Custom Painted Bike Ticket Sales Benefit Pregnant Women and Babies in the Keys

Monroe County, FL—Biking is a great way to get around town and avoid parking fees and traffic congestion. Of course, having a one-of-a-kind bike to cruise on makes it even better.

Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition (FKHSC) is holding a drawing for a chance to win a Sun Revolutions Cruiser in baby blue (of course) with a custom paint job. For $20 each, you can purchase tickets for a chance to win the bike and support the Coalition’s work with pregnant women, babies, and their safety program.

A limited number of tickets will be sold. Tickets can be purchased at the Coalition’s office in Room 1 of the Gato Building at 1100 Simonton Street in Key West or on their web site at KeysHealthyStart.org, or wherever you see a sign or the bike on display. The drawing will be held Labor Day weekend (naturally), live on-air at Pirate Radio 96.7 & 101.7 FM, on Friday, September 2, at 10 am.

Why should you support Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition? 15 year old Kalla arrived in Key West from out of state with her parents, who had been promised jobs in the hotel industry. Kalla had been receiving OB care in Washington and was mid-pregnancy upon her arrival in Key West. Her mother contacted the Healthy Start program who enrolled her in FKHSC’s Healthy Babies cost-sharing program, and helped her find an OB to work with. Due to the advanced state of her pregnancy, the OB requested full payment up front to provide care. After Healthy Start staff helped the family arrange financing, Kalla was able to continue her pre-natal appointments and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She breast-fed him exclusively, thanks to the loan of a professional grade breast pump from Healthy Start, which enabled other family members to help feed the baby breast milk rather than formula. When Kalla went back to high school, the Coalition purchased a lightweight, backpack breast pump, so she could continue to pump even during schools hours, and keep her baby on breast milk exclusively, which is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Although he was slightly under 7 pounds at birth, today her 7 month old baby is healthy, happy and thriving, thanks to Kalla’s commitment to breast-feeding, her family’s support, her OB, and Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition.

Kalla and her baby are just two of many very important reasons to support Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition. Your support literally translates to a healthy baby.

The Coalition would like to thank We Cycle for their generous donation of the bike, and Jim Heidenberg, aka Jim Swim, for donating a whimsical, custom paint job.

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