Dear Friends of Nurture,

I would like to thank outgoing President Portia Chan and outgoing board members Alexis Willard and Caitlin Minnick for their leadership and dedication to Nurture. I also want to recognize Leslie Lytle, our Executive Director who is so passionate about this work. 

Allow me to take a moment to introduce myself and express my excitement in assuming the role of Interim President. Nurture is in a transition period. We are learning from the outgoing board members, and building on the solid foundation they have established. As the board transitions in to more permanent roles, I am elated to serve as Interim President.

I am married to my wonderful husband Daryl Fraser, and we have four beautiful children; Kayla, Zayd, Nadia, and Saafir. They are my strength, and joy. Being their mother is by far the greatest thing I will ever do. I love motherhood, and how it shapes and molds you depending on the needs of your children. They continue to make me better every day. 

My journey in serving our community began approximately ten years ago when I became a birth doula. Since that time, I have served many families in various capacities including doula services, birth education courses, breastfeeding consultation, and advocacy and education. From 2011 to 2013, I served on Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ Breastfeeding Commission. I attained my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing and enjoy serving my community as a Registered Nurse. My work as an ICU nurse allows me to see our healthcare system from a multi-faceted lens. Being able to see how patients encounter the healthcare system from beginning to end, and how those encounters impact the patient and their family, enable me to serve on Nurture’s board in a unique full circle way. My goal is to put that knowledge and first hand experience of the healthcare system to work while serving on Nurture’s Board. 

Being able to see how patients encounter the healthcare system
from beginning to end, and how those encounters impact the patient
and their family, enable me to serve on Nurture’s board in a unique full
circle way. My goal is to put that knowledge and first hand experience
of the healthcare system to work while serving on Nurture’s Board.

What is most important for me to share with friends of Nurture is my love for empowering families to be the key players in their healthcare. Nurture’s goal is to serve as a resource that links families and healthcare providers in a meaningful way that supports better outcomes for birthing parents and their babies. Speaking on behalf of Nurture’s Board and myself, we will continue to seek community input so that we may assist with being change makers at the local and national level. And we will continue to shine a light on cultural bias and discrimination within perinatal healthcare.

Nurture serves our community in boardrooms, through interstate collaborations, by seeking to make policy change, and providing a central resource (our annual Birth & Baby Fair) to connect families with direct service providers. As we continue to examine and influence change in perinatal health care in our city, we ask that you continue to offer your support, whether it be through your financial support, the gift of your time, or simply talking with a friend about what Nurture has to offer. 

Richmond is a town that is built on word of mouth. We hope to continue to spread the word that Nurture is here to do exactly what our name says: nurture our community’s newest families in health and wellness. As Interim President, I look forward to speaking with community members on how we can collaborate to reach our common goal of empowering families and becoming an even better resource for the community.

Sincerely,

April Fraser, BSN, RN