Peter Breen
2026 Keynote

Click here to learn more about our next Annual Conference!

Strategic Fundraising: Design a Donor-Centered 12-Month Plan for Maternity Homes

Beginning June 10
Duration: 4 Weeks | LIVE on Wednesdays*
No class on Wednesday, June 24

Join us for this course that will help you create and execute a Strategic Fundraising plan for your maternity home.

Sharpen your approach and walk away with fresh confidence to execute a simple, yet highly effective annual fundraising plan that keeps you sane and keeps your donors coming back. We'll kick things off by revisiting the true definition of fundraising and exploring why donors are genuinely motivated to invest in your maternity home. From there, you'll dive into the most effective development activities that actually move the needle. Spoiler alert: no massive galas or logistical nightmares required! Our time together will be interactive, insightful, practical, and yes, fun. You'll leave with a streamlined 12-month fundraising plan designed to raise the funds you need, without overcomplicating what's already working.

Trauma Informed Care for Maternity Housing

Beginning June 5
Duration: 3 Weeks | LIVE on Fridays*
Hosted by: The Maternity Housing Coalition

About This Course

This course is designed to equip staff and volunteers in maternity homes with practical tools for supporting women who have experienced trauma. The training explores how trauma, especially adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), can influence pregnancy, parenting, and overall well-being, while offering biblically grounded strategies for fostering healing and resilience.

Students will learn the key principles of trauma-informed care as defined by SAMHSA, how trauma impacts brain development, stress response systems, pregnancy outcomes, and maternal-child bonding. Practical applications are reinforced through scenario-based learning and reflection questions.

This course is ideal for individuals working in maternity homes who want to increase their effectiveness in walking alongside women with trauma histories. It is particularly helpful for caregivers seeking both evidence-based knowledge and faith-rooted approaches to serve with compassion.

Two Connections. Two Lives Rescued.

The 'Chat' That Became Rachel's Turning Point

'Rachel' contacted Option Line in May 2025 through chat. She was a junior in high school and had recently found out she was pregnant. An appointment was made with her local pregnancy center. Today, she reached back out and had this to say:

"Hi, I talked here last year and had my baby boy in Dec. I love him more than I ever thought I could, and [I'm] so glad he's here. I’ve thought about everything that led to this, and that convo really stayed with me, I’m not sure I would have made the same choice without it."

"That conversation we had last year really stuck with me and was such a turning point for me when everything felt impossible. I’m so grateful for how you talked me through things and just listened. It really mattered more than you probably know."

She mentioned the pregnancy center was very helpful, that she took classes there, and received baby supplies. She said it was a combination of her conversation with Option Line and seeing her ultrasound at the pregnancy center that led to her choosing life for her son.

A Single Call Rescued Her Baby...And Her

Megan writes:

"Back in May, I found out I was pregnant while I was in the middle of filing for a divorce from my spouse. In June, after pressure from family members, I took the first abortion pill at 10 weeks and, within an hour, immediately regretted my decision. I started frantically googling my options and found the APR 24-hour hotline, and within 10 hours of taking the pill, I was prescribed progesterone to reverse the effects.

I did have some vaginal bleeding about 24 hours after taking the first abortion pill, but at the ER, an ultrasound showed that my baby was miraculously still alive. With the help of APR, they continued to provide me with progesterone pills and follow-up ultrasounds at the Birth Choice clinic, which showed that my baby had not only survived but was thriving.

My baby was born at 39 weeks and 5 days at a healthy 7 pounds and 2 ounces, and I am truly grateful to APR for the treatment that they provided because without them, I wouldn’t have had my beautiful baby girl. They provided immediate support very quickly, and the staff at the Birth Choice Clinic helped me mentally cope with my guilt and regret after what I did. I felt nothing but kindness and compassion from them."

Open this page in Google Chrome to use Google Translate! Click here to download Google Chrome on your device!

Herzlich Willkommen!

We are delighted to welcome you to beautiful Berlin, the location of Heartbeat International’s next European Pregnancy Help Leaders' Summit.

Dates: September 17–19, 2026
City and Country: Berlin, Germany
Venue: NH Alexander Platz Hotel

Registration will open in May 2026.

Heartbeat International is the first network of pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. and remains the largest and most expansive network in the world. Since 1971, Heartbeat has supported, strengthened, and started pregnancy help organizations, including pregnancy help medical clinics, pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies all over the world. Currently, Heartbeat serves over 4,000 affiliate locations on all six inhabited continents to provide alternatives to abortion.

We are a nonprofit, interdenominational, Christian association of faith-based pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and nonprofit adoption agencies endorsed by Christian leaders nationwide.

Our Vision is a world where every new life is welcomed, and children are nurtured within strong families, according to God’s Plan, so abortion is unthinkable.

Our Mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE.

Ellen Foell, J.D., serves as the International Program Specialist for Heartbeat International, where she supports around 1,500 affiliates in more than 100 countries. With a background in law and ministry, Ellen first joined Heartbeat as Legal Counsel. After a season of writing and nonprofit advocacy, she returned to Heartbeat to focus on global outreach, offering training, mentorship, and strategic support to pregnancy help organizations. Ellen has represented Heartbeat at the United Nations, and her work has taken her to countries worldwide. A dedicated wife and mother of four, Ellen brings a heart for missions, years of cross-cultural ministry experience, and a deep commitment to life-affirming care around the globe.

