Meet Cassie
She was 15 and pregnant and she came to New Beginnings to find out her options.
“I had no resources,” said Cassie. She heard about New Beginnings from her school.
“The choices were abortion, adoption and keeping it,” she said. She decided she wanted to keep her child – a daughter whom she named Breanna.
She was able to get an ultrasound at New Beginnings and start learning about the pregnancy and how to take care of her child.
The program is called Earn While You Learn (EWYL). Cassie came to the center once a week to watch a video and learn about childcare and life skills.
“I learned what to do if my kid gets out of control – to keep calm and keep cool,” she said. “They even gave financial advice, like how to balance a checkbook.”
In exchange for learning, she was given credits to spend at the “store” at the center. She was able to get diapers, wipes, clothing, a crib and a stroller.
“I probably wouldn’t have been able to get a crib or have half the stuff I have (without New Beginnings),” she said. She probably wouldn’t have finished high school either. She graduated in the spring of 2011, a year and a half after her daughter was born.
She now has hopes of being a nurse.
“I make better decisions because of my daughter and NewBeginnings,” she said. “Some people say it changes your life for the better. Some say it changes your life for the worst. For me, it was better. I probably would have dropped out of school."
“All young mothers should come here if they need it,” she said.
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Meet Libbie
“My children are my best friends,” says Libbie, a client from NewBeginnings. When Libbie visited NewBeginnings it wasn’t because she wanted to find help and tools to help her through her pregnancy, she wanted to end it.
“When I came to NewBeginnings and learned I was pregnant, I wanted to find out what my options were. I was not planning to have the baby and I was looking for NewBeginnings to help me find a place to have an abortion,” Libbie said. Through counseling, an ultrasound and some life-changing words from her mom, Libbie had a change of heart and decided to carry the baby. Nine months after she walked through the doors of NewBeginnings, she delivered a baby boy that she named Joshua.
“I can’t imagine life without him,” says Libbie. “He is my best friend and we have so much fun together.”
Throughout Libbie’s nine months of pregnancy she was part of the Earn While You Learn Program (EWYL) with Ann Ludlam as her mentor. “Ann has helped me so much,” says Libbie. “She was a positive person for me to talk to when I had so many things going on. She knows that I love my kids and wants to help me.” Through the EWYL program Libbie learned how to budget and buy a car and not spend money before it came in.
“Ann was always telling me, ‘don’t spend your money until you have it!’ and with a small income and children to feed, the program has really helped me learn good budgeting lessons, but also provided me with practical items that I really needed such as diapers, baby wipes and a car seat.”
“The people at NewBeginnings are so friendly,” adds Libbie. “When I walk through the doors now it’s more like going home to see friends and family.”