
	Su= pporting Multiple Births Together	Member Log-In<= span style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333399'> MBC Publications<= span style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>= Member Discounts<= span style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>= Report From National=
www.multiplebirthscanad= a.org (View online)
Information Circular – BO-06-25-07-#1 &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wasaga Beach, ON = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; June 25, 2007
News & Information from MBC
Membership Information – New Cap for Chapters!
At the 2007 Annual General Meeting held on June 2^nd in Kitchener, Ontario, the MBC Board of Directors presented a minor modification to the current affi= liate Chapter membership fee structure which addresses the need to re-unite Canada’s multiple-birth community, encourages large non-member grou= ps to renew their affiliation with MBC, and helps to grow member services for all MBC Chapters and members. This modification resulted from discussions held over 18 months with national volunteers, Chapters and non-member groups and culminated with a survey circulated earlier this year. The survey results were as follows: · Of the 30 Chapters= contacted, 19 responded · Of the 17 non-memb= er groups contacted, 4 responded · As well, 10 nation= al volunteers provided input Th= e top two choices of Chapters were: ·= ; &nbs= p; Ke= ep membership fees the same with all members getting Multiple Moments free electronically= ·= ; &nbs= p; Ke= ep membership fees the same with no changes to benefits Of= the four responses from non-member groups: ·= ; &nbs= p; Th= ree preferred decreasing membership fees to $5 per me= mber with no changes to benefits, but were not willing to commit to a 3-year partnership with MBC= ·= ; &nbs= p; One group wanted to keep membership fees the same with no changes to benefits, but allow for a reb= ate system, whereby the size of the Chapter earns a rebate for that Chapter In consultation wi= th Cathy Barr, MBC Advisory Board Member and Research Director for Imagine <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Canada, the Board of Directors reviewed the survey results. Different scenarios were discussed by the Board, with the final conclusion as follows: All Chapter members continue to pay $10 per member, but there will be a cap on membership fees so that the annual maximum for a Chapter to remit = is $2,500 per year. Th= is conclusion was approved by delegates at the AGM, and will be offered to a= ll non-member groups across Canada. Further, the MBC Board of Direct= ors indicated they are considering including electronic Multiple Moments subscriptions with all memberships, but have deferred this decision until financial implications can be fully assessed, and until new Multiple Moments Editor, Meredith Fraser-Ohman, has had an opportunity to create a business plan for the fu= ture of Multiple Moments. The Board of Directors thanks everyone for contributing to this ve= ry important process! It is ou= r wish that Multiple Births Canada will grow and become a stronger organization = and voice in Canada as a result of your efforts!
Report on International Congress on Twin Studies (ICTS)
Kim Weatherall, Chair MBC, and Gail Moore, Vice-Chair MBC, represented the interests of <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Canada’s multiple-birth community = at the 2007 International Congress on Twin Studies (ICTS) held June 7-10 in Ghent, Belgium. Scientists, doctors, professionals and members of multiple-birth organizations from around the world gathered to share their latest findin= gs and current projects. A few observations from the four-day Congress include: · The explosion of twins and higher-order multiple births has been addresse= d by international fertility experts, and consequently has seen a decrease in = the number of triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets being born in recent year= s. However, there continues to be an increase in the number of twins born to= the point that this increase was referred to as an epidemic in the multiple-b= irth community. · Fertility experts are lobbying for international standards for Art= ificial Reproductive Therapies (ART), more specifically in the area of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), to address the increase in multiple-birth pregnancies and the resulting consequences of high-risk multiple-birth pregnancies · Collaboration within the international community has resulted in t= he GenomEUtwin registry, but as yet there is no Canadi= an twin registry to assist medical professionals in locating multiples in our country for important scientific work · The relationship shared by multiple-birth individuals is both interesting and unique not just to multiple-birth families but to educati= onal and medical experts and while much has been documented over the years, th= ere is still much more to learn both in aid of our multiple-birth families an= d in aid of the medical community through research provided by studying twins =
Council of Multiple Birth Organizations (COMBO) News!
The ICTS is designed much li= ke MBC’s National Conferences - with full group sessions and workshop = streams including daily sessions with the Council of Multiple Birth Organizations (COMBO). The COMBO sessions included presentations from Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, United States, Finland, Sweden and Canada. The presentation of Canada’s National Multiple Birth Awareness Day was well received, and will result = in the future delivery of an International Multiple Births Awareness Week. This conference was a great opportunity for Kim and Gail to network and share best practices with oth= er organizations from around the world.