Giving Back Magazine May 2018 | Page 62

Awareness Nine Months Matter Coalition t he Nine Months Matter Coalition will host its first ever Del Mar Derby Day Fashion Show Fundraiser on July 14 in Fairbanks Ranch. Event features include mocktails, champagne and chocolate, Paris fashion by Le Boudoir and original hats by Aimee Meals, as well as a silent auction and a live auction. This is the perfect opportunity to shop for your Del Mar Races opening day outfit! 62 GBSAN.COM | MAY 2018 Del Mar Derby Day Committee Funds raised will benefit children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) by supporting the Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE) intervention program. MILE is an evidence- based program that teaches children how to focus and organize their thoughts, decrease impulsive responding and increase positive behavior in the classroom. The Nine Months Matter Coalition was formed in association with UCSD’s Center for Better Beginnings to increase awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant. Often women know that they should not drink while pregnant but they may not know how devastating the outcome can be. Children exposed prenatally to alcohol can have brain damage that results in significant learning and behavior difficulties. FASDs are 0% curable but 100% preventable. Dr. Ken Jones, a UCSD and Rady Children’s pediatrician, was one of the two physicians to first describe fetal alcohol syndrome in 1973 and has spent his career researching the disorder and providing care to affected children. Even though various medical association such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have agreed that there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy, getting the word out to the public has been difficult. Please join us at the Del Mar Derby Day and help increase FASD awareness in our community. Tickets are limited. For more info visit www.ninemonthsmatter.org/events.