Use of Funds

For more than three years, we have been donating 15,000 newborn tee shirts to the community in an effort to alleviate the high rate of infant mortality in our area. Our tee-shirt supplier has closed its doors and we were forced to find a new supplier.

Unfortunately, we cannot match the price of $.97 per shirt.For this reason we need urgent help in raising funds to support this program. An extra $3,250 will allow us to continue delivering this important safe sleep message to caregivers in town.

Why Assistance is Needed

When Maternal League made a commitment to provide tee shirts for the newborns we added another fund raiser to pay for the shirts, but it is taking time to make the event profitable enough to pay for the shirts. We are still working hard to raise funding, but more money is needed to keep this project going.

As we meet young mothers at Health Fairs we are gratified to hear that they have heard the safe sleep message. However, we still encounter people who feel that they should put their children to sleep on their tummies despite the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatricians.

As Memphis has an extremely high rate of infant mortality, any action we can take to save a life is important. Mayor A.C. Wharton has endorsed our project, and we are supported by the Infant Mortality Subcommittee of the Regional Health Council.

Population Served

“This Side Up” shirts are distributed to all newborns at the following hospitals: The Regional Medical Center; Baptist Women's Hospital; Methodist Hospitals North, South, and Germantown ; St. Francis, St. Francis Bartlett and LeBonheur Children's Medical Center. Shirts are also distributed by the visiting nurses of the Shelby County Health Department.