Nomination Period Opens for Healthy Horizons 3rd Annual Lactation Room Contest

Prizes Valued Over $5,000 Will be Awarded Based on Positive Impact to Chest/Breastfeeding Employees.

August 4, 2021 – San Francisco, Calif. – In honor of National Breastfeeding Month, Healthy Horizons, the Silicon Valley-based provider of Corporate Lactation Programs across North America, is accepting nominations for their annual Lactation Room Upgrade Contest. Healthy Horizons will award a deserving organization with a grand prize: $5,000-worth of equipment and supplies for breastfeeding parents to use in the workplace. The individual responsible for the winning nomination will also receive a personal breastfeeding bundle of prizes worth over $500. Individuals can nominate an organization through August 31, 2021 by submitting the nomination form online at www.healthyhorizons.com/contest.

Lactation Rooms, sometimes referred to as Mothers’ Rooms, are spaces that are set aside in workplaces or other facilities for breastfeeding parents to pump breastmilk or breastfeed. Healthy Horizons recommends that lactation rooms include, at a minimum, a safe, clean and comfortable place to pump milk, access to adequate lactation equipment and parenting support resources, and sufficient time off for pumping breaks.

The Healthy Horizons Lactation Room Contest is open to organizations in the US and Canada. “We’re looking for organizations that will use the prize to have a positive impact on their chest/breastfeeding employees and who want to provide a family-friendly office experience,” says Cassi Janakos, COO of Healthy Horizons when asked how the contest winner will be selected. “The selection committee is made up of a panel of women and moms who are advocates for breastfeeding rights and gender equality.”

Casa de Corazón, a Minneapolis-based provider of Spanish-immersion early learning programs was a winner of the contest in 2020. Casa de Corazón received prizes including a hospital-grade breast pump rental, refrigerated storage for breastmilk, and lactation supplies. The Lactation Room at Casa de Corazón is used by employees and parents. “I'm so grateful to have a safe and private space to not only breastfeed my son but to pump when I need to,” said Sorimar Santiago, a teacher at Casa de Corazón.

“Being able to host this contest is especially meaningful to us this year,” says Sheila Janakos, CEO of Healthy Horizons, as her company celebrates their 30th year of business. “It’s very fulfilling for us to be able to provide this tangible support to breastfeeding parents in the workplace.”

Now in its third year, the Healthy Horizons Lactation Room Contest was conceived by Sheila and Cassi Janakos, the mother-daughter team that leads Healthy Horizons. The Janakos women partnered with their business community for sponsorships and prize donations. “We are blessed to have an amazing and supportive community that works together for the wellbeing of breastfeeding families. In this challenging year, companies like Ameda, Herb Lore, Bravado and many others have stepped up to join us in this project,” says Sheila.

The winner of the 2021 Lactation Room contest will be announced in September.