Vaccinate Your Family Launches 35th Anniversary Celebration

A Legacy of Prevention, A Future of Protection

Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) officially begins a yearlong celebration to commemorate its 35th anniversary in July 2026. This marks three and a half decades of tireless advocacy for immunization and public health. With the theme “35 Years: A Legacy of Prevention, A Future of Protection,” the anniversary will honor the founders’ pioneering vision while setting an ambitious course for the next decade of immunization advocacy. 

Founded in 1991 as Every Child By Two (ECBT) by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers, the organization has grown from a childhood immunization initiative into a leading national voice for vaccine-preventable disease across the lifespan. 

Our cofounders believed deeply in the power of bipartisan leadership and civic responsibility. Together they mobilized parents, physicians, policymakers, and community leaders across the country, ensuring that protecting children’s health through vaccination remained a national priority. During the Carter Administration, they worked with state and local officials to pass legislation in every state requiring immunizations at school entry – to ensure that no children fell through the cracks of the healthcare system.  

Following a measles outbreak that infected over 50,000 and took the lives of 123 people, Carter and Bumpers founded ECBT, to raise awareness of the critical importance of receiving the primary series of childhood vaccines by age two. As vaccines became available for adolescents and adults, the organization expanded our mission under a new name, Vaccinate Your Family (VYF). 

 “Our founders showed the nation that ensuring everyone has access to life-saving immunizations requires a steadfast commitment from both government and public health,” said Amy Pisani, MS, CEO of VYF. “What began as a mission to protect children through timely immunizations has evolved into a movement to ensure every individual, at every age, has access to life-saving vaccines. This anniversary is not just a look back at our history; it is a launch point for a future where prevention is a universal reality.” 

 A Legacy of Impact 

Since the start, VYF has been instrumental in shaping the American public health landscape.  

Key milestones include: 

•  Infrastructure & Policy Advances: Laying the groundwork for broader protections in our health system, including the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, which ensures free vaccines for millions of eligible children up to age 19, expanded vaccine coverage for people of all ages through the Affordable Care Act, the creation of state immunization registries and school vaccination requirements.  
• National Standards: Enforcing school-entry immunization requirements to protect children where they learn and integrating vaccination benchmarks into pediatric standards-of-care.  
• Community Engagement: Leading science communication by launching the first public website, establishing a massive social media presence, engaging community leaders and sharing the stories of families affected by vaccine-preventable disease in their own words. 

 Year-Long Commemoration Highlights 

The anniversary year will feature monthly themes designed to engage partners, policymakers, and the public: 

Historical Reflections: Throughout the summer and fall of 2026, VYF will share stories of its early impact, highlighting how the tenacity of Betty Bumpers and the “moral voice” of Rosalynn Carter helped build today’s public health frameworks. 

• National Reflection: On March 8, 2027, a “Celebration of Lives” event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. will celebrate the millions of lives saved by vaccines over 35 years and memorialize those lost to vaccine-preventable disease. 
• Celebration of Local, State, and National Immunization Partners: We will recognize the advocates, healthcare providers, policymakers, and national organizations who have shared our journey over the past three decades. They have been integral in the efforts of saving lives, strengthening communities, and making prevention a cornerstone of public health. 
• Future Vision: The celebration will conclude in Spring 2027 with the announcement of a new 10-year commitment to further strengthen immunization infrastructure through 2037. 

 “Betty Bumpers and Rosalynn Carter proved that persistent, collaborative advocacy can change entire systems,” added the CEO. “We carry their values of equity, prevention, and trust with us as we enter this next chapter.” 

 For more information on the 35th anniversary events, the timeline of achievements, and the Cofounders’ Legacy Statement, please visit the VYF Anniversary web page: www.vaccinateyourfamily.org/35-anniversary.