We're thrilled that Gift of Life Executive Director Dr. Regina Traylor is featured on the cover of the September issue of Central AL! Inc. The special edition of the magazine featured the 2026 Champions for Change, which spotlights local nonprofits and their leaders who are transforming lives in the River Region. You can view a copy of the publication at https://online.fliphtml5.com/exploreMedia/WebIssue_CINC_Sep26/#p=1
The Gift of Life Foundation family joins children’s health advocates across our community and state in mourning the loss of Gift of Life Founding Board member James Robert Beshear, M.D.
Affectionately known as "Dr. Bob" to thousands of Alabama families, he passed away peacefully in Montgomery on September 3, 2026, at the age of 84, following an extended illness.
Dr. Bob was a tremendous leader in our community, founding Physicians to Children in Montgomery in 1977. For 45 years, he cared for thousands of Alabama children and was a tireless advocate for them both locally and statewide.
Dr. Bob was the driving force that birthed The Gift of Life Foundation in 1988, because he recognized the critical need to address the community’s high infant mortality rate, connect vulnerable women to obstetrical care early in pregnancy, and give all babies a fighting chance to be born healthy and to thrive.
The Gift of Life honors Dr. Bob Beshear and his legacy, which is memorialized in our building with a special conference room named in his honor.
He used his voice to inspire change and help move the state to action on infant mortality, and as a result, thousands of mothers and babies who have been served by The Gift of Life since its inception are equipped with the tools they need for a great beginning. We're proud to further his legacy through our work and will do so until every Alabama baby is born healthy.
Pregnancy & Beyond is an empowering event designed to connect expecting moms and dads, and parents or caregivers of children under age two, to vital information for a healthier pregnancy, boost parenting confidence, and enhance your baby’s well-being.
Join us for a day of informative sessions, expert advice, and opportunities to connect with local health and service providers. Sessions will include:
“I’m Pregnant, Now What?: Important Keys to a Healthy Pregnancy
Pregnancy & Mental Health
Eating for Two: Nutrition that Supports Pregnancy, Breastfeeding & Postpartum
Plus vendors, gift bags, prizes & much more!
Whether you are navigating the joys and challenges of pregnancy or the early years of parenting, Pregnancy & Beyond offers the guidance and community support you need to thrive on this incredible journey.
CLICK THE LINK FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER: https://golfound.org/pregnancyandbeyond2026
GOL-NFP Co-hosts Reach Out and Read-AL’s RX for Summer Reading Campaign
Gift of Life and Montgomery Family Medicine Residency Program are teaming up with Reach Out and Read-Alabama for its "Grow With Us" Rx for Summer Reading campaign on July 14 at 2:30 p.m. at the Morgan Library, downtown Montgomery.
Inspired by this year's featured book, “Lola Plants a Garden,” the campaign celebrates growth in all its forms, from flowers blooming in a garden to the language, literacy, and relationship skills children develop through shared reading. This year marks 20 years for Reach Out and Read-Alabama's outreach to children and families, helping them foster a love of reading through the trusted relationship between healthcare providers and caregivers. All attendees will receive a free book!
Gift of Life's Parents as Teachers program is excited to announce its arrival in Perry County! The program will serve pregnant women and parents of a child under three years of age, if eligible. For more information, call (334) 207-8533 or visit our Parents as Teachers page under the Programs tab.
Maternal Mental Health Month
May is Maternal Mental Health Month, a global awareness campaign focused on highlighting mental health struggles—such as depression and anxiety—experienced by parents during and after pregnancy. It aims to reduce stigma, promote screening, and increase access to treatment for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), which affect 1 in 5 new mothers. Gift of Life will proudly display the blue dot, which represents perinatal mental health support, solidarity, and survivorship.
We LOVE our nurses! We're celebrating the power of nurses during National Nurses Week (May 6–12), especially the heart, skill, and leadership of Gift of Life's nurse supervisors, nurse home visitors, and executive director. Their compassion, expertise, and unwavering commitment uplift our moms, strengthen our team, and bring our mission to life every single day. They are the true definition of compassion in action—and we’re proud to have them leading the way.
Gift of Life honored its Social Support Services staff with a special team-building session in recognition of Social Work Month. Staff particiapted in a “Break the Plate” activity, where staff wrote down things they wanted to release—such as stress or limiting beliefs—and symbolically broke the plate as a way of letting those things go. Then, they created affirmation boards filled with positive words and images to reflect the mindset we want to carry forward both personally and professionally.
It was a great opportunity for reflection, positivity, and team connection.
The event was made all the more special with gifts that were presented by GOL Executive Director Dr. Regina Traylor and Lindsay Bass, Director of Programs and Compliance. Our parent educators and mobile family coaches are difference makers, both within our organization, for our families and for our community!
Gift of Life's Operation Christmas Bottoms Diaper Drive Kicks-Off on November 14
MONTGOMERY, AL — One in three families in communities like Montgomery across the country will struggle to provide enough diapers to keep their baby clean, dry and healthy, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A family is considered to be experiencing diaper need when they don’t have enough diapers to adequately change their baby at healthy intervals.
To address this need, Gift of Life Foundation (GOL) will hold its Operation Christmas Bottoms Diaper and Baby Wipes Drive, from November 14 through December 22 The annual event supports families enrolled in GOL programs who need diaper assistance, and for a second year, GOL is teaming up with Cumulus Broadcasting to launch the drive with a live radio remote on Friday, November 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Gift of Life parking lot located at 1348 Carmichael Way.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network, the average baby can use up to 12 diapers a day, which can cost a family up to $150 a month or roughly $1,800 a year. That can be tough for a family whose income meets the federal poverty guidelines.
“Low-income, working families who receive federal assistance programs like SNAP or WIC can use that support to help with the rising cost of food that we’re all experiencing. But those safety net programs are not set up to assist with diapers,” said Mona Davis, GOL Marketing & Community Outreach Director.
“Babies who don’t have enough diapers face more health risks. Because moms or dads might try to stretch their diaper supply by leaving a baby in a diaper a little longer than they normally would, it increases baby’s risk of having diaper rashes and urinary tract infections,” she said. "The diapers and baby wipes collected during Operation Christmas Bottoms help Gift of Life families in nine Alabama counties who may experience a temporary diaper need at some point during the year. It decreases the stress parents might feel from having to miss work and keep their baby out of daycare due to a lack of diapers or having to decide to forgo household bills or necessities because they need money to buy diapers," Davis said.
Those who would like to donate diapers at the kick-off event can come to the GOL office and drop off new packs of diapers and baby wipes between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Regular diaper donations will be accepted at the office Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
For more information about diaper need and the diaper drive, call (334) 399-0158 or visit https://golfound.org/operation-christmas-bottoms
GOL’s River Region Community Action Team (Community Consortia) will present the Candlelight Memorial in honor of International pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day on October 15, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the Gift of Life Foundation building, 1348 Carmichael Way | Montgomery, AL 36106
Join families across the River Region for an evening of healing and remembrance for loss of a pregnancy, infant or mother. We will say the names of our lost ones in a special bell ringing, and celebrate their lives through readings and songs, and light candles at 7 p.m. to connect with others around the globe to form the International Wave of Life. All are welcome. For more information, visit golfound.org.
