First-quarter health beneficiary First Candle gave us this report about how they are using the funds contributed by members of Foundation Beyond Belief. Foundation members donated $2,630 to First Candle last quarter.

First Candle/SIDS Alliance was started in 1987 and is a national health organization that unites parents, caregivers, and researchers nationwide with government, business, and community service groups to advance infant health and survival. Our mission is to promote safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first year of life. We also provide compassionate bereavement support to those families affected by an infant death. First Candle/SIDS Alliance works to increase public participation and support in the fight against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), stillbirth and other sudden unexpected infant deaths.

First Candle has used Foundation Beyond Belief's generous gift to assist in distributing more than 400,000 educational materials to families and organizations (including hospitals in all 50 states). Unfortunately, many of these materials were for parents who have lost their precious newborns. First Candle is committed to ensuring that lifesaving messages are delivered to parents and caregivers frequently and consistently. Donations were also used to fund our national crisis hotline, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that families have a listening ear and know they are not alone. Through an extensive information and referral network, we are able to connect families with the people, resources, and services they need to get them through the bleak days, weeks, and months following the death of their baby.  Thank you, Foundation Beyond Belief!

Ashawnda Fleming
Director of Development & Marketing
First Candle

Foundation Beyond Belief is delighted to welcome Dr. Zachary Moore to its Board of Directors.

Zach was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, but says he "got to Texas as quickly as I could." He is an active leader in the freethought community of Dallas/Fort Worth, serving as the Executive Director of the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas (our 2010 Partner of the Year), Coordinator of the Dallas/Fort Worth Coalition of Reason, and Treasurer for Camp Quest Texas.

Zach received his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cincinnati and subsequently created the popular "Evolution 101" podcast. His other podcasts include the atheist/theist panel discussion "Apologia," and the newly-developed "Churchspotting" which provides a critical examination of various religious centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.

In addition to his other freethought work, Zach has been a longtime member and supporter of the Foundation. Please join us in welcoming him to the Board!

One of the most important tasks of the Foundation is connecting our members to the extraordinary work of the organizations we support. And one of our primary tools for making that connection is this, our homepage blog, which is managed and edited by Kelly Wright.

Kelly tells the story of her discovery of FBB:

"In mid 2009, I was thinking about the fact that it is very important to me to be involved with causes I believe in, but I wasn't actually volunteering anywhere. I'd been searching around to find an outlet for my impulse to volunteer, but I couldn't find a cause that felt like a perfect fit. I'd been following [Dale McGowan's blog] the Meming of Life for some time, and Dale had been going on and on about some big announcement he was going to make. I mostly ignored it, figuring it wouldn't be anything all that interesting to me. Then when he announced the formation of Foundation Beyond Belief, I thought, 'That's it! That's what I've been looking for! I must be involved with that!'"

Kelly eventually signed on as our blog editor, and her husband Airan as our web designer and administrator.

"I so strongly support FBB's mission, and I want to be a part of that mission," she says. "Also, I want my daughters to see their parents actively involved in trying to make the world a better place, and I want them to be active, too. Maybe in a few years, we'll recruit them as junior charity researchers."

We are so grateful to have Kelly aboard!