Teenage parents in Greenville, South Carolina, have a place to go for help with problem pregnancies and raising their children.
In only a few weeks, New Spring Church volunteers changed an aging, molding building into a modern, bright center called Little Steps. Television station WYFF spoke with founder Mandy Black, who tells more about the facility's purpose.
"Little Steps is a non-profit organization. We work with teen parents and young parents here in the Greenville area," she explains. "Some of the biggest things are the balance of how to take care of a baby, stay in school [and] work to be able to provide for that child."
One of the intriguing aspects of the center is that the building formerly operated as an abortion facility. But now it features a playroom for children and a system for the teenage moms and dads, where they attend classes for "baby bucks" that can be used to purchase items like clothes, diapers, toys, and baby food.
Little Steps depends heavily on volunteers such as Kent Johnson. "A lot of the families who are involved in our program, had this still been what it used to be, could have possibly been a client or a patient here or used this facility for other reasons," he recognizes. "But now they're here dropping off their babies and getting information on how to be more effective as a parent."
The organization founder adds that it is not enough in some cases to convince a young mother not to abort a child because they do not always know what to do next. And that, says Black, is why she decided to establish this facility.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Date Published: August 13, 2010
