Event Information

Frequently Asked Questions

The Count the Kicks Change­makers Luncheon is an annual fundraising event that benefits Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi­zation that created the Count the Kicks public health program. 

Each year our event features engaging and impactful programming, the powerful stories of families impacted by our work, and passionate speakers. We will gather to celebrate the life-saving impact change­makers like you have on our mission during a powerful and uplifting luncheon that will be the highlight of your week.

We have experi­enced tremendous growth over the past few years, and our program’s reach is now inter­na­tional. A hybrid event provides an oppor­tunity for advocates and supporters of our mission to partic­ipate from around the world! Healthy Birth Day, Inc. has health partner­ships in 25 states and Ambas­sadors in 33 states. We want to celebrate the progress of the Count the Kicks campaign with everyone no matter where they live!

1. Attending In-Person: Click here if you wish to purchase a single in person ticket, multiple tickets, be a Table Captain or if you want to be an In-Person Corporate Sponsor and will be attending the event in-person at the Iowa Events Center.

2. Attending Virtually: Click here if you wish to purchase a single virtual ticket, multiple tickets, be a Virtual Corporate Sponsor, or if you wish to be a Watch Party Host and will be watching the event virtually from wherever you are.

When regis­tering as a Table Captain you agree to attend in-person and purchase one table for you and 9 guests for a $750 donation. For specific instruc­tions on how to register as a Table Captain, click here.

After you have completed the regis­tration process, you will receive an email confir­mation and then a second email titled Change­makers Luncheon Table Manager Infor­mation” with a unique link that will take you to your very own Table Managers page. 

From this page you can invite your friends, register them manually yourself, remove guests if they need to cancel and email your group with important infor­mation or announce­ments. You will be notified via email as each guest registers. 

For more detailed instruc­tions on managing your table, click here. Your guests will not be charged, and you cannot exchange money through this site. If you plan to collect seat fees from your guests, you will need to personally collect those funds.

When regis­tering as a Virtual Watch Party Host you agree to attend virtually and purchase a watch party ticket for you and an unlimited number of guests for a $400 donation. As a Virtual Watch Party Host, you can opt-in during the regis­tration process to receive a $200 Grub Hub e‑credit to use for refresh­ments at your party. The credit will be issued via email 1 – 2 days prior to the event and will expire the following day. You will need to set up a GrubHub account to use the e‑credit and it will expire on Tuesday, April 232024.

The cut-off date to attend in person is 10 a.m. CST on Monday, April 5, 2024. The cut-off date to attend virtually is 5 p.m. CST on Friday, April 192024.

Register and purchase a virtual ticket here. One day before the event, you will receive a check-in email containing a unique link to check in for the virtual program. You will go to this page on Monday April 22, 2024 at 12 p.m. CST to watch the livestream. There will be no pre-event programming for virtual participants.

Table Captains and Corporate Sponsors are respon­sible for managing and making sure their own table guests are regis­tered. As a table manager, you should have received a Change­makers Luncheon Table Manager Infor­mation” email when you first regis­tered. SAVE THIS EMAIL and use the Manage My Guest List button to add, delete and contact your table guests. 

You can find more detailed instruc­tions here.

You can find more infor­mation on the schedule of events on the schedule page.

Luncheon Guests can purchase a T‑shirt from the Merchandise page on the event website. Your shirt will be shipped directly to you after your purchase. The shirts come in adults and youth sizes and cost $25 each. 

You can also purchase T‑shirts and other Count the Kicks Merchandise on the day of the event at the Iowa Event center (limited sizes and quantities available).

You can find more infor­mation about the auction on the mobile auction page.

YES! We have many different levels of both in-person and virtual sponsor­ships to fit every budget. Every level includes many benefits for our sponsors. Please email Special Events Manager Colleen Dougherty at dougherty.​colleen@​healthybirthday.​org to become a sponsor. 

Visit our sponsor page to see who is already signed up!

You can find infor­mation on parking and direc­tions to the Iowa Event Center on the parking page.

Healthy Birth Day, Inc. and presenting sponsor MercyOne place a high priority on the health and safety of our guests. We will have masks and hand sanitizer on hand at the event. We encourage anyone who is not feeling well or has recently been exposed to COVID-19 to join us virtually.

Healthy Birth Day, Inc. is the 501(3)© non-profit that created the Count the Kicks program. Count the Kicks is an evidence-based still­birth prevention and awareness campaign that teaches expectant parents the method for, and impor­tance of, tracking fetal movement daily during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Every year in the U.S., more than 21,000 babies are born still. One in every 175 pregnancies ends in still­birth. According to the CDC, a Black woman is more than twice as likely to lose her baby to still­birth (1 in 101 pregnancies) than her white neighbor, colleague, or friend. Research shows that a change in movement is sometimes the only indication that a baby is in distress and needs to be checked by your doctor.

It is important for all expectant parents to under­stand the impor­tance of kick counting in the third trimester. By using the FREE Count the Kicks app daily starting at 28 weeks, expectant parents will have the peace of mind to know when things are OK and when things have changed, empow­ering them to contact their provider.

The Count the Kicks app is available in the Google Play and iTunes app stores and has been downloaded more than 250,000 times by expectant parents in all 50 states. It’s an easy-to-use tool for expectant parents to monitor their baby’s well-being in addition to regular prenatal visits.

Through the Count the Kicks program there is a community of expectant parents who are in tune with their bodies and their babies, letting providers know when something feels off. Time and time again this system works — and babies are being saved across the country. In the first 10 years of our campaign in Iowa, the state’s still­birth rate has decreased nearly 32% while rates in the rest of the country remained stagnant. If we were to replicate the success we have experi­enced in Iowa, we could save 7,500 babies every year in the United States.

All proceeds from Change­makers Luncheon will be used to directly impact our mission to prevent still­birth and save babies by providing Count the Kicks education and resources to as many expectant parents and providers as possible. This event helps keep the Count the Kicks app FREE for all expectant parents and allows us to raise awareness on social media, via webinars and in presentations. 

Learn more at www​.count​the​kicks​.org and www​.healthy​birthday​.org.

Other questions? Contact Colleen Dougherty.

Everyone is invited to be a Peer to Peer fundraiser for our event! A Peer to Peer fundraiser is someone who raises awareness and funds to support our mission by asking friends, family, and colleagues to make a donation to our organi­zation through your personal fundraising page.

It’s easy to create your own fundraiser! Register to be a fundraiser by clicking here

You’ll receive your very own fundraising page with a template that is set up and ready to go. If you choose, you can customize your page to share your story and connection to our mission. Once your page is just how you want it, you can start inviting friends and family to donate directly from the page by email or by sharing your page link to social media. It’s that easy!

All fundraisers who raise $250 or more will win a free Change­maker event T‑shirt. The top three fundraisers will win an additional prize. The top fundraiser will get a Coach handbag and matching wallet, second-place fundraiser will win a $200 SpaFinder gift card, and third place fundraiser will get a $125 Amazon gift card.

If you have more questions about Peer to Peer Fundraising, here is a link to some helpful hints or you can contact Colleen Dougherty at dougherty.​colleen@​healthybirthday.​org.

Your table number will be emailed to you the week prior to the event. There will also be an infor­mation table at the Iowa Events Center the morning of the event with that infor­mation available.