WAPATO — Since its founding, the Ttáwaxt Birth Justice Center has expanded from a single room to an entire house offering health care and supportive services for Indigenous mothers-to-be, mothers and their families. Seeing so much growth and continued need energizes founders Jessica Houseman-Whitehawk, the executive director; and birth justice advocates Semone Dittentholer, Tashina Nunez and Leslie Swan. They and new part-time birth justice advocate and doula Shawnita Matta will talk about the center's work and its history on the Yakama Reservation — and even bigger plans for a birth center open to all in need in the Yakima Valley — at an Oct.
12 benefit. This will be the center's first fundraiser. Arrival and tours are set from 11 a.
m. to noon and the program will go from noon to 1 p.m.
The center is at The Campbell Farm , 2527 Campbell Road. Though the event and related donations will raise funds for the center, the benefit is more about the community "learning about our work," Houseman-Whitehawk said. "We're trying to get more visibility locally to get more people" to support the center financially or in other ways, or "at least following our work," she added.
That could include experts willing to donate their time to help develop a business plan for the future or provide guidance on human resources issues and financial resources. "I'm really hoping to get local people there. It's not as much to raise money as it is to meet people.
We want to meet people locally th.