Address
1506 E Broadway #220, Columbia, MO 65201
Operating Hours:
8:00am – 5:00pm (Mon-Fri)
Phone Number
(573) 443-4511
1506 E Broadway #220, Columbia, MO 65201
Operating Hours:
8:00am – 5:00pm (Mon-Fri)
Phone Number
Missouri Fertility Foundation is a passion project born from years of working with couples struggling to become parents.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified. Of course, I was eighteen and was not ready for motherhood. Raising my children wasn’t always sunshine and roses, but it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Knowing the difference being a mom has had on my life, I was heartbroken every time I had a financial consult with a couple who knew they would be unable to continue their fertility journey due to the high cost of treatment and the lack of coverage by health insurance. Not being able to help them more always bothered me. I started the Missouri Fertility Foundation so I could offer them a solution to keep their hope of becoming parents alive. I can’t guarantee the treatments will be a success, but this way, they at least have a chance.”
-April Rutter, CEO and President of Missouri Fertility Foundation, Inc
Dr. Larry L. Penney is the founder of Missouri Fertility and dedicated his life to helping those who struggled with infertility. Through his sacrifice and hard work, thousands of babies have been brought into the world. Dr. Penney is one of the pioneers of this field paving the way for the advanced technologies we use today. He will continue to make the world a bigger and brighter place through the L. L. Penney Gift of Fertility Honorarium Grant. This grant gives access to fertility treatments that would otherwise be financially impossible.
Donna Wilshire had many accomplishments not least of which was raising an amazing man and successful reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, Dr. Gil Wilshire. Donna was an author and performer with a history in theater. She had an exuberance for life and was always taking care of others. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer in 2012. The Donna Wilshire Gift of Preservation Honorarium Grant provides a source of hope for the future to those fighting cancer using fertility preservation.
Vice President
Diane Yates served in the healthcare industry for forty-five years in an administrative capacity. Monica Smith is a registered nurse who has over 30 years of transformational and servant leadership as a healthcare executive, advanced practice, and critical care nursing. She has a strong passion for making a difference, delivering excellent outcomes, and the patient experience all with an emphasis on prioritizing people.
Monica is grateful in her personal life for the gift of fertility treatments. Fertility treatments blessed Monica and her husband with their first child. Monica is committed to helping others with support, education, and resources to bless others with the gift of life.
President / CEO
April Rutter has over 20 years of experience helping others with their fertility journey through her passion and leadership as the Executive Director of Missouri Fertility. She serves on the board of directors for the Association of Reproductive Managers (ARM) a professional group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and volunteers with both the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the advocacy group Resolve. April believes everyone should have access to the treatments they require to have the family they dream of. She pursues this objective in many ways including her work with Hera Fertility, a company offering payment plans for fertility services and concierge care.
Secretary
Some of her accomplishments achieved during that time were the expansion of an onsite IVF and chemistry laboratory, physician recruitment, and staff growth. What she enjoyed most was seeing the dreams of patients fulfilled who had yearned for family, but either for medical and/or financial reasons had not been able to achieve success before reaching out to this specialized clinic. Diane Yates was thrilled to be involved in the extremely technical and emerging scientific field of Reproductive Medicine, a field that enabled patient’s hopes to become a reality, whether they had been trying to start a family or preserving their ability to start one after beating cancer. She is proud to serve as an officer of the board of a non-profit foundation that assists patients with similar needs.