spring 2013

A publication for advocates & supporters of Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center.

Center Update by Lynn Stecker

Cole HemmerlingJudy MolitorDeb AtkinsonJake SantistevanSen. Janea Holmquist-NewbryRaul FigeuroaMary CourtrightMark KrcmaPaul RiegelBarbara Cherf Marylin Berschauer

The board of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Ephrata recently voted to become a satellite office of the Moses Lake Crossroads Pregnan-cy Resource Center! The transition from PSSE to Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center of Ephrata continues to be a work in progress and would not be possible without the generos-ity of our amazing volunteer staff (Marylin Berschauer, Barbara Cherf, Bernie Geffre and Sandra Zeigler) who literally rolled up their sleeves to provide the labor to transform the space. The former dark space has been brightened up with new light-ing, a fresh coat of paint and updated furnishings. Much of the work was completed with the help of Jim Ber-schauer, Leonard Stecker, Don Swa-ger and Larry White who brought in their power tools to assist the ladies wherever and whenever asked! A renewed enthusiasm and spirit can be felt immediately upon entering the doors of the Center. The gener-osity of several donors has helped to offset the cost of a portion of the

necessary updates that included add-ing new doors to consulting rooms and shelving for the Baby Boutique. Literally every room in the Center has been freshened up and made more ef-ficient to better serve clients. The volunteers have also com-mitted many hours to be trained on new paperwork and curriculum to begin providing the “Earn While You Learn” parenting program for a May 1st roll out date! We are so excited about the additional services we will be able to provide within our com-munity and at the Moses Lake office including ultrasound confirmation as a follow-up to a positive pregnancy test. With the transition, our office hours have been expanded to 11 am to 4 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. When the final project of completing the Baby Boutique is done we will have an Open House! We are so ex-cited to be able to share this amazing transformation with all of you…stay tuned! n

Baby bottle Boomerang May 12-June 16Kiwanis Golf Tournament June 7 (see inside for more info) Annual Banquet ........October 26th Guest speaker Abby

Johnson. For more info on Abby, see our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/crossroadspregnancyresource center

enewsletter

Would you consider reading this newsletter via email? If so, please email us at crossroads@mlrx.com with your email address. Every newsletter we mail costs us $2.50.

upcoming events

needs

board of directors

More…

• Diapers–allsizes• 12-24month“lightlyused”

clothes• Children’sshoes,size0-8

Illysa Ward from Moses Lake Christian Academy took Crossroads as her senior project and did a Diaper Drive for us. She came in and spent some time learning about what we do at Crossroads. As any volunteer will know that comes to us, there is always extra things to do; making copies, labeling books, and the list goes on. She faced each task with a smile and willing spirit. At the end of her project she not only brought in diapers but wipes and baby clothing and a cash donation from the Block40Gloydettes.GoodworkIllysa!n

Hard work yields big reward! Ephrata Fundraising Banquet by Lynn Stecker

We are truly humbled by the tremendous response to ourfirstfundraisingbanquet!Theeveningwasunderthedirection of new center volunteer Deleana Allen who has re-cently moved to our community. In a couple of short months we have been blessed in numerous ways and we are filled with heartfelt gratitude of our many blessings. Immediately upon entering the St. Rose of Lima school facil-ity, you could feel the Holy Spirit at work. What a great community we live in, that can come togetherandpraytogether,foracommoncause!Thegymwas elegantly decorated by Faith Hemmerling and set the toneforanincredibleevening.TheEphrataHighSchoolChoir,underthedirectionofTimO’Donnell,entertainedguestsduringthedinnerhour.Theevening’sheadliner,Dr.PaulByrneinspiredallwithhispresentation!OurMasterofCeremony, George Ahrend touched many when asking for financial and prayerful support from those in attendance. We are truly humbled and thankful that $21,000.00 was raisedatourfirstbanquet! A BIG thank you to all those who helped to provide awonderfulevening!Wethank God daily for each of you. n

What better way to learn about your community than through the Extended Learning Program at Moses Lake ChristianAcademy! ThesefivestudentsfortheirextendedlearningcameandservedatCrossroadsforaday.Theboyshelpedmovefurnitureanddidtheprepworksothatwecouldpainttworooms.The

gals spent a good deal of time at the copy machine making a multitudeofcopiesforournewsatelliteclinicinEphrata.TheyalsohelpedtoarrangeandpriceclothinginourBabyBoutique!Theywereallabighelpandajoytoworkwith.n

Community Service warms the heart of the giver as well as the receiver

follow us on facebook.com/crossroadspregnancyresourcecenter.com

Olympia 101 by Beth VanAuken

WhatisOlympia101?Itiscitizenorientation training, sponsored by the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW).Over200Washingtoncitizenshave participated in the training dur-ing the 2013 legislative session. More grassroots efforts are being developed at FPIW and will continue throughout the summer when the legislators continue to refine their work. It is one thing to understand what happens during legislative sessions (like how a bill is passed). But it is altogether different to watch from the Senate gallery, meetSenatorsandLegislatorsfromone’sown district, tour various governmental offices, or sit in a hearing room. Even though Senators and Legislators are elect-edbythecitizens,itisvitaltogivethemourinput.Theyreallyliketohaveyouvisit. If you are planning to be in Olym-pia, make an appointment to see them, or you can send a note to them while they are in chambers. If they can spare a few minutes, they will meet with you. ThisisparticularlyimportantbecauseWashington, in reality, is sharply divided intoconservativeandliberalfactions.TheFamily Policy Institute supports the Sanc-tity of Life, Sanctity of Marriage, Religious Liberty and Parental Rights. We share these important values at Crossroads as well. God calls us to pray for those in authority(ITimothy2:2).ThatiswhyIam reporting on my visit to Olympia. You can learn more by checking the following websites: www.fpiw.org and www.leg.wa.gov. n

Beth & Karla, Crossroads Volunteers

Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Centers stand in the gap between a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and her uncertainly about abortion.

