25 Weeks of Gratitude: Ujima Maternity Network
Passing on the empowerment of motherhood
Linda Haymes
Candace Graham first connected with Ujima Maternity Network, seeking and receiving support while she was grieving the loss of multiple pregnancies. Later, when she became pregnant with her son, Caleb, now 2, Ujima Maternity Network and her doula, Nicolle Fletcher, were there to guide her through both the beauty of childbirth and the challenges many women encounter during pregnancy.
“The education I received from Ujima really helped improve my life,” Candace said. “I didn’t know anything about birthing or the body changes I would experience. With the information they shared with me, my birthing experience changed for the better.”
With the pregnancies of both Caleb and his 1-year-old brother Joshua, Candace developed gestational diabetes but didn’t know why she developed it or how to treat it.
Through Ujima, she learned to control it and keep her blood sugar at good levels through her diet, instead of taking medicine to control it.
“When I was in labor, I realized I needed not only the education Ujima provided, but I also needed the professional, emotional support the program provides,” Candace said.
The support the 34-year-old received during both of her pregnancies helped her in her journey of healing and inspired her to help other women as a Mom Advocate in the Ujima Maternity Network’s Mom Advocate Program, to which the Blue & You Foundation has provided a transformational grant. The grant, in addition to supporting the program, also helps empower women with lived experience, like Candace, to become leaders and advocates within their own communities.
“I love helping other mothers and spreading the word about Ujima and all it offers.”
Through her volunteer work and sharing her own experiences, Candace has become a champion for mothers, a trusted voice in the community, and an encourager of countless women as they journey through pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood.
The bonds she forms with the other women are so strong that it led one of the other Mom Advocates she met through the program to ask Candace to serve as a bridesmaid in her wedding.
Today, Candace serves as the Lead Mom Advocate, organizing and holding Sista Circles throughout Central and South-Central Arkansas.
There are so many topics she wants to share with other women – learning about their bodies and the options available to them, educating them during the post-partum phase of pregnancy, and simply providing a safe space for them to discuss their fears or concerns.
“Offering this maternal care outreach is so important to me,” Candace explained. “Especially in light of the maternal health crisis that women in Arkansas are currently experiencing.”
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Blue & You Foundation, 25 Weeks of Gratitude spotlights 25 stories of Arkansans whose lives have been impacted by Foundation-funded work.
The Blue & You Foundation was established in 2001 through an initial gift from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Since its inception, the Foundation’s financial base has grown through wise and prudent investment strategies. This has enabled the foundation to support its mission by making grants funded by the interest earned on those investments.
