By Care Net Executive Director Lyndi Zembrodt
Care Net’s mission is to educate, support and empower people before, during and after an unplanned pregnancy while uplifting the sanctity of human life. Empowering expectant parents to choose life is our primary goal. Intervening on behalf of the unborn most often begins when we literally answer their call.
Care Net established its own local helpline for women facing unplanned pregnancy over 30 years ago when the center first was founded. We are committed to answering the call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although we added an online appointment scheduler and just connected a 24-hour national nurse chat to our client website, a great number of women struggling with life decisions still call the helpline.
Their calls are so important to us that in addition to helpline operators who answer after hours, we added new paid staff positions, client intake specialists, who answer their calls at each center. The client featured in the story “God Changed My Mind” is one who spoke first with an intake specialist.
The initial contact time frame, when a woman is reaching out for help, is the most critical time to connect with her. We are there to answer her call.
As we speak with her, we hear her concerns, assess her needs and offer her relevant life affirming services. She is often surprised to hear we can provide a pregnancy test, confirm her pregnancy through ultrasound and even test for and treat sexually transmitted infections—all at no cost to her. Even if she is seriously considering abortion, she often accepts our invitation to come to Care Net first for these services, allowing us the opportunity to present life options to her and intervene on behalf of her unborn baby. This year as of August, 94% of women who had an ultrasound at Care Net have chosen life for their babies.
Our support continues long after they choose life. Mentors walk beside them in their parenting journey, drawing on 32 educational programs to equip moms and dads to become nurturing and skilled parents. Like all our services, these classes are free to our clients.
Providing these critical, life affirming services is not without cost, however. Please take a look at our website, carenetnky.org, for creative giving opportunities to sustain the mission of Care Net. I thank each of you who supports Care Net in prayer and in financial giving. Together we answer their calls to save and change precious lives.
Micah 6:8 comes to mind as we uplift the sanctity of human life: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”