Jor-El Godsey serves as President of Heartbeat International, the largest affiliation network of pregnancy help organizations in the world, serving over 4,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Jor-El leads a staff dedicated to equipping, empowering, and encouraging the thousands of leaders serving in Heartbeat-affiliated life-affirming pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and adoption services in the U.S. and on every inhabited continent. Jor-El oversees Heartbeat’s core mission to reach and rescue lives at-risk for abortion through far-reaching programs that include Option Line and Abortion Pill Rescue® Network.

 ANNOUNCING MORE SOON!

A few details to make the Summit an enjoyable experience for everyone:

• Please be on time for all sessions.

• You must wear your Summit badge for entry to the dining area.

We are glad you are part of the Heartbeat family.
At this Summit, we are pleased to welcome representatives from several nations around the world!

The 2026 Summit will offer workshops and discussions designed to strengthen every aspect of your ministry, including:

• Media and technology
• Client care
• Housing
• Fundraising
• Spiritual encouragement

More details coming soon. Registration opens May 2026!

For affiliation services and questions, please contact
Ellen Foell, J.D., International Program Specialist at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
whatsapp/signal +1(614)302-3664

• International Posts
• About Affiliation With Us
• International News

by Jor-El Godsey, President

The heart of the Christmas season can be summed up in one term – love. The brightness of the season highlights how we love others, especially those closest to us. That closeness is often through family, marriage, friendship, and more. Love is in every gift given, every smile worn, and every happy tear we shed.

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) This is to say that the love we have for others is a reflection of God’s love for us that existed long before we did. We love because God is love. When we love we are exhibiting, even in limited earthly ways, the very nature of the God of the universe.

And that love is exactly what powers the work of every pregnancy help organization. In fact, that is what powers the heart of every outreach we have. It is the most amazing thing to willingly step into the life of a complete stranger and all of the drama they are experiencing surrounding their unintended pregnancy. And we do it with a love for God’s handiwork. That handiwork is evident in the woman, regardless of her circumstances and situation. That handiwork is also in the form of the yet-to-be-born child, regardless of the circumstances that surrounded the creation of that life.

“A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.”
- Carl Sandburg, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Life is God’s idea, and shows His creative power in action.

The LOVE Approach, Heartbeat’s signature training for pregnancy help outreach, is constructed on the framework found in “the Love Chapter” we know as 1 Corinthians 13. In effect, it is the love of God that infuses the ability to champion the Gift of Life.

Wherever we are in the pregnancy help organization, it is love that is, and must always be, our bedrock for the work we do.

This is most evident in the one-on-one engagement with the women and men we serve. But it is also present in the leadership, governance, and administration of the organization. Everyone in the organization is, or should be, leaning into the power of God’s love to accomplish His great work of reaching and rescuing lives at risk.

It is no accident that the story of the Christchild centers around what looks to us as an “unplanned pregnancy.” Of course, the pregnancy was very much planned by the God of the Universe. We see the evidence of that in the pronouncements of the prophets of the Old Testament centuries before. God’s plan always involved coming as a baby, born to a virgin. Mary’s willingness and Joseph’s acceptance cemented their part in the story.

We celebrate those precious moments from two millennia ago that involved an unborn child, an unmarried pregnant woman, a temporary housing need, and the God who was making all of it into a story for the ages. In doing so, we are also reminding ourselves that the God who made our salvation possible through those unusual set of circumstances is more than able to do something similar in the lives of those He puts in our paths today.

It is you, and your love, expressed in your “yes” to do this work, that serves as a conduit of His love. And the miracle of them saying yes to the life within is, in its way, every bit as miraculous as what happened in that nativity so long ago.

It is well said that God’s love comes to us through people. As we gather together this Christmas, we can see and feel that love in those He has blessed us with.

In the same way, His love flows through you as you faithfully champion the precious Gift of Life in your pregnancy help organization. Glory to God in the Highest!

Lauri Campbell

Affiliation Coordinator, Heartbeat International

Biography

Lauri Campbell is an Affiliate Services Coordinator at Heartbeat International (HBI) and joined the team having served in a pregnancy help organization (PHO) for over 30 years.  Her experiences as a Founding Board Member, Executive Director, Board Chair, Development Director, Banquet Director, and Client Advocate have given her great insight and empathy for the heroes working on the front lines.  Her perspectives help to encourage pro-life leaders and their teams to walk victoriously through the unique challenges that come from advocating for the preborn. She is honored to help leaders walk out Biblical servant leadership and further their mission using God's Word as the standard.

Valerie Harkins

Executive Director, Maternity Housing Coalition

Biography

Valerie has worked in pregnancy help ministry since 2006 and joined the Heartbeat team as Director of the Maternity Housing Coalition in 2021. A licensed social worker, Valerie specializes in Anti-Violence Public Education and Attachment Theory. She has experience with operating pregnancy centers and maternity homes as well as designing supportive programs for single mothers. Valerie has a passion for empowering children through education and women through opportunity. Her heart’s desire is to see women know and love Jesus as King. At Heartbeat, she is responsible for creating effective content to engage the maternity housing community.