Tracie Davis hosts an annual community baby shower with Magnolia Project and Healthy Start

On Saturday, September 5, Jacksonville’s Representative Tracie Davis partners with Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition’s The Magnolia Project and Healthy Start programs to host the sixth annual community baby shower for expectant and new mothers from 9 a.m. to noon at Magnolia Project East.

The free, drive thru baby shower baby is described as providing mothers the necessary tools for raising healthy infants. The event is also noted to help increase awareness for Jacknsville’s high infant mortality rate; that is, the death of an infant before his or her first birthday.

Numbers released in their recent press release showed that in 2019,136 infants died before their first birthday. In 2020, Jacksonville’s infant mortality rate was 7.8 percent, a number higher than Florida’s state rate of 5.8 and the national rate of 5.6.

“Bringing our community together to provide our new and expectant mothers with the tools they need to care for their newborn is invaluable,” said Davis. “For the sixth year in a row, it has been my pleasure to surround these families with the love, education, and encouragement that is key to establishing a solid foundation and bright future for all of our children.”

This marks the sixth year of partnership with Davis and the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing infant death and improving the health of pregnant women, babies, fathers and their families.

Magnolia Project East, 6024 Merrill Road Jacksonville, Florida 32277.