studies from Metropolitan State University. Jennifer received OYFF educational grants for both Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters that were applied towards her tuition. Congrats Jennifer! We are very proud of you and can’t wait to see what you do next!
Following is OYFF's 4th feature of the Birth/First Mother Point of View Series. Brooke Bergman attended a literature reading on the theme of "mothers".
Jennifer C. is attending American River College in Sacramento. She just completed a 12 unit semester with a 3.83 GPA. She originally started off studying dental assisting, but after a very successful semester, changed her goals. She received an OYFF grant that covered the cost of her textbooks and a laptop for the Spring 2017 semester.
The popular television show, Glee (2009-2015), is our 3rd feature in OYFF's First/Birth Mother Point of View (POV) series. The program included 2 birth/first mother storylines and had a wide audience. Although the series is over, we felt it was important to comment on how birth/first mothers were represented in this piece of popular culture.