Danielle Rigg, December 15,1967 – February 28, 2021
Breastfeeding USA would like to acknowledge the passing of Danielle Berke Rigg, co-founder of the now-closed Best for Babes Foundation, and a fierce advocate for mothers and babies, on February 28.
Danielle, along with Bettina Forbes, founded Best for Babes (BfB) in 2006 with the mission, in part, “to change the cultural perception of breastfeeding and Beat the Breastfeeding Booby Traps®–the cultural, institutional and legal barriers that prevent parents from making informed feeding decisions.” BfB promotions featured real talk about barriers to breastfeeding, while celebrating all breastfeeding relationships and triumphs, and were aided by celebrity voices like those of Alyssa Milano and Laila Ali.
If the modern-day mission of Best for Babies sounds familiar to Breastfeeding USA stakeholders, perhaps it’s because they helped pave the way for organizations like our own to begin. Breastfeeding USA volunteer Rebecca Ruhlen praises Danielle Rigg: “Her work on Best for Babes definitely changed the landscape of breastfeeding normalization and promotion in the U.S., and that organization’s enthusiasm for collaborating with Breastfeeding USA in its early years really helped us establish our identity and build our networks.”
For the 2013 and 2014 Breastfeeding USA–Best for Babes collaboration, both organizations teamed up for fitness-focused fundraising campaigns—It was called, “We Got Your Back Babe!” Representatives of each organization were encouraged to form teams and get together to complete any fitness task of their choosing. Some groups walked, some did yoga, and some individuals made their own fitness plan; all collected pledges, the total of which was split between the two organizations.
Our volunteers remember Danielle as organized, hard-working, loyal, and 100% passionate for all moms and babies. We know she will be missed, and we send our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.
Aimee Teslaw
President
Breastfeeding USA
© 2021 Breastfeeding USA, all rights are reserved.