Click here to receive our newsletter!
Welcome to the Virginia Chapter of the Star Legacy Foundation!
Established in July 2018, we are the parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives, health care providers, and friends of beloved babies missing from our arms. We believe that stillbirth is a tragic loss that in many cases can be prevented. Our mission is to educate the medical community and public about stillbirth, raise funds for research, and significantly impact the Virginia Stillbirth numbers by preventing loss. We know the pain and devastation of losing a child to stillbirth and believe every pregnancy deserves a happy ending.
If you or someone you know has lost their baby, we are here to help. We can connect you (or them) with other families in our area or suggest additional resources to help in the grieving process. Additionally, we host local awareness, fundraising, and social events for families who have experienced loss to connect and build community.
We welcome questions from expectant parents and medical professionals looking for information on how to best support a healthy pregnancy. Additionally, our Star Legacy Chapter seeks to connect medical professionals with research, resources, educational opportunities, and professional development around supporting healthy pregnancies and families experiencing a loss. If you are a medical professional and would like to partner with us, please contact [email protected].
Grief Support
Peer support and bereavement photography is available! Peer Companions are individuals who have first-hand experience with pregnancy loss and neonatal death and have been trained to help others along their grief journey. Additionally, when other services are not available, our chapter features a team of trained photographers who can provide free bereavement photography to families. You can reach out to the Family Support Chair by sending an email or calling us directly: [email protected] or (952) 715-7731 x720.
There is also a national support line at (952) 715-7731 Ext 1, which is staffed by trained grief counselors.
Star Legacy Foundation provides FREE online support groups for several different audiences. Registration is required for the first time attendee, after that, participants will receive a reminder email prior to each session. Our groups are facilitated by trained health professionals and held over web based, two-way interactive video conferencing that is encrypted and HIPAA compliant. Your privacy is important to us. Register here for any of the following groups:
- Bereaved Parents
- Parenting After Loss
- Pregnancy After Loss
- Bereaved Grandparents and Extended Family & Friends
- Dad’s Grief Discussion
If you are in the area of Virginia or Washington DC and want to connect with other parents who have experienced the loss of a baby, or want to learn more about our cause, please contact us at [email protected]
Stillbirth Facts – Why We Do What We Do
Top Ten Facts of Stillbirths in the US
- The national stillbirth rate is 5.96/1000 live births. Virginia is 3.86/1000 live births according to 2013 CDC numbers.
- Stillbirth is the most understudied issue in medicine today.
- The stillbirth rate in the US has not changed in the last 50 years.
- More than 26,000 babies are stillborn each year – 71 per day.
- One in 160 pregnancies end in stillbirth.
- 50% of stillbirths occur at full term and often seem to be otherwise healthy babies.
- 85% of stillbirths occur before delivery.
- More babies are stillborn annually than die from prematurity and SIDS combined.
- 77% of parents never worried their baby would die after the first trimester.
- The US ranks 48thout of 49 developed nations in the world for annual rate of reduction of stillbirths.
Source: Star Legacy Foundation
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP TEAM
- Caroline Tripp, Chapter Chair
- Kayla Francis, Events Chair
- Norma Dawn Knight-Pongratz, Medical Chair
- Kelly Garrity, Fundraising Chair
- Kelly Garrity & Shannon Renfro, Advocacy Chairs
- Victoria Newman, Communications Co-Chair
- Latoria Bullock, Communications Co-Chair
- Chatrina Nesbitt, Education Chair
- TBD Hampton Roads Outreach Chair
- Erin Koller, Richmond/Central Virginia Outreach Chair
- Carolyn Mara, Northern VA/DC Outreach Chair
Contact the Virginia Chapter
952-715-7731 ext. 720
[email protected]
Virginia Chapter Upcoming Events
August 2020 – Golf Tournament – Washington DC area
Contact us if you would like us to bring an educational event to your organization.