Will you stand in the gap with us?

Your gift will help strengthen our centers and meet the needs of our clients.

Bigorsmall–change, bills or checks–yourgiftwill contribute to our yearly budget of $175,000.

We will be handing out the baby bottles in the participat-ing churches on Mother’sDayandthey will be re-turnedonFather’sDay. Please join us andwatchGod’swork unfold. If your church is not participating, ask them if they would like to join us in this fun and re-warding event. n

Have “Talk” will travel…

We love to get out and share our story of the wonderful things that are happening at Crossroads! In March we were able to attend functions at both The Commuity Church of Ephrata and Bethlehem Assem-bly where we were warmly received. At the Commu-nity Church we were part of a Mission Weekend! It was great to meet others and hear of their ministries. They provided some awesome meals! At Bethlehem we spoke at a Women’s Retreat. We were surprised

and grateful to see a crib full of baby supplies as we entered. These of course were immediately put to good use in the Ephrata Center. Thank you! We en-joyed the speaker and the lovely luncheon . If you would like any of our staff to come to an event at your church and talk about Crossroads we would be happy to do so! Keep us in mind! We will be there! n

Notes from the Executive Director

• WewouldliketosendtwostaffmemberstotheannualCare Net Conference in September in Denver. If any-one has Frequent Flier Miles that they would like to do-nate so the gals can fly, please let me know marilynh@pregnancywa.org.

• Allofourstaffandvolunteerswillbetakingandcom-pletingacourseentitled“CrisisPregnancy101&201”so that we will be fully trained to work with our clients.

• Wearestartingafundtopurchaseanewcamera.Weare always taking pictures so we can tell our story in advertising, newsletter, power points, etc. If you would like to make a special donation to this fund, it will help us toward our goal of purchasing a camera.

• Avolunteeropportunityhasopenedupforanyonewholovesworkingoncomputers!Ifyouhavetimetoenter data and would like to volunteer here, please contact Marilyn at mhallberg@pregnancywa.org n

Baby Bottles. Stand with Us!

14th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

presented by Knights of Columbia #2440 & #4367

June 7th • 1pmLakeview Golf & Country Club, Soap Lake

Proceeds benefit Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center and Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center of Ephrata.

If you would like to sponsor a hole or sign up togolf,contactJimWeitzelat750-9534orDennisAhmannat349-8050.

Example Messages for Parents and Other Caregivers: Crying is normal for babies.

a) Crying is one way babies communicate.b) Excessive crying is a normal phase in infant development. ■ Babiescrymostbetween2and4monthsofage. ■ Prolonged, inconsolable crying generally lessens when

babies are around 5 months old. ■ Most babies who cry a great deal are healthy and stop

crying spontaneously. c) You are not a bad parent if your baby continues to cry after

you have done all you can to calm him or her.d) Remember, this will get better.

When a baby cries, there are steps you can take to try to comfort him or her.

a) Check for signs of illness or discomfort like a dirty diaper, diaper rash, teething, fever, or tight clothing.

b) Assess whether s/he is hungry or needs to be burped.c) Rub his/her back, gently rocking him/her; offer a pacifier;

sing or talk; take a walk using a stroller or a drive in a properly-secured car seat.

d) Call the doctor if you think the child is ill.e) Remember you are not a bad parent or caregiver if your

baby continues to cry after you have done all you can to calm him or her.

When you feel frustrated, angry, or stressed while caring for your baby, take a break.

a) Call a friend, relative, neighbor, or a parent helpline for support.

b) Put your baby in a crib on his or her back, make sure the baby is safe, and then walk away for a bit, checking on him or her every 5 to 10 minutes.

c) Remember, this will get better.

Be aware of signs of frustration and anger in yourself and others caring for your baby:

a) See a health care professional if you have anger management or other behavioral concerns.

b) Ensure others caring for your baby to see a health care professional if they easily become angry or frustrated around your baby.

“PreventingShakenBabySyndrome.”Center for Disease Control and Preventionn.a.,n.d.,Web.24April2013www.cdc.gov/concussion/pdf/preventing_sbs_508-a.pdf

Call 1-800-CHILDREN for more information.

Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome

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Nevershakeababyforanyreason!Unfortunatelywehear too often of a baby that has suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). According to the Center for Disease Control, “SBSisaleadingcauseofchildabusedeathsintheUnitedStates.Nearly all victims of SBS suffer serious health consequences and at least one of every four babies who are violently shaken dies from thisformofchildmaltreatment.Babies(newbornto4months)

are at greatest risk of injury from shaking. Inconsolable crying is a primarytriggerforshakingababy.” In order to help protect our communities children, this is oneoftherequiredtopicsthatiscoveredinour“EarnWhileYouLearn”parentingprogramforfirsttimemomsanddadshereatCrossroads. n

Clients Make Our Day!

I am so grateful to the staff and everyone that was so kind and help-ful! I would recommend Crossroads

to anyone. It was a very positive and helpful experience. Thank you, Dad

I enjoyed being in their presence. It gave a very positive vibe and the

information I received was very helpful. Thank you guys; I appreciate it.

I think this is a great program and happy I was able to do it and have a great

counselor I could talk to.

My counselor helped me set goals; learn how to take care of myself as well as my daughter. Everything I have learned from my counselor, videos and even the

homework helped me be the happy, proud, joyful mother I have always wanted to be.

We weren’t judged; we were treated with love and respect

You guys helped me a lot with my problems. I appreciate your time with me; you guys changed my life and how I look to God.