National SIDS Alliance to Change
Their Name and Mission.
November
2002
In November of 2002, the National SIDS Alliance sent out a
press release explaining their new mission and name change.
Following is how the press release was stated:
The National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Alliance
announced today the expansion of their organization to include
stillbirths, miscarriages and sudden infant deaths up to two years
of age. In order to support the expansion, the name of the
organization has been changed to First Candle. The announcement
came on the eve of the 2002 SIDS Alliance National Conference
being held this year in Orlando, Florida.
"We are very excited by the new direction our organization is
taking," explains Marian Sokol, President of the Board of
directors of First Candle. "The name First Candle not only
reflects the commitment we have to helping all babies reach that
important milestone, their first birthday, but also the hope and
the light that we help to provide to bereaved parents.“
The new organization will continue to focus on the elimination of SIDS
through research and education, while providing bereavement services
to those left behind. Moving forward, First Candle will expand those
programs into these other causes of infant death. Through
educational outreach programs such as the "Back To Sleep" campaign,
SIDS rates have been reduced by over fifty percent in the last ten
years. "Our organization is well respected as a great facilitator of
research and educational outreach. We will now bring this expertise
to the areas of miscarriage and stillbirth as well," explains Deb
Boyd, executive director of First Candle. "By working closely with
other organizations such as SHARE, Mothers In Support and Sympathy,
and Resolve Through Sharing, we will be able to combine forces to
ensure that all bereaved families receive compassionate grief
support.“
Over the years, the SIDS Alliance has worked closely with the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to support
researchers in the area of SIDS. Now, with the new direction the
organization is taking, NICHD looks forward to collaborating with
First Candle in their fight against stillbirth and miscarriage.
"Thanks to our relationship with the SIDS Alliance and their
valuable input, we have successfully been able to help reduce the
rate of SIDS. Now, we are also expanding our efforts in stillbirth
and are looking to the new organization, First Candle, to help us
with outreach and education efforts," states Dr. Marian Willinger,
Special Assistant for SIDS, NICHD.
The evolution of the SIDS Alliance into First Candle is a direct
result of research and education programs that have helped save over
3,000 infants each year. " We are confident that with continued
education and research, many more precious lives can be saved,"
states Marian Sokol, Chair of the Board of Directors of First
Candle.
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