You Are invited

Written By Michele

To an evening to sustain efforts to improve healthcare for mothers and infants

with

Eva Said
Director, Nursing and Midwifery Development Centre

Jean B. Bingham
Former Relief Society General President

Kurdish mother and her baby

Thursday, September 24th

6:00 PM

The Home of  J.W. and Jenn Davies
1545 Palomino Circle
Heber City, UT 84032

 
 

  • Helping Mothers and Infants: A Relief Society Legacy

    In the late 19th century, Relief Society leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encouraged women to become educated in midwifery and medicine to improve maternal and neonatal health in Utah. With women doctors now trained in obstetrics and pediatrics, they established a hospital in 1882 that cared for mothers and infants.

    That same focus continues today in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where decades of conflict have decimated the healthcare system. With an infant mortality rate more than triple that of the United States, the need for skilled medical care is a matter of life or death. In 2024, following the legacy of the early Relief Society women, Latter-day Saint Charities partnered with Eva Said, a local visionary in Kurdistan, to address this crisis.

    Continuing the Legacy Today

    Eva had been training nurses and midwives in poorly equipped and overcrowded classrooms until Latter-day Saint Charities donated $1.9 million to build a 36,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility: the Nursing and Midwifery Development Centre (NMDC) in Erbil. Since opening in 2024, the NMDC has trained over 3,400 professionals, providing the skills necessary to help women and children "survive and thrive," as celebrated by President Russell M. Nelson in his Mother’s Day Instagram post of May 2024.

    Why We Are Gathering and Why You Matter

    The building now stands, but the work must endure. The Nursing and Midwifery Development Foundation, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, seeks to establish a permanent endowment to fund NMDC faculty, equipment, and life-saving curriculum.

    An endowment is more than a gift; it is a living legacy that will sustain the NMDC in perpetuity. We invite you to join this consecrated tradition. Together, we can ensure more mothers return home with their babies in their arms for generations to come!

  • 6:00—6:30  
    Heavy Hors d’oeuvres & Silent Auction

    6:30—6:40  
    Welcome and Overview
    Cindy Pennington, Board Member
    Nursing and Midwifery Development Foundation

    6:40—6:50 ‍ ‍
    Mission Spotlight
    Eva Said, Executive Director
    Nursing and Midwifery Development Centre

    6:50—7:00
    Entertainment Interlude

    7:00—7:10
    Sacred Legacy
    Jean B. Bingham, Board Member
    Nursing and Midwifery Development Foundation

    7:10—7:15 ‍ ‍
    Video Presentation
    Closing Remarks
    Michele Calderon, President
    Nursing and Midwifery Development Foundation

    7:15—7:30‍ ‍
    Final Auction Bidding

    7:30
    Auction Closes; Program Conclusion

  • · Stein Eriksen Lodge stay with breakfast

    · BYU sports memorabilia

    · Hale Theater Tickets with dinner

    · Desert Color resort stay

    · Marriott resort stay

    · Kurdish rugs

    · Kurdish heritage keepsakes

    · And more!

 
 

Please RSVP

Michele