The Coalition for Illinois Midwifery consists primarily of organizations made up of politically active professionals and consumers who are interested in supporting Illinois direct-entry Midwives in their pursuit of licensure and regulation.
The Coalition is steered by its board of directors which includes members from each of the founding three organizations. The board is guided by the Coaltion’s founding document, the Illinois Midwifery Initiative (IMI).
Individuals and organizations are encouraged to join. In order to join, there are no specific requirements of members or member groups other than simply endorsing the Initiative. Additional assistance of course, is welcome. For that purpose, the board has established a list of things a member group ‘can do’ for the coalition. This list may be updated at times.
Coalition ‘Can Do’ List:
Provide a contact within your organization
Set up a phone tree within your organization
Using that phone tree, assist in spreading the word to your membership of occurrences within the midwifery community or of certain needs – such as the need to write or call one’s Senator or Representative to support legislation
Allow Illinois midwifery-related information to be distributed to your membership via mailings or via publishing in your organization’s newsletter.
Donate postage for mass mailings
Make a financial donation to support Midwives who have filed civil suits against the state on behalf of all Illinois Midwives.
Make a financial donation directly to the Coalition to help support our activities including the hiring of a professional lobbyist.
Encourage other organizations to join the Coalition
Volunteer to provide time and/or creative assistance on specific coalition projects
Organizations interested in joining should contact the Coalition. Phone inquiries may be directed to Rachel Wickersham, 630-832-3556 voicemail box # 3 OR Inquiries may also be directed to Rachel by sending email to:
. Groups ready to sign on may print the Illinois Midwifery Initiative Endorsement document, fill it out and mail to: Coalition for Illinois Midwifery, c/o IFFM - Jeanette Cole, Box 134, Bellflower, IL 61724
Individuals who are interested in joining the coalition may also follow the instructions above. Individuals are also encouraged to join Illinois Families for Midwifery (IFFM) in order to show their support. Annual membership is $15/year and can be sent to IFFM, Box 134, Bellflower, IL 61724. IFFM membership forms can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~birthnews/id6.html
Can Do List
