Do Care Doula
Foundation Inc.
Our Mission:
The mission of Do Care Doula Foundation, Inc. is to decrease birth disparities with the Black and Brown birthing community by providing free or low cost Doula support to those who are not able to otherwise afford this necessity which has been shown to reduce the occurrence of unnecessary interventions or complications during pregnancy and childbirth which have increased the birth disparities.
What We Do:
We provide grant-funded Doula training and development, subsidized Doula support, and a variety of community outreach programs including support groups, childbirth education, and educational events with
giveaways.
How To Help:
We are always in need of volunteers! We host several events throughout the year including quarterly community baby showers, weekly walk-in days for our food and basic needs pantries and diaper bank, as well as several community outreach events. Use the link below to volunteer for an upcoming event:
GROWTH: Family Resource Center
At GROWTH: Family Resource Center, our focus is to provide full-range access to resources and support, and increase connectedness to the community by addressing the needs for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of birthing people and their families including support groups, sister circles, childbirth and lactation education, community baby showers, a diaper bank, menstrual supplies, hygiene products, and educational events with giveaways of essential baby items.
Calendar of Events
Apoyo de Doula en Español para Mujeres Embarazadas
Resources
Bilingual Doula Interest Meetings
Doula Support for Spanish-Speaking Birthing Community
Vendor & sponsorship Opportunities
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Correctional Officers Association of DE
Banquet Hall
1243 College Road, Dover, DE 19904
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Delaware State Troopers Association Banquet Hall
6349 North Dupont Highway, Cheswold, DE 19936
Our Board of Directors
Erica M. Allen
Janelle Bazemore
Erika Gutierrez
Brandi Tackett
Tonya Boyer
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Executive Director
Erica is a mom of 4, an LPN, a birth/postpartum Doula, Community Outreach Perinatal Educator, Student Midwife and more. She is passionate about decreasing Black birth disparities within the state of Delaware and works extremely hard to make sure everyone is educated about the often underspoken health crisis and assists in eliminating them in whatever way possible.
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Co-Chair
Janelle resides in Greenville, DE with her husband and 2 beautiful daughters. She attended West Chester University, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies with a double minor in Public Health and Nutrition. For the last 20+ years she has worked in the banking industry, with her current role as AVP in Commercial Banking with a local community bank. Janelle decided to join the board because she wants to make an impact on her community, spread knowledge to the underserved, and assist in decreasing birth disparities throughout the Black community.
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Co-Chair
Brandi resides in Philadelphia, PA, and has one son. After witnessing and experiencing the inequalities in Black Maternal Health amongst her peers and people very close to her, she wanted to commit herself to eradicating these disparities. She has her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and works for the federal government helping people find resources and benefits for the general public in relation to medical assistance, which makes her confident that she can help support the mission of Do Care Doula Foundation, Inc. .
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Vice Chair
Tonya is a Pennsylvania native and has worked in the healthcare industry for over 13 years, specializing in insurance and financial counseling. She is a mom of 3 boys and joined the board to both learn and educate her community about Black Birth disparities. Tonya is confident that her knowledge of the healthcare industry will allow her to provide what is needed to support Black Birthing people and help them navigate the healthcare system.
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Administrative Assistant
Amadea recently moved to Delaware from New Jersey last May. She is excited to get to know Delaware and figure out how to best serve its minority communities. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2021 with a B.A. in Biology and a minor in African Studies and is extremely passionate about reproductive rights and eradicating maternal health disparities. She has ample research experience and looks forward to doing whatever she can to provide Black birthing people with adequate access to maternal health resources.
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Erika Gutierrez is a dynamic leader with extensive experience in community organizing and advocacy, particularly within Delaware's Latino community. As the creator of self-development community training and host of the podcast series Encuentra Tu Vida, she provides a space for women to explore personal growth and empowerment. Her work focuses on emotional independence and mental health, supporting migrant communities and advocating for their needs. Erika also serves as a leadership coach, helping individuals realize their potential and build sustainable life projects. Through workshops, public speaking, and her upcoming online platform, she inspires women to embrace their worth and create authentic lives free from limitations.
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Currently residing in Millsboro, Delaware, Maleka is a wife, a mother of two, and a grandmother to a beautiful baby girl. Family is important and her number one priority. Maleka received her Associates Degree from Delaware Technical Community College in 2018, her Bachelors of Science in Behavioral Science in 2020 from Wilmington University, and her Masters of Science Degree in Business Management with a Concentration in Organizational Leadership in 2022 from Wilmington University. She serves as Center Director for the Delaware Adolescent Program, Inc., a nonprofit organization which provides educational and supportive services to pregnant and parenting teens. Being a teen mom, herself, Maleka is very dedicated and passionate about what she does. She encourages her students to never give up, always believe in themselves and their dreams and, to know that even though they are young parents, they still can be and do whatever their hearts desire.
Amadea Bekoe-Tabiri
Maleka Pettyjohn
Meet Our Team
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Operations Manager
Gabi is a Delaware native. She lives in Dover, DE and is a mom to one beautiful, brave little girl. She is also a birth doula, perinatal educator, and a current student in the Masters in Social Work program at Widener University. She became passionate about decreasing Black birth disparities following her own negative maternal health experiences in the Healthcare system. She now brings her expertise in community organizing, trauma-informed care, and fundraising efforts to assist in carrying out the mission of Do Care Doula Foundation, Inc.
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Bilingual Program Manager
I am a certified perinatal educator and doula, a lactation advisor and sleep ambassador. I am also a community health worker. I have experience with hospital, birth center, and home births. I am a woman who believe that women constantly offer an enormous social collaboration as we assume a great diversity of daily roles. All these roles require inner strength and creativity that many of us are not aware we poses. I am a mother of two adult children and grandmother to two little ones, soon to be three. I had to discover my strengths in all of my life’s processes, going through many hardships, many times without support or enough financial resources.
Some 35 years ago I was ask to be a friend’s doula. Not knowing what I was doing, I gave my friend love and support through a very difficult labor. That did it for me to spark an awareness of an ancient and still existing need for women supporting other women through labor. On my first pregnancy I was labeled as high risk and was told that I might face a cesarean intervention, but for a non-related situation. I decided to inform and empower myself, switched provider and was able to have a natural childbirth. After the discomfort and anxiety of almost having a non-justified c-section, I ended seeking education to help other women into educating themselves and to look for answers so they could make decisions and consent to procedures aware of the term “informed consent”. Five years later, around 1994, I was a certified Bradley childbirth educator.
Helping women to identify their pregnancy and childbirth strengths and its rewarding possibilities has been a goal very close to my heart. I wish for more women to realize that there’s great harmony, and an autonomous pregnancy process that should be witness with reverence and not interfered with, unless a lack of health is absolutely evident. I also wish that laboring women be offered a safe space, where they don’t feel scared or threaten by institutional non-flexible protocols and where provider and mother to be, can communicate openly and respectfully in mutual collaboration for mother and baby’s best interest and a positive memorable outcome. There is an innate physical and emotional power inside every woman that would be beneficial to be more consciously aware of and so it can be manifested with greatness and confidence, for the benefit of our and future generations.
