Pregnancy Center Report Spotlights the Contribution of Heartbeat Affiliates

Even though little Emma Grace was conceived by teens – regularly a death sentence under the rule of Roe v. Wade – her parents, with the help of the Pregnancy Care Center, welcomed her, with all her inherent value, into their newly formed family.  Ahna and Garrett Roney were seventeen and eighteen when they chose to marry and to make a family with the infant they welcomed.
The Roney’s story about Heartbeat International’s affiliate in Springfield, MO is a testament to how practical help and emotional support for a young couple can turn a difficult time into a much-welcomed blessing.

This is just one of the examples of the life-saving work of Heartbeat International’s compassionate network of care highlighted in “A Passion to Serve: How Pregnancy Resource Centers Empower Women, Help Families, and Strengthen Communities,” the updated report from Family Research Council (FRC).

This report shines a light on the positive contributions of pregnancy centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies and pregnancy help medical clinics. These faith-based nonprofits brighten a woman’s future with the support she needs to bring new life into the world.

While tracing the history of concern and care for pregnant women, this report focuses on the positive ways pregnancy support organizations are strengthening their communities. It describes the impact of the pregnancy help movement by detailing, through statistical summaries and case studies, the extraordinary ways centers are meeting the needs of women, youth, and families.

Pregnancy centers served over 2.3 million people with pregnancy assistance, abstinence counseling and education, community outreach programs and referrals, and public health linkages. A conservative estimate of community cost savings for these serves during 2010 is over $100 million, according to the FRC report.

The report also includes endorsements from public figures like this one from U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski, (D, IL-3):

“The success rates and national expansion of these pregnancy care centers are a testament to their invaluable work in the lives of communities and individuals over the years. These networks provide services that are often unavailable elsewhere to expectant mothers.”

The pregnancy help network is one of the greatest volunteer service movements in the history of our country with around 71,000 volunteers performing an estimated 5,705,000 uncompensated hours of work in 2010.

Click here to download your copy of Passion to Serve.

Submit the Virginia Choose Life Interest and Eligibility Confirmation Form

In 2009 the Virginia Assembly established Choose Life license plates to be issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Heartbeat International agreed to the legislators’ request to serve the Virginia pregnancy help providers as the distributor of the proceeds collected and has continued to distribute the funds each year.

Eligibility is defined by the legislation as:

• Pregnancy center that is a 501c3 tax-exempt organization
• Officially committed to the Commitment of Care and Competence (Current affiliates of a national organization recognizing the Commitment as a condition of affiliation need only indicate affiliation(s). Others need to adopt a board resolution and forward a duly signed copy of the Commitment.)
• Agree to use the funds specifically “to provide services to pregnant women and women who suspect that they may be pregnant in Virginia.”

For organizations that haven't participated but would like to, please complete and sign the attached form and provide the necessary documentation postmarked no later than December 5th. You may also complete this form online at HeartbeatServices.org under the Connections heading select “Choose Life.” Multiple location centers need only complete one form, indicating the primary/main location, but must include all additional location information requested.

We appreciate the work of all pregnancy help efforts in Virginia and are pleased to serve you in this role at our own expense. No Virginia Choose Life monies are retained by Heartbeat International or provided to any organization other than indicated by the legislation. Any monies refused or not distributed will be returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia. We intend to distribute proportional payments in December

If you have any questions regarding the confirmation of eligibility process please contact the Heartbeat International office at 614.885.7577.

VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- 2009 SESSION contains the criteria for distribution of Choose Life License Plate funds and is viewable in entirety here.

The following extract is from Section 3 Paragraph B:

These funds shall be paid annually to Heartbeat International, Inc., to be distributed in equal grants to pregnancy center locations in Virginia that are tax-exempt organizations under § 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and officially committed to Heartbeat International's "Our Commitment of Care" standards. Choose Life Virginia Fund distributed funds are to be used to provide services to pregnant women and women who suspect that they may be pregnant in Virginia and may be refused within 60 days by return to the Choose Life Virginia Fund.

Click here to submit the Virginia Choose Life Interest and Eligibility Confirmation Form

Click here to check out Choose Life programs in all U.S. states.

Heartbeat International is connected to multiple resources throughout the world. In this section, you will find additional resources and tools to help strengthen your ministry.

Your vote is critical on November 6th. Future lives depend on it. Please take time now to make sure that you are registered to vote. 

However, it’s not just your vote that will save future generations. Every vote from the entire pro-life community is needed to stop government sponsored abortion on demand. And the scary part is that if we fail to vote our pro-life values on Election Day, the government may soon make it unlawful to provide alternatives to abortion by directing pregnancy help organizations to provide abortifacients and abortion referrals.
 
We desperately need your help to Get out the Vote (GOTV)! 

Step 1: Reminding U.S. citizens about the sacred duty of voting is the first step to GOTV.  Future generations are counting on you to activate your Board members, staff, volunteers, donors, friends, neighbors, churches, and families. It is crucial to encourage each person in your circle of influence to become a registered voter. 

Step 2: Educating voters is the second step to GOTV. We need elected officials who are willing to advance solutions instead of abortions. Voter Guides are now available. Voters need your help to understand where each candidate stands on life. It’s time to galvanize everyone in your community to ensure that pregnancy help organizations can continue providing life-saving support.

Forcing pro-life citizens to pay for abortions and to provide abortion-causing drugs goes against our American tradition of religious liberty and destroys our nation’s moral compass.

It was Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president, who said, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”

U.S. voters know that abortion is defacing America. We all know that aborting a child is not healthcare. America needs people with a passion for life to inspire others to vote for those who share our pro-life values. 

You are a vital part of Heartbeat International’s pregnancy help network. Please help voters realize that compassionate help and unconditional love empower mothers to welcome the next generation.

Voting your pro-life values and motivating others to do the same can make abortion unthinkable for future generations. 

Votes save lives.

Maybe you didn’t know it, but there could be political vacancies right within your local community that need your pro-life leadership. Based in your neighborhood, the most local level of political office is that of precinct captain.

A precinct captain (also referred to as a central committee member or a precinct chairperson) acts as a liaison between a specific political party and the voters of a local precinct. Precinct captains are elected by their neighbors, and generally serve as volunteers, though in some cases they receive a small stipend from their respective political party.

A precinct captain serves his or her community by:

• Facilitating voter registration and absentee ballot access
• Leading “Get Out the Vote” outreach efforts
• Assisting with voters’ transportation to the polls
• Distributing party literature
• Promoting his or her respective political organization

The pro-life movement needs precinct captains!

As an informed voter, concerned with pro-life values, here’s what you can do to get involved in the political process in your own community:

1. Educate your precinct captain. Start by finding out who your precinct captain is, then educate him or her about pro-life issues on a regular basis. You can search online to obtain a list of your county’s precinct captains by entering your political party, along with your county and state.
2. Become a precinct captain. Perhaps your precinct’s leadership position is currently vacant, or your current precinct captain isn’t seeking reelection. This could be your chance to get involved in bringing about needed change by your grassroots involvement.
3. Encourage your pro-life friends to become precinct captains. As you take a more active role in your local community’s political landscape, encourage your pro-life friends to join you. 

To find out how you can impact future elections through your local precinct captain position, watch this simple, straightforward presentation: http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=30560385.