Everyone has something to offer!! We Need You!
No previous experience necessary. We’ll guide you through user friendly materials and on-the-job training.
Volunteer positions
Peer Counselor:
1) Kind and listening ear
2) Pregnancy testing assistance
3) Relationship building
Receptionist:
1) Light filing
2) Answer telephone
3) Greet clients
Clothing Room:
1) Sort donated clothing items
2) Organize clothing room
Computer Website:
1) Update newsletter quarterly.
2) Update prayer calendar bi-monthly.
3) Update site with periodic event/informational postings.
Board Membership:
1) Attend monthly meetings
2) Assist and advise with ministry decisions and fundraising
The First Nine Months
For an abbreviated version of this with pictures, please see The Unborn Baby.
Days 3-4
The fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where the lining has been prepared for implantation.
Days 10-14
The developing embryo signals its presence through placental chemicals and hormones, preventing the mother from menstruating.
Day 20
Foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are already established.
Day 21
The heart begins to beat.
Day 28
The backbone and muscles are forming. Arms, legs, eyes and ears have begun to show.
Day 35
Five fingers can be discerned in the hand. The eyes darken as pigment is produced.
Day 40
Brain waves can be detected and recorded.
Week 8
At a little more than an inch long, the developing life is now called a fetus-Latin for “young one” or “offspring.” Everything is now present that will be found in a fully developed adult. The fetus’ body responds to touch, although the mother will not be able to feel movement until the fourth or fifth month.
Week 9
The fetus will curve its finger around an object placed in the palm of its hand.
Week 11
At this time the fetus is about two inches long. The face has assumed a baby’s profile, and muscle movements are becoming more coordinated.
Week 12
The fetus now sleeps, awakens and exercises its muscles energetically-turning its head, curling its toes, and opening and closing its mouth. The palm, when stroked will make a tight fist.
Month 5
Half of the pregnancy has now passed, and the fetus is about 12 inches long. The mother has definitely begun to feel movement by now. If a sound is especially loud or startling, the fetus may jump in reaction to it.
Month 6
If the baby were born in this month and given the proper care, he would survive.
Month 7
The baby now uses the four senses of vision, hearing, taste and touch. He can recognize his mother’s voice.
Month 8
The skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Antibodies increasingly build up.
Month 9
Toward the end of this month, the baby is ready for birth. The infant normally weighs 6-9 pounds, and his heart is pumping about 250 gallons of blood a day. He is fully capable of life outside the womb.
Detection
We currently use a one-step visual test for the qualitative detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine. In normal pregnancy, hCG can be detected in serum as early as 7 days following conception.
Accuracy
Correlation with Qualitative Visual Urine hCG Tests: 261 randomly selected urine samples were analyzed by the Mainline Confirms hCG test procedure in parallel with a commercially available qualitative visual hCG test. The results indicated 100% agreement (117/117 positive and 144/144 negative).
It’s not too late to change your mind...abortion is not the “solution.” So many women now regret their abortions, but sadly, abortion is irreversible...it can NEVER be undone. The time to reconsider is NOW.
IF someone is pressuring you, tell them it’s YOUR decision.
IF you already have an appointment for an abortion, you can break it...or just not go.
IF you have been considering abortion, please come talk to or email us. Real help is very near!
Take your time...please consider the real experiences of the following women:
“I decided to abort primarily to save the relationship with my boyfriend. It did just the opposite-we broke up and moved apart within eight weeks.”
Bekka
“The abortion was the most painful physical experience of my life. It felt like my entire insides were being sucked out.”
Terri
“When I was 11-weeks pregnant, I was told my baby was nothing but a ‘cluster of cells.’ Grief and guilt over-whelmed me when I later found out he was a perfectly-formed miniature baby, able to feel pain."
Kelsey
“I felt so sad and alone after my abortion. I began to die that day. I couldn’t drink enough...I wanted to be numb. I wanted another baby so badly.”
Marlane
All quotes are from personal testimonies on file. They are used with permission.
Related websites:
healinghearts.org
afterabortion.info
Abortion is not a quick fix to a problem pregnancy. There are long term negative affects. Do you think you suffer from post-abortion trauma ? We understand because we have been there. If you need help please call us at (815) 842-2484 or visit the Healing Hearts web site.
Does Any of This Shock You?
38 plus identifiable sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s)
CDC reports 1 in 4 infected by STD by the age of 21---55,000 a day
Government pays $100,000 for every teen with a child
Condoms, though highly promoted, are labeled by OB/GYN’s as “antiquated forms of birth control”
More birth defects from STD’s in one year than 10 year polio epidemic.
We are only too familiar with the problems presented our children by the temptations of pre-marital sex, and the resulting dangers of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Darleta Gramm, representing the Caring Pregnancy Center, has been bringing the abstinence message to the central Illinois Area since 1989. She dynamically lauds the virtues of saving sex for marriage and tell of tragic situations of teens who did not. Her passion for youth becomes evident in this captivating presentation.
How do the students respond?
When asked on surveys what they learned from the abstinence presentation, the students responded:
“I learned that I have more decisions than I thought. My boyfriend & I have been going out for awhile and we took sex out of our relationship. It worked out for the better. You made it clear - that he did prove he loves me! We stopped because I was not on the pill - he thought prevention was a two-way process. I Agree.”
“I learned that there are many consequences to sex. And that teenagers have a lot of decisions to make. I also learned that it is alright to say ‘no’ to sex, in fact, it is right to say ‘no’ to sex until you are married because you are giving that person part of you.”
“I made a decision to wait to have sex until marriage; this really gave me a reassurance I made the right decision.”
“I learned it’s safe not to have sex and to wait until you are married or else it can cause a lot of trouble.”
“I liked it! It surprised me how many people said they want to marry a virgin! I like that!”
“…Made me think? A lot about who and why I have sex.”
“I wish I wouldn’t have done it…”
“I learned that I’m pretty smart to wait for marriage. The most special gift that you can give your husband is your virginity, and you can only give it away once!”
The Caring Pregnancy Center is available to schedule a presentation soon for your school or church youth group. Call (815) 842-2484.
We have a baby store that our clients can use their “Mommy Dollars”. These items include :
-Baby clothing (Preemie, Newborn thru 2T)
-Baby food and formula
-Diapers and pull ups
-Daily necessities (shampoos, lotions, wipes, bibs, blankets)
-Baby furniture (bouncy seats, swings, toys, pack ‘n plays, changing tables, cribs)
-Maternity clothing
These items are donated from our local community, surrounding churches, and individuals.
We provide clothing and other baby items as available.
We offer referrals for medical care and social services, and an extensive referral network for adoption and housing.
Our Counselors recognize that no answer is “easy” and no one solution is right for everyone. We help each young woman explore her situation and give counsel that can help her make a well-informed decision. We seek to empower her with goal setting skills and child development information.
Local people, churches, and businesses support our center. This support enables us to offer essential social services to clients at no cost to them or to the government.
For more information about the services we offer, click a topic link at left.