Why does 1st Way need a mobile clinic?

-Low income women often have transportation problems and we can bring ultrasound right to their door.

-We can go to places where women are shopping for pregnancy tests and offer them a free test on the spot. For example, we can park the mobile unit at or near Walmart.

-We can park across the street from abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood, where women are not offered ultrasound. Some women would like this option and can't find it available at Planned Parenthood, since it is only available there in very limited areas at this time.

-We never have to worry whether our location is convenient to women, because we can vary it and get ourselves out there in all sorts of Eugene communities and business locations.

PLEDGES

Would you like to make a monthly pledge to help 1st Way? We can automatically deduct any amount, even as low as $5 a month (which comes to $60 a year).  We appreciate your support, since we need around $100,000 to make this dream come true and we only raised part of the funds at our recent fundraiser dinner. Contact me and I'll help you set it up.




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Meet the First Way Staff!

Not everyone knows about our staff at First Way, Eugene. 

In addition to our director, Terry Ianora, we have a medical director, Suzanne Temple, M.D., and four registered nurses who are certified in ultrasound. We have eighteen other volunteers who meet with women, offer pregnancy tests and help each woman in her unique situation.

We also have office staff who volunteer to come in with various tasks, and girls from Marist High School come in to make layettes for women who come to our center, for after they deliver. In addition to that, volunteers come in to clean and to launder donated baby clothes.

First Way also has twelve board members. It truly takes a dedicated community such as ours to help women give their unborn children a chance at life. It also takes regular donations of diapers, bottled water and baby clothing and money.We are always looking for more volunteers, also. There is always something to do! Give us a call at 541.687.8651 if you are interested in volunteering or making a donation.

Coming up soon- Interviews with volunteers, including our nurses!

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!

Social Media Power and Eugene 1st Way

Can you imagine the impact if each of you shared or re-tweeted 1st Way blogs and messages?  

Believe it or not, a few clicks every day can sometimes even do more to serve mothers and save babies than donating money or diapers.

Social media is a way we can reach many more women in our community and send them through our doors where we can help them.

Recently, I visited college pro-life clubs and also church youth groups and I asked them what they or their friends would do first if they thought they might be pregnant. 

#1 Answer: They would google "pregnancy symptoms" on their cell phone. 

The better our social media presence, them more likely they are to find us and that can be worth more than money. Please share your time to forward, share and re-tweet our announcements.

I did some research recently and examined close to fifty  online crisis pregnancy center websites and I'd say only about 10% are social media "linked and  literate." Google "pregnancy symptoms" and you will see Planned Parenthood high on the first page of results.  

We have to stay competitive in this age. Lives are on the line. 

I need your help. I cannot do it alone.

Your clicks, shares, re-tweets and likes can help more than you  know.

Facebook- 
For Donors- https://www.facebook.com/1stwayeugene
For Women- https://www.facebook.com/Talktoafriend

Twitter-
 https://twitter.com/1stWayPreggers

Join a Facebook community that is learning how to tweet together-
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Twitter-Made-Easy-For-Prolife-Christians/1402268173322683?ref=hl

1st Way Blog for Women-
http://talktoanewfriend.blogspot.com


Other Announcements

First Way continues to need volunteers for our office and training is provided. Commitment can be as small as a three hour a week shift. Call our center at 541.687.8651 and ask to speak with our director, Terry Ianora. 

Currently, I'm working on redesigning the First Way website.  It's going to look a bit like our parent organization, The National Life Center. I patterned our new layout and colors after theirs, for a sense of continuity, only ours reflects our local presence, personality and message. The new site should be complete by the end of the month.

 

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

Ways you can help 1st Way reach out to Mothers and save the unborn

Just a few announcements!

1st Way always needs diapers, especially size 4 and 5, and especially now when we are just about out. When we provide diapers for poor women who have no other means to get them, we're doing something very special. These women become comfortable with 1st Way and get to know us as a safe and welcoming place. If they have another unplanned pregnancy, they are more likely to talk to us about their concerns and we are more likely to be of influence.

Offering diapers does a lot more than help moms with a day-to-day necessity for their babies. Offering diapers is often the beginning of a long-term relationship of our nurturing new mothers and any future children they may consider aborting.

Petition- 
Outside the masses this weekend at St. Mary's, petitions were available to sign for no taxpayer funding for abortion. Why is this a concern?

Nearly half of abortions are taxpayer funded- approximately 1.75 million dollars a year.

Oregon is one of only 13 states to require taxpayers to fund other people’s abortions, without restrictions, by court order.

Do you want your tax money going for this? Do you want to pay for abortions? This is your chance to do something about it!

Stop Preaching to the Choir
All over Facebook, I see articles and memes that find resonance with others in the pro-life community. We like and share them, yes. But, this is often an insular and non-evangelical practice. This article describes the types of women who REALLY need to hear our message, and how we can help them hear our message, so we don't just circulate the same news among ourselves, "liking" them all day to nobody else's benefit.

There are so many "little" things you can do that mean a lot. Find what suits your style and resources. And always pray a lot!

1st Way appreciates your prayers, support, donations and love. Thanks for joining with us to protect the unborn.

If you haven't already, please "like" our Facebook page. Even if you don't live in our area, this blog keeps you up to date on news in the pro-life community. Thanks!  

Beautiful Day for An Outstanding 40th Anniversary Event!

First Way's 40th Anniversary Celebration Fundraiser, this past Sunday afternoon at River's Edge Events, was a wonderful experience for over 160 guests who attended. The music was beautiful. A string trio opened and was followed by The Poodle Creek Pickers, which played bluegrass music. His eminence, Archbishop Alexander Sample, said our Invocation.

Denise Cocciolone, founder of 1st Way's parent organization, The National Life Center, gave a powerful speech. Our director, Terry Ianora, talked about 1st Way's forty year history and about our hopeful future, bringing a mobile pregnancy clinic right to the places we are most likely to reach women- shopping centers, across from schools, abortion clinics and public parks.

Next, Angela Fellon, one of 1st Way's clients, told her story about how when she was feeling pressured  into abortion, we at 1st Way became her friends, allies in helping her find all the resources and support she needed to keep her child. We continue to help her with things she needs, such as clothing. toys and diapers. Happy today with two children now, Angela glowed as she talked with gratitude to 1st Way for helping her make the best decision of her life- to give birth to her baby.

Angela's talk was followed by Rick Dancer, a journalist, politician and a twenty year anchor for KEZI television in Eugene. Rick gave a rousing talk and generated great enthusiasm from the crowd with both his humor and poignant stories. Pastor Steve Miller of Newsong Church (and longtime board member of 1st Way) gave our closing prayer. 

We're a few steps closer to getting our mobile pregnancy unit, thanks be to God. We're so thankful for all who attended, volunteered and took part in making our event such a great success.

(Photo above is of the Poodle Creek Pickers.)