Vaccinate Your Family kicks off 35th anniversary year

Vaccinate Your Family has launched a yearlong 35th-anniversary campaign in Washington, D.C., marking three and a half decades of immunization advocacy. The celebration will spotlight the group’s policy wins, public health impact and a new 10-year commitment expected in 2027.

Why it matters: - Vaccinate Your Family is using its 35th anniversary to frame immunization as a long-term public health priority, not a one-time campaign. - The anniversary comes as vaccine policy, access and trust remain central issues for families, providers and public health leaders. - The organization plans to use the celebration to build momentum for a new 10-year push through 2037.

What happened: - Vaccinate Your Family officially launched a yearlong 35th-anniversary celebration on July 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. - The theme is “35 Years: A Legacy of Prevention, A Future of Protection.” - The organization was founded in 1991 as Every Child By Two by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers. - VYF said the anniversary will honor the founders’ vision while setting a course for the next decade of immunization advocacy.

The details: - The group began as a childhood immunization initiative and later expanded into a national voice for vaccine-preventable disease across the lifespan. - Carter and Bumpers worked with state and local officials during the Carter administration to pass school-entry immunization laws in every state. - The founders created the organization after a measles outbreak that infected more than 50,000 people and killed 123. - The original mission focused on ensuring children received the primary series of childhood vaccines by age 2. - As vaccines became available for adolescents and adults, the organization adopted the name Vaccinate Your Family. - CEO Amy Pisani said the anniversary is both a look back and a launch point for a future where prevention is universal. - VYF says its policy legacy includes groundwork for the Vaccines for Children program, broader vaccine coverage under the Affordable Care Act, state immunization registries and school vaccination requirements. - The organization also cites national standards such as school-entry immunization requirements and vaccination benchmarks in pediatric standards of care. - VYF says its communications work included launching the first public website, building a large social media presence and sharing family stories about vaccine-preventable disease.

Between the lines: - The anniversary messaging connects past bipartisan public health wins with today’s debates over access, confidence and infrastructure. - By centering Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers, VYF is emphasizing that durable vaccination policy has historically depended on sustained political and community support. - The planned 2037 commitment suggests the group wants the anniversary to function as a strategic reset, not just a commemoration.

What's next: - VYF will roll out monthly anniversary themes through 2026 and into 2027. - Summer and fall 2026 programming will highlight the early impact of Bumpers and Carter. - On March 8, 2027, VYF plans a “Celebration of Lives” event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to honor lives saved by vaccines and remember those lost to vaccine-preventable disease. - The organization will also recognize immunization partners at the local, state and national levels. - The anniversary will conclude in spring 2027 with the announcement of a new 10-year commitment to strengthen immunization infrastructure through 2037. - More information is available on the VYF Anniversary web page.

The bottom line: - VYF is turning a milestone anniversary into a broader campaign for sustained immunization policy, public education and infrastructure investment.