Meet our Mentor Moms Stephany Zedella, Mentor Mom
Holy Family Prenatal Care: Meeting needs through the generosity of others.
Thank you to our recent Gold and Platinum Sponsors: ChillTex Victress Health and Wellness Buckeye Electrical Products Inc. Sonshine Cleaning St. Gertrude Church St. Malachy Knights of Columbus Council # 5128 St. Columban Church Dolores Mize - Sibcy Cline Realtors Cordonnier Mowing Steve and Ted's Services Archdiocese of Cincinnati Children's Nest Discovery Center Homan Interiors The Cornerstone Shop Jeff Cummons & Kurtis Black, Knights of Columbus Insurance Flinn Veterinary Clinic Charity Mobile
We are so blessed to experience the joy of watching our patients prepare for motherhood, help them in their journey, and then meet the brand new life that God has given them. It is a privilege to be a part of this special time in their lives and to witness how the Lord works through them and for them.
Stepheny first heard about Elizabeth’s New Life Center when her pastor shared that our North Dixie Women’s Center had been vandalized. She researched our work and realized that our mission was a perfect fit for her volunteer interests. “I have never met more dedicated, loving women and men who devote so much of themselves to the care and well-being of human life,” she says. “I am now a Mentor Mom who comes alongside a young mom-to-be. I listen to her hopes, dreams, and fears. I educate her using a fantastic curriculum and help her earn valuable baby bucks for purchasing everything from diapers and formula to cribs and car seats. It has been six months since I arrived at Women's Centers of Ohio and I'm so glad I'm here.”
One of our patients received a breast pump from her insurance company during her first pregnancy. After
trying unsuccessfully to breastfeed, she gave her breast pump away. During her second pregnancy, she was determined to breastfeed, but her insurance company denied her request for a breast pump and she could not afford to purchase one. As our staff was discussing how we could fill this need, another patient overheard us. She let us know that she had been gifted two breast pumps and only needed one, and she was willing to donate a brand new breast pump to help another momma. This generous patient was even willing to make a special trip back to the office to drop off the breast pump when the mom in need delivered early. And God just kept supplying…. When the mom in need came to pick up the breast pump, she asked if we had any breast milk storage bags (which are much more expensive than you would think). It just so happened there was one box being stored in the nurse’s office. And so, we were able to bless this newly delivered mom with not only the pump but also the storage bags. We are very careful to be good stewards of the funds and items donated to us and make sure they are used where they are needed most. That day, we were able to show the love of God to someone in need because others donated, and we are so grateful to the generous patient and to all of our supporters who helped make that possible!
A mom mentor comes alongside a woman to support them and love them as they are, showing Jesus to them every step of the way! We want to listen to them, learn about them and be there to help however we can, whether it be sharing our own stories or pointing them to someone who can help with a particular need. "
Abigail Norell, Mentor Mom Abigail was at a place in her life where she had time to give, and was looking for volunteer opportunities. She was receiving ENLC’s newsletters because she had reached out to us about volunteering in the past, and decided to contact us again and complete that process. After helping our Women’s Center staff with various duties, she became a Mentor Mom. She describes the role of a Mentor Mom: “First of all, a mom mentor comes alongside a woman to support them and love them as they are, showing Jesus to them every step of the way! We want to listen to them, learn about them and be there to help however we can, whether it be sharing our own stories or pointing them to someone who can help with a particular need. I love to walk with women through their pregnancy journey and beyond, even after they've had the baby. They are incentivized to come in that they can earn baby bucks for these sessions! Besides chatting about life and motherhood, we can do individual classes during these sessions, where specific topics are addressed and taught via video, and then we talk about what she felt about the information learned. Sometimes a woman cannot come meet in person, so we can send texts back and forth to keep in touch. There's nothing like receiving a picture of a newborn baby of a woman you've been mentoring who just had her baby!”
Catching Up with ENLC Here's what we have been up to:
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Karen Stockstill, Mentor Mom Serving as a Mentor Mom one afternoon every week, Karen has found a second sisterhood with her friends at ENLC. She has also experienced the joy of meaningfully serving moms in need. “I have had many clients who, because of our classes and rewards for classes, have made me feel like Santa at Christmas,” she shares. “What an exuberant feeling it is to take clients to the Baby Boutique and see them excitedly select new, beautiful items for the care and sustenance of a new baby!” Reflecting on her time so far as a Mentor Mom, Karen says, “When I look back, I thank God for helping me prepare a few young teens for motherhood; help a drug dependent woman continue to stay clean and welcome a new baby; encourage a few bright women to continue to work on high school diplomas or get a degree; participate in the efforts of some to achieve independence from a toxic environment; and only God knows other marvelous things that weren’t shared with me, but mattered.”
2023 Heartbeat International Annual Conference A dozen staff represented ENLC at Heartbeat’s Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The theme for this year was Breakthrough. The conference is designed for ministry leaders, staff, board members, and volunteers of life-affirming pregnancy help centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and non-profit adoption agencies, as well as professionals in the areas of medicine, counseling, social work, and education.
WCO Dayton Community Events On June 12th, Women’s Centers of Ohio hosted a Community Resource Event at the Dayton Center. The event featured JFS on the Move as well as nine additional community resources. Women’s Centers of Ohio, Holy Family Prenatal Care, Choosing Hope, The Baby Boutique and Education were all open to share information during the event. We had entertainment, food, and raffles in addition to the abundance of community assistance.
Loving Live 5K Our second annual Loving Life 5 K might have been a wet one, but despite the rain we had over 60 folks come out to Englewood MetroPark to run/ walk and celebrate life.
If you’d like to consider becoming a Mentor Mom (or Dad) please call Kelley Parker at 937-226-7414 x 304 for more information.
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