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​​The Terry Jo Curtis "Every Ounce Counts" Scholarship honors Terry Jo Curtis, IBCLC, who founded Indiana’s Black Breastfeeding Coalition and was a powerful voice promoting breastfeeding for all families in her community. She was courageous enough to not stand by while black babies in Indiana died at a rate that is nearly twice the national average.  Ms. Curtis passed in May of 2014.


"I had the amazing opportunity to be a recipient of the Terry Jo Curtis scholarship to attend the United States Breastfeeding Coalition conference in Atlanta, GA In August 2018.  This would be my first time as an attendee at the conference and hopefully it will not be my last.
I had the opportunity to sit among some of our top leaders in breastfeeding and learn from those fighting for policy as well as equity.  I learned a great deal of information on policy and the many layers that we as a movement must continue to fight and build.  Also, addressing the needs of equity is a cause very important to me.  As it is widely known, black women are less likely to breastfeed their infants and in turn have one of the highest mortality rates.  
This information is available and known to many breastfeeding professionals but not necessarily to our general public.  This sparked a fire in me to organize Indianapolis' first Black Breastfeeding Summit.  This summit was to bring back some of the information learned and share with our community just how serious breastfeeding is for black women, children and families.  The summit was well attended and received amazing feedback!  I look forward to this being annual and watching how not only this summit could grow but how our community can begin to make a shift to save our babies."---Aimbriel Lasley, 2018

Terry Jo Curtis “Every Ounce Counts” Scholarship was established in 2018 to create a more robust representation of women or men of color in the field of lactation in the state of Indiana.  Our intention is to raise awareness, advocacy and leaders in these roles to assist in eliminating Indiana's devastating inequalities in infant and maternal mortality through breastfeeding.  We were able to fund 6 women to attend conferences or courses in 2019 with the help of our sponsors, fundraising and the Indiana Department of Health.  


​With the need for continued precaution with Covid-19 some conferences have transitioned to a virtual experience.  You will need to register and complete the online education before submitting for reimbursement.  


United States Breastfeeding Committee National Conference - June 9-June 11, Virtual $350

R.O.S.E. Breastfeeding and Equity Conference- August 25-27th, In-Person $200-$450


Various online education options are listed on our application page.  They include:


Thank you to all those who applied for this years scholarship! We will be announcing recipients soon. Each scholarship will cover funds for registration. 


As an applicant, you will be responsible for:

  • Registering for the course or conference
  • Completing the education
  • Submitting the confirmation of registration and CERPs obtained.


We also require that you contribute your knowledge to your community and participate in coalition activities. Additional details will be explained with confirmation of your scholarship.


Applicants will have 6 months within receiving confirmation of scholarship to utilize the funds available.  If a special circumstance arises with the availability of courses/conference it will be reviewed on a case by case basis.


We are currently in the process of raising funds and looking for sponsors. How can you support?

  • You can downloading our sponsor letter and forward it to a business or organization that wants to invest in making the lactation field more equitable





  •  You can make a one time or monthly donation via Paypal with the button below.  Please specify the Scholarship Fund.  

Our 2019 Scholarship winners are:


Aimbriel Lasley, Indianapolis

Cheyenne Starner, Indianapolis

Brittany Alexander, Indianapolis

Chambray Woodson, Indianapolis


Our 2020 Scholarship winners are:


Arieonna Benson, Indianapolis

Kelli Brien, South Bend

Joslyn Cunningham, Indianapolis

Erika Dudley, Mishawaka

Paris Curtis, Indianapolis

Asha Sprinkles, indianapolis


Congratulations to all of you!

"I had a great experience with the Certified Lactation Counselor Training Course through the Healthy Children Project. I was able to learn so much about Breastfeeding! I work at Sacred Roots Midwifery and Birthing Center and we are always trying to find ways to support Moms in their breastfeeding journey. I am so excited that I will be able to continue supporting Mothers at my current job. With the knowledge I've gained, I plan on helping out Mothers in the community who may not be able to afford lactation services. We really need women of color in our local breastfeeding community, as a women of color, I am so glad I will be another voice here in Indianapolis! I would personally like to thank everyone at that allowed me this opportunity for the Terry Jo Curtis Scholarship"....Andrea Williams, 2018