1st Way Needs Volunteers- Join us!

When I volunteered for 1st Way of Eugene, I found it to be a mind-expanding and heart-expanding experience.

I didn't know that much about pregnancy or pro-life issues. I remember the day Terry hired me, she stacked my arms up with brochures and articles and said, "Take this home and read this!" Of course, she didn't mean to read it all at once. She only wanted me to have the resources I needed to counsel women who had questions, and that learning still continues to this day.

Part of my training was simply to answer questions- never to give unsolicited education or information. Working there, I was happy to see that fellow counselors were warm and positive and just trying to find ways to be helpful. No family support? Financial struggles? Healthcare concerns? How can we connect women to the resources they need? How can we be there for her when she is scared and upset and just wants someone to talk to? How can we help make her life a little better?

Being a crisis pregnancy counselor at 1st Way is about being an educator when women have questions. Working for 1st Way was also heart-expanding for me.  I saw some happy women who realized it was possible to find resources they needed to carry their babies to term. I loved putting together layettes for new mothers and getting to know people.

Being a volunteer at 1st Way is only a three hour commitment per week and all training is provided. I knew nothing when I started and now I can't seem to learn enough information. It's really satisfying to know that you are serving the needs of pregnant women and their unborn babies. Ultimately, you don't know the decision she will make when she walks out the door. But, you will know that you told her the truth and showed her it is possible to find life-affirming ways to cope with unplanned pregnancy.

CALL 541.687.8651 to find out more about how you can help.

We meet mothers where they are, where they need.

“Our passion is far reaching, yet it only needs to reach as far as the individual woman. We eschew political intrigues for the real action instead. We meet mothers where they are, where they need.”

The above quote is by Terry Ianora, Eugene 1st Way director, from her book, Ordinary Heroes- Creating a Culture of Life. Terry has been my inspiration as long as I've worked with helping 1st Way. She is a woman of action and a woman of caring. She puts women first in all things and her attitude and approach permeate 1st Way on every level.

A leader sets a tone for everyone. Because Terry sincerely cares about women, she expects that same attitude of non-judgment and compassion from her staff. She is correct that we meet mothers where they are, where they need. We give them the information they ask for. We help women find solutions to difficult social, family, medical and financial problems. We try to help improve the life of the women who come to us, so that they will be able to be parents for their children. We offer baby and toddler clothes, diapers and other supplies. 1st Way is truly a women's center, where women feel heard and appreciated.

1st Way needs donations to purchase a mobile pregnancy unit to serve women in areas all over Eugene. Set up a pledge with us to make automatic payments.

Get a copy of Terry's book from Amazon. You'll read Terry's story of 40 years of work with crisis pregnancy centers, her passion, her love and her vision. Carmel Heart Media serves 1st Way for no profit and donates $9 or more from every book sale to 1st Way.

Ever Wonder What a Tweetfest is?

  Thanks to all who have made donations over the past week! We do still need diapers, however, especially in size 4-5.  

We're also still seeking donations for a mobile pregnancy clinic. To help us out, just click here!

  I'd also like to introduce the web-site, "Twitter Made Easy for Pro-Life Christians."  

The site was set up so that we can have more people capable of participating in tweetfests. It's because of tweetfests that the Gosnell trial was covered in the media, and it's because of tweetfests that a lot of the nastier pro-abort protestor activities in Texas were covered in the media. Join us and Learn to Be an On-Line Activist- We need you!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Twitter-Made-Easy-For-Prolife-Christians/1402268173322683

For those who have long wondered, here are some directions of how to participate in a Tweetfest-

 https://www.facebook.com/notes/laura-paxton/how-to-participate-in-a-tweetfest/557697454289786

1st Way's 1st Sponsored Race a Success!

1st Way's first sponsored race was a great success!

New T-shirts were designed for the Aquafina Butte to Butte race, in pink and blue, all with the 1st Way logo. The runners stood out and drew attention to the fact that they were running for the lives of unborn babies.

Our first running team had four runners and two walkers, all of whom completed the 5K race! Runners ran to represent many causes and it was good to see 1st Way well represented by such a dedicated team on the beautiful 4th of July day!

We appreciate those who sponsored this year's race. More sponsors are needed next time around, so please be thinking about pledging to support our runners next year.

Many thanks to Kendall Leatherman, our coordinator, for doing such a great job to start a new tradition here in Eugene!

Important Upcoming Events!

Take part in one or both of these fun and important activities to help women and unborn children

* Sponsor a Runner!

Time is running out (three more days!) but there is still time to sponsor a runner or runners for the Aquafina Butte to Butte race on the 4th of July. Choose one of the links below-

To sponsor one runner

To sponsor more than one runner

* 40th Anniversary Fundraiser- 

Just a little over a month away!

We have the Right Reverend Archbishop Sample, Honored Guest

 Rick  Dancer, Guest Speaker

Delicious Banquet, Live Music

 

Information and Tickets

Help 1st Way purchase a mobile unit to serve more women in our community. 

Your support for 1st Way will make a difference for a woman and a child.

 

10 minutes to PROTECT WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT RISK

10 minutes to PROTECT WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT RISK

This week, women and babies in Oregon need your help. Can you take ten minutes this week to send an email, and/or make a phone call to your Oregon Senator?

SB 490 threatens to reduce and possibly eliminate the freedom of Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC) throughout Oregon from offering life-giving options and resources to women and babies at risk.

Please join thousands of PRC’s supporters in appealing to our state Senators to stop this intrusive, discriminatory, unconstitutional bill, currently in the Senate Rules Committee.

