Clean out the baby gear!

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Can you imagine what it would be like to be a pregnant teen?  If you had aspirations of finishing your high school diploma, your best bet would be family to help care for your baby, or hopefully you have a lot of money and can afford daycare. (unlikely…) 

And what about after your baby is born?  High school doesn’t exactly allow you 6 weeks of maternity leave.   

Pregnant, and facing a whole host of challenges.  It’s no wonder so many of them abandon their education altogether.  And what does that path look like for this new, innocent baby? 

This is not the forum to argue about abortion, or adoption.  The fact remains that keeping their baby is the choice many teens make, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. 

However, I want to tell you about an amazing program that I personally love that’s helping young girls who’ve decided to keep their babies become the best parent they can – AND finish their high school diploma.  Ultimately, they are in the business of giving hope. 

The Salvation Army runs the Booth Memorial Campus  / Marion Pritchett High School for teens in crisis pregnancies.  They do a lot of amazing things there.  Besides providing an environment for the girls to complete their high school education (with their babies in a neighboring daycare), the girls’ electives are all geared toward becoming self-sufficient parents who can (from here on out) make wiser choices for both themselves and their babies. 

Instead of choir, German and creative writing, their electives are far more practical. They take things like check book balancing and budgeting, cooking, and classes that teach other really useful and practical skills that they need immediately. The on-site daycare also serves as a learning lab for these young parents and parents to be to learn about how to care for a baby and what their needs are as well as practice their skills before baby arrives.  The daycare is at no cost to the moms and ensures the babies are receiving solid and loving care while their parents are in school. 

So, why does all this matter?  They desperately need your help.  I was just over there today and there are a couple girls who will be giving birth soon – and they don’t even have a crib. 

Do you have one sitting out in your garage collecting dust and cob webs?  Forget the garage sale this summer – they need it!  The fact is, you’ll probably come out further ahead by donating the stuff rather than storing it, pricing it and haggling over it with a bargain shopper.  On your tax donation receipt, you can say how much you feel the donation was worth (rather than the bargain hunter giving you what THEY feel it’s worth!)

They can also use any other baby items and clothing (up to size 4T).  ALWAYS, they need diapers and other disposable items. 

Donations are tax deductable. 

 

If you are unfamiliar with their program, here’s a link: http://www.salvationarmy.usawest.org/usw/www_newfrontierpub.nsf/vw_print/203D3BAC893646BF88257249007F6343?openDocument

 

It’s a great program, and I hope you’ll consider it.  YOu’ll bless someone’s life in ways too numerous to count! 

For more information on how to donate, call 208-383-4263.

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Filed under Charitable Giving, Kids, community, life, lifestyle

Tags: Boise, Charitable Giving, crisis pregnacy, donations, garage sale, Idaho, salvation army