As many of you know, I also serve as the Executive Director and am the founder of Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation. INWSIDS was founded in 2012 to serve the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane community with grief support and safe sleep education services. In fact, it was modeled after the work NISSA was doing in western Washington.
After reviewing the work NISSA and INWSIDS were doing and how both organizations were overlapping in many areas, both boards of directors put their heads together to see if a merge would be possible and if it even makes sense. After an intense review of the programs of each organization, funding sources and feasibility, we have an exciting announcement!
Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance and Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation have decided to merge and serve Idaho, Washington and Montana! Our programing will be continuing in each state with a clear plan for growth and development under my direction and the guidance of a single board of directors. Merging will allow us to be stronger with combined funding sources, more volunteers and the ability to serve the entire northwest. Being headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, will allow us to serve the areas with the highest SUID rates of both states…Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. I am very excited and am looking forward to the challenge of combining two very strong organizations into what will be the leading and most important child safety and bereavement support non-profit in the Northwest.