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.

1st Way Needs Volunteers!

1st Way needs  volunteers! 

Volunteers at first way can counsel pregnant women, do data entry, put together layettes and many other things! The minimum commitment for a pregnancy counselor is only three hours a week. For other jobs, no ongoing commitment is required.

1st Way especially needs people who do good work on computers and who can do data entry. We have many projects that we need help with, including mailing list merging (using Excel). If you have a talent and would like to come by and help us one day, we'd love to have you come by!

1st Way especially invites bilingual women and younger women to volunteer, although  any age is welcomed and you do not have to be bilingual to apply.

Just give us a call at (541) 687-8651 or email us at firstwayeugene@gmail.com

We'll be happy just to let you know more about us to help you get a sense of whether you'd like to join our team.

Saving lives AND making women's lives better- Nothing is more satisfying work!

Take a Look at Our Local First Way Center!

Take a look at our local First Way Center! 

We're located at 1667 High St, near downtown and the University of Oregon. 

Walk-Ins Are Welcome!

 First Way is a comfortable place for a woman to go when she needs someone to talk to.

We offer free pregnancy tests and free ultrasound. 


Come in and see us!

Call  541.687.8651.

Speak Out for the Unborn: Little Things You Do Really Matter

I heard Bryan Kemper speak at the Right to Life Conference in Portland, Oregon about a week ago. What impacted me most was a main theme of his talk: Pro-life is a verb, not a noun. Pro-life is something we do and live, not some sort of political affiliation we identify with.  Too many people see "pro-life" as a position or stance and not a reason to take action.

The media champions "women's health" and "social justice" as being related to abortion, yet they are not. Nothing is more oppressive to women and more unjust to society than abortion. Lately, our government and many celebrities have been promoting ideas that make absolutely no sense- like how being a mother-to-be is an illness and that this is unjust to society.

I'm the sort of person who did not benefit socially from taking a public pro-life position. I spent the first forty years of my life as a liberal who was secretly pro-life. It just isn't "cool" to be a pro-life liberal. You're at least supposed to say it's not okay for you but it's alright for others to decide for themselves. Taking a stand that taking human life is wrong for anyone, regardless of the situation will result in losing friendships. When I "came out" as pro-life, I became anathema to many old friends. I also found out who my real friends are. My real friends still like and accept me. I still like and respect them, even if I don't agree with them about abortion. But, I can not bend or yield in any way on the subject because abortion is always wrong.

So, when I became active and vocal about pro-life, it has definitely always been a verb. Pro-life is something I live and express and believe in so strongly that it is impossible for me not to act.

I wasn't able to stand up for what I know is right until I came to terms within my soul that I want to live my life in a way that God wants and not necessarily a way that other people want. Since then, I've been around pro-life people a lot. I don't like them all and I'm not friends with them all. Opinions and political positions should not dictate friendships. 

One third of the Democratic party is pro-life, even though "pro-choice" is now an official "plank" in the Democratic political platform. Many pro-life democrats are like I was, afraid to let it be known that they believe the taking of innocent human life is wrong. 

Yet, some people who identify with conservative politics believe that pro-life is something they just "are," regardless of what they do. I came to understand this more at the Right to Life Conference. Many people do not feel compelled to act because pro-life is a noun or an adjective to them. Even though pro-life is a part of the Republican platform, that doesn't mean everyone is doing something about it.

If everyone on both sides of our political world could speak out, Roe v Wade really wouldn't have a prayer. Our nation is already pro-life by a slim majority. The millennial generation is overwhelmingly pro-life. The problem is that nobody is saying anything and nobody is doing anything.

If you are reading this, you can make a difference just by doing little things. Really. You don't have to make pro-life advocacy a primary part of your working life. Just speak up for the unborn once in a while. If you are liberal and pro-life, consider "coming out of the closet." If you're conservative and pro-life, consider redefining pro-life as something you do and not something you are.

In one of our afternoon sessions, Gayle Atteberry, President of Oregon Right to Life, presented a list of small things people can do in thirty minutes or less that can make a difference to the pro-life movement. I'll be posting some of those ideas soon.