Ohio AAP Foundation
The Ohio AAP Foundation was established in 2000 as a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt foundation to support the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to advocate for the physical health, mental health, safety and education, and prevention of cruelty of Ohio’s infants, children, adolescents and their families; and to advance education and research to benefit infants, children, adolescents and their families.
The Foundation has recently taken on new energy by expanding bylaws, bringing on new programs, and allowing for community support by permitting board membership from community members.
As the charitable arm of the Ohio AAP, the Foundation has three programmatic initiatives:
- Reach Out and Read Ohio – A national pediatric literacy program that emphasizes early literacy as a standard part of primary care, so that children grow up with books and a love of reading. Doctors and nurses are trained to advise parents about the importance of reading and reading aloud to their child, as well as to give books to children at well-child visits from six months to five years old, with a special focus on children growing up in poverty. In 2009, Reach Out and Read Ohio anticipates serving over 135,000 children by providing more than 250,000 new books.
- Healthy, Strong and Ready for Teens: Parents and Doctors Working Together to Prepare Girls for Adolescence – A day long symposium for parents and medical care providers of pre-adolescent girls between 8-12 years old, to discuss the distinctive physical, emotional and mental aspects of being a pre-teen girl. This symposium focuses on educational and interactive sessions involving nutrition, bone health, exercise, healthcare, vaccines, social health and safety, and emotional health; and how parents and medical care providers can help create healthier lifestyles for adolescent girls.
- “My Story” Foster Care Program – Every person has a story to tell, and this is no different for children. The “My Story” Foster Care Program was developed to give Ohio’s foster children a chance to tell their story. Physicians are in a unique position to have one-on-one conversations with foster care children, at the initial well-child foster care medical exam. The “My Story” program provides medical care providers with information in caring for these children, and provides bags for the foster children that include a portable medical record, social/emotional information for the foster parent, and a variety of other tools to help children become more comfortable in their new environment.
The Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics was founded in the mid-1950s, and represents nearly 2,900 pediatricians, pediatric medical specialists, pediatric surgical specialists and residents in Ohio.
To support the Ohio AAP Foundation, you can make a donation by clicking here, or you can attend one of our fundraising events. For more information, click the event below.
Breakfast for Books
Ohio AAP Foundation Golf Outing
Ohio AAP Foundation Wine Raffle at Ohio AAP Annual Meeting
