Grants in Action: Supporting Parents with Bella Medical Clinic
“We had four sets of twins in 2024!” shares Beth Nemecek, Executive Director of Bella Medical Services in Oshkosh. All four sets of twins, plus 44 other growing families, received free car seats, hands-on safety training, and positive parenting education through Bella Medical Clinic’s Car Seat Program, provided in part through a grant made by the Women’s Fund. The highly requested Car Seat program is one of several parenting support initiatives supported by the Women’s Fund’s 2024 grant program. In total, our grant impacted 235 participants in Bella Medical’s parenting programs. Beth describes their impact:
“Through these classes, we can help parents navigate systems more effectively, learn from the experiences of other families, feel less alone, and gain hope, ideas, and information. By supporting the parents, they then can meet their children’s needs more efficiently and with greater confidence and hope.”
Other parenting supportive services include the “Baby and Me” drop-in group. Parents can meet weekly to share experiences of challenges or successes, creating a supportive community of peers and receiving guidance from Bella Medical staff.
To grow this impact, Bella and Vida Medical Clinic (Appleton) will partner in Oshkosh to expand and enhance free medical services in 2025. More information about this collaboration and how it can further support Oshkosh families will be announced later this year.
“Better prepared parents make better parents,” concludes Beth, “Parenting support is the cornerstone of family strengthening and child abuse prevention.” Thanks to your generosity, the Women’s Fund can invest in these life-changing services, aiding hundreds of families to strengthen our community.