This is the story of Danelle, a MomsRising volunteer whose personal story clearly shows how much we need a national paid family leave program. Please read it and join us to make a difference for Danelle and all families! ~The editors

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My name is Danelle and I’m a MomsRising volunteer.

I am proof that America needs paid parental leave YESTERDAY.

A few years ago, I almost died during the birth of my second child. My daughter spent a month in the NICU and I had a long, painful recovery. The unexpected expense of early delivery and lengthy hospital stays put tremendous financial strain on our family.

Then, despite repeated promises from my employer that my position was safe, I lost my job.

You’d think this could never happen in our country. But it happens every day. Sad but true: The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world without some form of paid family and medical leave for new moms. And only 13% of all people—and only 5% of low wage workers—have some form of paid family leave through their employer.

I keep asking myself this question: How could I have been forced out of my job just when I needed it most to support my family?

Fix this. Help make paid family leave the law of the land with a contribution to MomsRising. If you give today, another donor has promised to give your gift an automatic $25 boost!

Paid family leave isn’t an experimental policy. It’s been tested and PROVEN to help families, businesses and the economy.

In fact, a handful of states have passed this policy and a study of the California Paid Family Leave program found most employers reported that providing paid family leave had a positive effect on productivity, profitability and performance, turnover, and employee morale. Also, a national study, Pay Matters: The Positive Economic Impacts of Paid Family Leave, found that moms with access to paid family leave were more likely to be in the labor force one year after having a child and significantly less likely to rely on government programs, saving taxpayer dollars. A win-win.

This is a big deal, a national emergency even. We have a modern economy and women are 50% of the labor force for the first time in history. Now that three-quarters of moms are either the primary or co-breadwinner, this policy is a basic economic necessity for our families, our businesses and our economy to thrive.

We’re one of the ONLY major countries that doesn’t provide paid family and medical leave. The rest of the world knows this is a win-win... it’s time for OUR families to win this protection, too.

We need more moms and dads like you on board TODAY. Will you chip in now to power the fight for paid leave for all?

I KNOW your gift will make a difference. With support from members like you, MomsRising put paid family leave on the map BIG TIME this year.

It was a major topic of the Democratic presidential debates, a DOZEN municipalities recently passed paid leave for government employees, and companies from Netflix to Nestle outdid themselves to offer generous paid leave benefits.

I personally volunteered with Maryland state Delegate Ariana Kelly to help pass an expanded, job-protected family leave in our state. I told my story to legislators again and again until we got enough votes to win this important protection.

Our voices matter.

This is how your gift to MomsRising works—empowering real moms and dads to make real change from the ground up. Please say you’re in!

Thanks for supporting a more family-friendly America with MomsRising!

Sincerely,

Danelle
Proud mom and MomsRising volunteer