BUILD TOGETHER FOR LIFE© PROJECT SUMMARY MISSION
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BUILD TOGETHER FOR LIFE© PROJECT SUMMARY MISSION
BUILD TOGETHER FOR LIFE© PROJECT SUMMARY MISSION STATEMENT Hope Women's Centers exist to encourage and equip women to make informed choices regarding unplanned pregnancies. VISION STATEMENT As we share the love of God in word and deed, abortion will no longer be chosen in our community. The Build Together for Life© project is strategic in helping Hope Women's Centers accomplish the mission of helping women in unplanned pregnancies . It is also simple because it only involves funding four new staff positions: 1. a part-time assistant center director in the Ft. Lauderdale Center 2. a part-time client advocate who will rotate from center to center as needed 3. a part-time nurse/RDMS to cover added evening hours 4. a part-time nurse/RDMS to cover added Saturday hours It is a strategic project because it will: allow us to provide additional services by adding services hours at our existing locations position us to be available during the same hours that abortion clinics are open in our service area allow us to offer more opportunities for volunteers on evening and Saturday shifts Hope Women's Centers has been helping women in Broward County since 1987. We are firmer than ever in our resolve to see abortion become an unwanted service in our community. OUR CORE VALUES The Dignity of Women We believe that women are capable of making their own choices when given accurate information. We acknowledge that our role is to empower women to make informed decisions by providing accurate information about their options; not to judge our patients' lifestyle, behavior, or decisions. The Sanctity of Human Life We believe that all human life is of inestimable worth and significant in all its stages. We believe that there is a divine purpose and plan for every person that is conceived. The Right of Access to Information We believe that every woman has the right to get all of the information she needs to make an informed choice regarding her pregnancy, including medical pregnancy verification and accurate medical information regarding abortion procedures and risks. We believe women deserve to be informed about the emotional trauma that many women experience following abortion. The Right to A Safe Place We believe that every woman facing an unplanned pregnancy has a right to examine her options in a safe place. She has a right to be informed that no one has the right to pressure her into making a decision she is uncomfortable with. She has a right to get accurate information from someone who does not profit financially from her decision. The Value of Sexual Purity, Marriage, and Family We believe that sexual purity until marriage is the healthiest choice a woman can make, that marriage is designed to be a permanent, lifelong relationship between a man and a woman, and that the family is the foundation of a healthy society. The Importance of Faith We believe that God can forgive, cleanse, and transform people so that they can discover and follow His plan for their lives. In all we do, we seek to speak the truth in love and to demonstrate God's love by our actions on all occasions. ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS The Build Together for Life© project will help us accomplish goals from our Strategic Plan, including: INCREASING our overall patient visits (in 2013 we had 6,896 patient visits - 4,242 new patients and 2,654 return visits) INCREASING the number of at-risk patients that we see (those who are considering abortion). 2.965 of the new patients in 2013 were at-risk for choosing an abortion. INCREASING the ratio of ultrasounds to positive pregnancy tests (currently about 65% of the atrisk women will look at an ultrasound; by being open more hours, we could improve this ratio). INCREASING the percentage of changed minds (in 2013, 87.6% of the women who came to us considering abortion choose life after receiving our services - 2,599 women) The key success factor to accomplishing these goals is directly related to the number of appointments we are able to offer patients. The Build Together for Life© project will provide an additional 39 hours each week where trained and qualified staff members and volunteers can provide pregnancy tests, options counseling, and limited obstetrical ultrasounds for patients. One patient can be booked every hour for counseling and a pregnancy test; one patient can be booked every hour for an ultrasound and consultation with a medical professional. This translates into the same effect of adding a brand new stand alone center, for just a fraction of the cost! A HISTORY OF HOPE August 1985 – a group of concerned Broward County leaders meet to discuss the possibilities of opening a faith-based pro-life women's care center in Ft. Lauderdale. February 1987 – A Woman’s Pregnancy Center opens in Ft. Lauderdale. January 1990 – a group of Hollywood pastors sees a need for a pro-life women's care center in south Broward June 1991 – The Crisis Pregnancy Center of Davie opens in Davie near the college complex 1995 – after working together to provide services in Broward, the two organizations merge to provide a stronger presence under a united front and choose “Hope Pregnancy Centers, Inc.” as the new name 1997 – Hope opens a center in Miramar to better serve the needs in southwestern Broward County. 1998 - Hope moves the client services center away from the Davie Administrative Offices and creates a 4thlocation bearing the name of Hope 2001 – Hope opens its 5th location in northeast Broward County in Pompano Beach 2003 – Hope’s 6th location opens in August in North Lauderdale, extending services to highly populated northwest Broward 2005 – Hope adds Mobile Ministry in August and converts to medical clinic status in September 2006 – In cooperation with Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound Project©, Hope receives two more ultrasound machines (for the Miramar and Davie Centers), a grant for training our nurses and sonographers, and a commitment for machines for our North Lauderdale and Pompano Centers when we have adequate staff trained to use them. In response to suggestions from the Option Ultrasound Site Training Team, Hope’s Board of Directors votes to add 5 medical staff positions, to explore the possibility of filing a dba ‘ Hope Women’s Centers’ in order to attract more abortion-minded and abortion-vulnerable patients, and refurbishing centers to reflect a more professional, up-to-date image. 