2024 Letter from Marianne A. Fray, President and CEO
I invite you to consider: What does the phrase Raise Babies Who are Healthy, Growing, and Thriving mean to you?
For me, it means every family has the best possible start in life. It means no matter where we live, there is accessible and high-quality healthcare, affordable childcare, and sufficient resources to thrive. The quality of our lives should not be dictated by where we live, work, or play.
As a parent, I had to make what felt like impossible choices between my sons' safety and well-being and what my husband and I could afford to ensure it. Parenting is hard enough; parenting Black children in racist communities and being forced to choose between their safety and equitable care is morally wrong. The United States Surgeon General recently released a new public health warning around parental stress. We need a culture change where families are truly prioritized.
I am convinced that there are better ways to support parents and our children, and that is what this year’s report focuses on.
We dive deep into the third phrase of MCC’s impact statement: Raise Babies Who are Healthy, Growing, and Thriving. This phrase captures our present - where our work supports parents and young children every day; and our future - where all parents have the resources they need, and children grow and thrive with economic security, and in a community of abundant support.
This past year, we held steady at just over $18M, while broadening our scope of services to include reproductive healthcare access, expanding our work into two new counties, Berks and Chester, and opening a brick-and-mortar site in Bucks County. We continued fighting for policies that support parents, such as statewide Paid Leave. We leveraged community-based relationships and collaborated with new and existing funders to deepen our impact. Last, MCC completed a refreshed strategic plan that will guide the organization for the next few years, focusing on organizational resilience, thought leadership, and economic security.
Each of you helped make this impact possible and your support is needed to ensure we bridge our present to the promise of our future. When I look at each one of my sons, I am thankful for the men they have become, and I remain steadfast in my hope for a bright future for every child MCC serves.
My deep thanks to the dedicated MCC team, as well as the wider community of donors who partner with us to help MCC create an abundant future for all families. Please join us for another year of transformational impact.
Warm regards,
Marianne A. Fray
President & Chief Executive Officer
Maternity Care Coalition
