Did you know that every year about 100 babies are born in the lower Russian River area? West County Health Centers is partnering with River to Coast Children’s Services, Guerneville School District, Child Parent Institute, and other organizations and residents to make meaningful connections with every one of these families because nobody raises a healthy baby alone.
100 River Babies is our public-facing outreach campaign that grew out of our Project 100 coalition. Project 100 is a grassroots initiative that engages the entire community in supporting families in creating safe, stable, and nurturing environments and relationships for all babies in the lower Russian River area. The foundations of lifelong health and well-being are laid in the earliest years of life, beginning before birth, when a child’s biological systems, including the neural, immune, and metabolic systems, develop in interconnected ways.
Evidence is clear that exposure to high levels of stress in early childhood has long-term effects on chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood. Children who have safe, stable, nurturing environments and relationships buffer the adverse effects of toxic stress and create resilience.
RiverBabies.org offers families in our area a buffet of resources in a one-stop shop approach and involves community members in the network of support that all families need. Our goal is to surround families with the care that makes their days manageable and the work of caring for a young child a little lighter.
At its heart, 100 River Babies is about relieving stress. Raising a baby is hard, and no one does it well in isolation. When families are overwhelmed, babies bear the cost in disrupted development, in unnecessary toxic stress, in outcomes that ripple across a lifetime. By surrounding families with young children with connection and care, we hope to give our youngest neighbors the foundation they need to grow into healthy members of the community.
This campaign functions as a movement built around two audiences with two distinct goals. For local families with babies, the goal is connection by linking families to services, to each other, and to the broader community. For community members, the goal is to be involved by taking small, meaningful actions that make life a little easier for the families around them. To learn more, please visit www.RiverBabies.org.
Interested in joining the coalition, sharing your ideas, offering resources, or contributing in any way?
Join us at the monthly Project 100 meeting at the Russian River Resiliency Center. We meet every 2nd Friday, 9:00-11:00 am, at 16385 First Street, Guerneville. Or email us at hello@riverbabies.org with your ideas and interests.
Please join us because nobody raises a healthy baby alone.
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