Tina Knowles and Kelly Rowland are heading back to their hometown for a cause close to their hearts. The longtime family friends are joining forces with maternal health nonprofit birthFUND to raise awareness and support mothers and babies through the inaugural Third Ward Mile in Houston.

Giving back to the community that shaped them

On Saturday, November 28, Knowles and Rowland will serve as team captains for the community event, alongside birthFUND founder Elaine Welteroth. The Third Ward Mile is a road race and community gathering designed to bring people together in support of the nonprofit’s mission to address the maternal mortality crisis.

Houston’s Third Ward holds deep personal significance for both women. Knowles raised her daughters, Beyoncé and Solange, in the neighborhood and opened her hair salon, Headliners, there. The salon later became part of the story behind Destiny’s Child, after Rowland met Beyoncé at a local middle school.

“Third Ward helped me raise my girls,” Knowles tells PEOPLE. “Coming home to support the health of mothers and babies in this community is about watering the roots that made us who we are.”

Kelly Rowland champions safer motherhood

For Rowland, the event is an opportunity to support a community that helped shape her while advocating for better maternal care. The singer and actress is an early investor in birthFUND, which helps fund midwifery care for new mothers.

She believes every woman should feel protected and supported throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

“Every mother deserves to feel safe, supported and seen when she brings life into the world, and I’m proud to stand with my birthFUND family to continue this movement for change,” Rowland says.

She adds, “It’s such an honor to return to the community I came from to prove that we can come together to make change possible, one birth and one mile at a time.”

Fighting the maternal health crisis together

Founded by journalist Elaine Welteroth, birthFUND aims to improve access to community-based midwifery care and raise awareness of disparities in maternal health, particularly among Black mothers.

Welteroth says the Third Ward Mile is intended to highlight the importance of midwives and help bring essential care closer to the families who need it.

“This is a preventable crisis. More than 80% of all maternal deaths can be avoided with midwifery care,” she tells PEOPLE.

The event will take place at Houston’s historic Emancipation Park, with registration open to participants ages six and older. All donations from the race will support birthFUND’s community initiatives.

The morning begins at 8 a.m. local time, followed by activities at the Finishers Village, including food, music, local vendors, community organizations and family-friendly wellness experiences.

Through their involvement, Knowles and Rowland are helping turn a homecoming into a broader call for action — one that puts mothers, babies and accessible maternal care at the center of the conversation.

Source: Compiled from various sources