A Nov. 27 Open Arms benefit auction at SANCA in Georgetown will benefit, among many other services, the Outreach Doula Services Program that helps families in White Center.

As Open Arms spokeswoman Sabrina Urquhart explains, Outreach Doula “currently serves women in the Latina and Somali communities as part of Open Arms' community partnership with the White Center Early Learning Initiative (WCELI). The Outreach Doula Program is an intensive model that provides support to women early in pregnancy, through labor, birth and the first two years of a child's life.

“The program truly is 'community-based,' meaning that we link our White Center clients with doulas from the same community--this is especially helpful in bridging cultural and language barriers that sometimes occur between culturally diverse families and health care providers. Our outreach doulas have been very creative in supporting clients in this program according to their individual needs and the needs of the community. They serve many roles for the familes they work with--not ony in support of pregnancy, birth and postpartum, but also in the role of cultural navigator, literally speaking their clients' language and helping them navigate the health care system for great outcomes--happy, healthy babies and strong families.”

Here are the details:

Open Arms Short & Sweet Auction to Benefit Babies and Moms in Just Two Weeks!
WHO: Open Arms Perinatal Services

WHAT: The 5th Annual Short & Sweet Auction featuring a silent and live auction. Join us for a casual, fun—and brief—evening of fine wine, delicious appetizers and an exciting youth circus arts performance. Live auction highlights include tickets to a taping of The Daily Show in New York City, a stay at abeautiful apartment in Paris, France and a Stress-Busters Getaway including airfare, hotel and $1000 in spa treatments at any of 4,200 spas in the U.S. and Canada. We have many family offerings, jewelry, clothing, wines, theater tickets and adventure opportunities - perfect for holiday gift giving at all price levels. Free parking onsite. $20 advance admission; $25 at the door. Visit www.openarmsps.org or our event homepage to learn more and register.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 27, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: SANCA (School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts) in Georgetown
674 South Orcas Street, Seattle, WA 98108

WHY: Proceeds from this event will help babies get the healthy and loving start that they deserve. Since 1997, Open Arms Perinatal Services has provided community-based services to low income pregnant women and their families in the Puget Sound region.

CONTACT: Sabrina Urquhart, Open Arms Board of Directors
sabrina@openarmsps.org | 206.351.3405 cell

ABOUT US: Open Arms’ mission is to provide services that support, educate, respect, honor and empower women and their families from pregnancy through birth and into early parenting. We provide birth doulas and breastfeeding peer counseling to vulnerable women and their families, 100% of whom live below the federal poverty level. In 2011, we served 2,700 women and their families in King County and welcomed 128 new lives into the world. Our 2011 outcomes include a 97% breastfeeding initiation rate, a 4% low birth weight compared to 8.2% of the U.S. population and a 23% C-section rate, of which 17% were unplanned, compared to 32.5% at local hospitals. We speak 15 different languages and provide bi-lingual, bi-cultural doulas whenever possible. Open Arms is located on Beacon Hill at 2524 16th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144. Visit us at www.openarmsps.org or call 206.723.6868.