2007 – An Option Ultrasound Project© grant provides an ultrasound machine for North Lauderdale Center 2008 – The ultrasound machine arrives at our Pompano Beach Center, making the medical conversion complete in all centers. The October Walk For Life falls $30K short of the budget goal, the nation faces economic meltdown, and difficult decisions close two centers and lay off 8 of the 20 paid staff. 2009 – Ministry survives in the changing times. Patient numbers remain strong and more women change their minds about abortion than ever before! God honors the difficult decisions that were made in late 2008 2010 – Hope opens a new satellite location in Sunrise, serving women in South Broward 2 days/week 2011 – A small grant allows Hope to add an additional day of service at the Sunrise Satellite 2012 – Hope is approved for membership in the IMPACT ASSOCIATION, a new group of women's medical clinics stressing quality medical services and accountability 2013 – A new satellite center is opened in Hollywood, serving women in South Broward 2 days each week . HOPE IS JUST ONE SMALL PART OF THE PRO-LIFE PICTURE The whole topic of abortion can be very divisive. The very terminology that characterizes the positions as pro-life and pro-choice set the stage for debate. Stating your position can invite an argument. Some people don't even want to talk about it, copping out with the "it's too political" excuse. Some facets of pro-life work may be political, but at Hope it has nothing to do with politics - we're here to meet the very non-political needs of women in unplanned pregnancies. We believe God has called us to serve them, regardless of their political persuasion, their race, or their religion. While laws do need to be changed to protect life in our nation. and laws that have already been passed need to be enforced, that activity is not part of our mission. We agree that abortion clinics ought to be regulated, like any other medical clinics, but we leave that work to others who are called to do it. The public does need to know that abortion hurts women, and there may be a time and place for sign-holding and sidewalk counseling. There are individuals and organizations that are trained and called to address these concerns, but that isn't what Hope is about. We don't picket or pray outside abortion clinics; we don't publicly protest abortion, and we don't march against anything; we stand for life in the privacy of our clinics and speak the truth in love to one woman at a time. HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE AND EQUIP THEM? We do that by offering a free pregnancy test, options counseling, and a free limited obstetrical ultrasound exam.. Hearing the truth and seeing the truth on the ultrasound screen has a profound impact on women:- 87.6% of the women who came to us considering abortion in 2013 made a decision to carry their babies to term. You won't hear us talk a lot about saving babies, because that's not what God has called us to do. We recognize that we can't save babies...only God can do that. We work with the woman He sends and do what we can do to meet her needs. She needs to know if she is pregnant, she needs to know how far along she is, and she needs to know what her options are. She needs to know that God loves her and has a plan for her life, and that He also has a plan for the life of her baby. We speak these truths gently - and we respect her right to choose, while we pray that she will choose wisely and well. The wonderful by-product of what we do is that babies are saved from abortion!-- 2,599 of them, in 2013 alone! WHAT ABOUT THE ONES WHO ALREADY CHOSE ABORTION? In an effort to deal with the abortion issue with truth and grace, we want to make sure we address the needs of the woman - or the man - who has already chosen abortion. We know that approximately one in 4 people has personally experienced the pain of an abortion decision...what can we offer to them? We love them; we don't condemn them or judge them. We offer them the truth found in God's word about forgiveness and reconciliation through a program we call Hope Restored. This 12-week study facilitates biblical healing for those who have experienced abortion. Like all of our medical services and counseling services, this program is also FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. Women deserve a better choice than abortion. IN CONCLUSION It is our hope that you will carefully review this proposal and see that there is a great need for expanding the outreach of Hope Women's Centers in Broward County, Florida. The attached map of our county shows where Hope clinics are located, and where abortion providers are located. It is a David and Goliath battle, but we believe that our centers are like David's 5 smooth stones in the hands of a God who can defeat the giant. We need an annual total of $125,000 to fully fund this expansion. As of June 9, 2014 we have received $10,000 in funds designated to The Build Together for Life© project. Broward County reported 12,000 abortions in 2012, but some simple arithmetic will tell you that 23 abortion clinics could not survive on the income produced by just 12,000 abortions. The problem of abortion reaches deep into the fabric of our county, destroying lives of unborn children and altering the lives of men and women who exercise their right to choose by choosing abortion. We need your help. For a detailed budget, IRS documents, and current Financial Statements & 990 Form please contact Nancy McDonald, President/CEO Phone 954-724-0005 or e-mail nancy.mcdonald@thereishope.org