&nbs= p; It soon became evident that for the most part national organizatio= ns all offer similar services and address many of the same issues. Accordingly, it was agreed that = COMBO members should work more closely together to share ideas, solutions, resources and opportunities in order to strengthen the support that multiple-birth families receive. <= /span> Many national organizations = place a heavy emphasis on research, polling their members on topics such as relationships, school issues and extra-curricular activities. MBC will benefit from these rese= arch topics in the near future in two ways; MBC has requested (and they have agreed) t= hat these national organizations share their findings with each other (includ= ing MBC), and provide the actual surveys used for this research to be adapted= for use by each national organization. After much lobbying by the o= ther delegates, Canada<= /st1:place> will play a lead role on the international scene for the next three years. Kim Weatherall was elected as the new COMBO Chair (2007-201= 0) which means she will also represent COMBO with a seat on the Board for the International Society for Twin Studies (ISTS) with the world’s top researchers and scientists. As well, Gail Moore was voted in as the new COMBO Co-Vice Chair and will pla= y a lead role in pushing forward an International Multiple Births Awareness W= eek! The new COMBO Board will be represented by Canada, the UK and Germany. For more information about COMBO please visit http://web.mac.com/madcock313/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html= , and stay tuned for further information on ISTS, COMBO and the Congress in Multiple Moments and on MBC’s website.
Summer Event Discount Tickets
The Board of Directors would like to thank Heather Scher of Newmarket POMBA for once again coordinating these summer discounts for our multiple-birth families. A printable list containing instructions and passwords is available in the members o= nly section of the MBC website. Du= e to the lack of interest and the logistics of managing “paper” tickets, this year only on-line purchasing of tickets have been organized. We are able to o= ffer significant discounts for Ontario Place, Wild Water Kingdom and Santa’s Village, with minimal effort on the part of our beleagu= ered volunteers. Unfortunately, some attractions have raised their prices so significantly; there is no value for a volunteer to put in so many hours = for so little savings to members. Sh= ould anyone be interested in carrying the torch in future summers, and organiz= ing ticket sales, Heather would be happy to share her expertise and contact l= ist with those volunteers. Plea= se contact Heather anytime at (905) 727-9315. = Play = All Day Pass Adult (6-64)&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = reg. $34 &n= bsp; $20 Child/Senior (4-5/65+) &nbs= p; &= nbsp; reg. $18 &n= bsp; $10 Chinese Lanterns Only July 19 – Oct 7 Adult (13-64)&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; reg. $26 &n= bsp; $21 Child/Senior (4-12/65+) &nbs= p; &= nbsp; reg. $21 &n= bsp; $15 Chinese Lanterns & Ontario Place Combo July= 19 – Oct 7 (not available at the gate) Adult (13-64)&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; = $34 Child (4-12)&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; $30 Senior (65+)&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = <= b>$26 Adult (10+) &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = reg. $31.75 &nbs= p; $23<= /span> Child/Senior (4-9/65+) &nbs= p; &= nbsp; reg. $23.27 = ; $17 = Ages 5+ &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; = reg. $29 &n= bsp; $20.00<= /o:p> Ages 2-4 & 65+ &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; reg. $16 &n= bsp; $23.20<= /o:p> All Ages Unlimited Sportsland pass (not available= at the gate) includes admission to Santa’s Village &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; $25.00=* **height regulation on go-carts is 54 inches and a= ge 12 to drive -- Tickets are $3.00 / rides take 2= per
Multiple Moments
The June Multiple Moments issue of 2007 has been mailed. Those receiving electronic subscriptions were notified to pick-up their copy on June 14th. If you have not recei= ved your notification, please contact the Business Office ASAP. Check out the June Report From National and the 2007 Annual Report! If you have a story to share= or if you have any feedback regarding articles published in Multiple Moments, please email the Editor at mmedito= r@multiplebirthscanada.org. <= /p>
Research Request
WANTED: A mother who underwent ovarian stimulation and went on to have multiple births.= REASON: For a magazine article about the= necessity of funding for IVF treatments, to avoid the high cost and danger of multi= ple births for families. CONTACT: Shelly Sanders Greer at 905-337-= 2343 or shellywrites@cogeco.ca for more information. Your story could make a big difference to women in the future. Please consider this opportunity to be= heard nationally.
Having a party?<= /span> = Supporting Multiple Births Together!		Finding Our Way Life with triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets = All Canadi= an Collection of Experiences & Tips (click to purchase)
Multiple Births = Canada Naissances multiples Canada PO Box 432 Wasaga Beach, Ontario L9Z 1A4 Toll-free (in Canada): 1-866-228-8824 Tel: 705-429-0901 Fax: 705-429-9809 office@multiplebirthscanada.or= g www.multiplebirthscanada.org/<= /span><= /span> The content of this email is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may h= ave regarding a medical condition. Multiple Births Canada Information Circulars (ICs) are a mass email service managed by the Board of Directors of Multiple Births Canada and is for information sharing purposes only. Opinions and conclusions expressed through this service do not necessarily reflect the views of either the B= oard of Directors or the caring volunteers of Multiple Births Canada. If you w= ish to be removed or added to this list, please contact the Business Office<= /span>.	Multiple Births = Canada and Mount Sinai Hospital’s Multiple Birth DVD Project Multiple Births Canada is pleased to announce that we have forged a partnership with Mount Sinai Hospi= tal to produce an educational video/DVD for parents expecting multiple-birth children. It is anticipated that this DVD will become a valuable educational resource for prenatal educators, parenting groups, and indivi= dual families. The initial work in the partnership will focus on learner needs assessment to ensure that the DVD content meets the needs of our intended audience, and on fundraising to cover the costs of the DVD development. If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the project, please forward your cheque to: Multiples DVD Project Maternal Infant Program Mount Sinai Hospital 600 University Avenue Toronto, ON M5G 1X5<= /o:p> A charitable donation receipt will be made available for all donations.

= Play = All Day Pass

Chinese Lanterns Only July 19 – Oct 7

Chinese Lanterns & Ontario Place Combo July= 19 – Oct 7 (not available at the gate)