PRCs speak caring, life-giving direction into the lives of women and girls facing unplanned pregnancies. SB 490 seeks to muzzle that voice with unreasonable regulations and restrictions from the Oregon Health Authority. This discriminatory legislation potentially burdens PRCs with regulations and penalties that would reduce and in some cases close Oregon PRCs. (Find out more about Oregon PRCs and SB 490 at www.oregonpregnancycenters.org).

Here’s what we can do:

This week, please contact the Senator from your district by email, phone, or appt. and respectfully state your opposition to SB 490, and your support of your PRC. To find yours, go to:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/senate/ .

We need you to do this, this week (April 15-20). Other pro-life agencies (ORTL and OFC) will “carry the ball” over the next two weeks. Then, if the bill is still alive, we will send another email to ask you to once again contact your senator in a couple weeks to urge them to oppose the bill’s movement and passage. (The Rules Committee can present the bill to the Senate for a vote anytime between now and the end of the session in late June).

This bill is the latest attempt in Planned Parenthood’s long-standing national campaign against PRCs. If it passes in Oregon, it will be the first time a state has legislated against PRCs. This will set precedence for other states. We need to stop it here – for the women and babies in our community, and for those in the rest of the nation.

These Senators especially need to hear from their Eugene constituents:

                                    Sen. Chris Edwards (D)
District: 007
900 Court Street NE
S-405
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 986-1707
Fax: (503) 986-1080
WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/edwardsc/
E-Mail: Sen.ChrisEdwards@state.or.us

 (Portions of Lane and Lynn)
 Lee Beyer (D)
PO Box 131
Springfield 97477
541-726-2533

(Portions of Lane and  Douglas)
 Floyd Prozanski (D)
PO Box 11511
Eugene 97440
541-342-2447

If you are not sure which of these to contact, go to this website, put in your address and it will tell you.
 http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

Thank you for caring. Thank you for saving our Voice for Life.

Larry Gadbaugh, CEO, Pregnancy Resource Centers of Portland

1st Way Meme Contest- Win Up to $100!

This has been a busy month for me as I work to get our Meme Contest underway. The contest is on two age levels and has three prize levels. High school aged youth aged 13-18 and young adult college students, aged 18-24, can win up to a $100 gift certificate for I-Tunes or Amazon.com!

<---Meme (not a very good one, but one I made quickly.)
  

For those who don't know,

Memes are like “mini-posters” that convey a message powerfully, in a quick, creative way. The goal of 1^st Way's meme contest is to help make 1^st Way and the goals of 1^st Way better known in our community and to help make the new “Talk to a Friend” online outreach popular and successful. By taking part in this contest, you can help women feel cared about and supported and you may also save a baby's life.

This month, I've met with our St. Mary's youth group and the pro-life group at the University of Oregon. I'm planning to meet with Students for Life at both Lane Community College and Oregon State, and with several other church youth groups.

If you know of a group where I could go to present the contest, let me know!  If you know anyone aged 13-24 who would like to compete, simply email them a copy of our contest rules:

 http://1stwayeugene.blogspot.com/p/meme-contest-talk-to-friend-outreach.html

Thanks everyone! Let's get creative and have fun!!!

Help Us-Political Action Urgently Needed

Hello all First Way Supporters, 

Are you familiar with Senate Bill 490? 

 

If it passes, crisis pregnancy centers will have to publicly advertise and place notices in conspicuous places that we do not offer abortion or abortion referrals. This is even though we receive no government funding and do not deliberately deceive anyone. However, if we are required to provide that information, many women who might have considered alternatives to abortion will not have those alternatives presented to them.

Senate Bill 490...

• …  is an unconstitutional infringement upon free speech rights because it compels pregnancy centers to say words they would not otherwise say and regulates speech NOT conduct. 
• …  is overly broad and does not address any documented problem the state has a compelling interest in addressing.
• …  applies to all covered pregnancy centers regardless of any wrongdoing.
• …  violates due process principles because it does not adequately define the entities who are affected and it invites arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.
• …  targets small community-based nonprofit organizations that do not receive any state or federal funds.
• …  is part of a national campaign that is based upon differences in ideology and uses unsubstantiated accusations.
• …  forces a business to list services they do not offer for the first time in Oregon history.
• …  requires “conspicuously placed” written notices that “a reasonable person is likely to read and understand”.  These terms are unconstitutionally vague.
• …  requires that a notice be placed on any website maintained by the entity providing the services for any purpose if the services are even incidentally mentioned.
• …  requires that medical professionals to be paid for their services and denies them the right to voluntarily provide services in their community.
• …  increases state costs for OHA rule promulgation, compliance investigation, and enforcement with no demonstration that it addresses any harm to Oregon citizens.

(information taken from  http://www.oregonpregnancycenters.org/oregonpregnancycenters.org/Home.html)

This information below comes from Debbie, Executive Director, Pregnancy Alternatives Center-

Here's what you can do:

SB490 has been scheduled for hearing Monday!

Yes this Monday @ 3pm.

Statewide conference call TOMORROW @9am

Call (605) 475-4700  Enter code: 847627#

Please DO THE FOLLOWING:

·       Get every person you can to be at the capital Monday @2:00 to be present at the 3:00 hearing. We need a mass showing. If you have to close, then do it. This showing if VERY IMPORTANT. We all understand it is not convenient. Oh well, convenience is not the issue. PLEASE hear us… YOU NEED TO BE THERE!
·       IMMEDIATELY, I MEAN IMMEDIATELY you need to contact all of your constituents and have them call their Senators and Representatives. We need a massive call campaign. Basically you need to say… Please do not support SB490. Every woman deserves the right to alternative services. Also call Senate President Peter Courtney. All the numbers are at www.oregonpregnancycenters.org.
·       Most importantly this is the time to get the prayer warriors activated.

Please be on the call tomorrow at 9:00 am.

Debbie