About ANA

Angel Names Association (ANA) was founded in May of 2001 by Michelle and George Mosca, six months after the stillbirth of their firstborn son, Nicholas.

For the Moscas, Nicholas' death underscored the need for financial resources and supportive programs for bereaved families. ANA's programs are designed to ease the financial burden imposed by stillbirth, provide supportive programs and services for families enduring the trauma of stillbirth, and raise money for stillbirth research.

Although ANA's primary focus is on stillbirth, several of its programs are designed for families who endure miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death.

OUR MISSION

The Angel Names Association is a nonprofit, 501(C)(3), charitable organization dedicated to assisting families of stillborn children through programs designed to provide financial assistance for end-of-life expenses and counseling services, and funding for stillbirth research.

AFFILIATIONS

ANA is a member of the Council of Community Services of New York State (CCSNYS), a 501(C)(3) membership-based, mission-driven, statewide association of diverse charitable nonprofit organizations.

ANA is also a member of the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA), a nonprofit coalition of organizations dedicated to understanding the causes and prevention of stillbirth. The ISA's mission is to raise awareness, educate on recommended precautionary practices and facilitate research on the prevention of stillbirth. ISA serves as a centralized resource for sharing information and connecting organizations and individuals.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The philosophical guidelines by which ANA operates and strives to fulfill its mission are as follows.

The experience of stillbirth profoundly affects parents and their families.
End-of-life services should be available to all families of stillborn children.
The ability to provide end-of-life services for stillborn children helps families move through the grief process and promotes healing.
Counseling services can help families address the grief associated with infant death.
End-of-life services enable parents to honor the life of their stillborn baby.
Education programs designed to inform healthcare providers and the community about grief and mourning specific to infant death promote greater understanding and an improved ability to appropriately support bereaved families.
Recognition and acknowledgment of a stillborn baby’s life is essential. The baby’s existence, however short, touches the lives of all who knew he or she existed and all who learn of his or her death.
Research can lead to a greater understanding of the causes of, and therefore ways to prevent, stillbirth.
Research can lead to the development of scientific advances that may help to prevent some instances of stillbirth.

BOARD STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS

ANA has an 18 seat board. Board members are all volunteers and have experienced stillbirth or a related loss in a personal or professional capacity. Board positions require attendance at monthly Board meetings and completion of additional tasks for which Board members volunteer.

Board members who volunteer for various assignments are expected to report on their findings at subsequent meetings. Board elections and officer appointments take place at the ANA’s annual meeting in October. Board members may also be elected at any time to fill vacant positions.

Board members elected at the annual meeting serve one-year terms, and those elected mid-year serve until the annual meeting. Board members may be re-elected; there are no term limits.

Meetings are held in Saratoga Springs on the third Monday of the month and last approximately two hours. Anyone is welcomed to attend.

ANA HAPPENINGS NEWSLETTER

ANA’s biannual newsletter provides information on stillbirth-related legislation and research, updates readers about the usage and success of the association’s programs, as well as the development and funding of new initiatives, and provides a venue for ANA to publicly thank donors. View our newsletters online.