Why Should I Give a SHARE?! featuring Florence Crittenton Services
It’s no secret that teenagers make mistakes. They forget to turn in homework assignments, stay out past curfew and sometimes they’ll get a free pass to detention.
In some cases, there are teens who find themselves in grown-up situations. For teenage girls, it can mean becoming a mom before getting their high school diploma. Whatever the cause of their situation, at the end of the day they’re still kids and we should treat them with love and compassion.
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. Last month, the CDC reported that teen birth rates hit an all time low, dropping to a whopping 61 percent from the record high in 1991.* On a national level, this is great news but it doesn’t capture the lack of resources and services that young women and girls face on a local level.
In Mecklenburg County, nearly 1,000 girls between the ages of 15-19 became pregnant in 2014.** If you include the mothers themselves, that’s nearly 2,000 children who need support, medical and counseling services and, in some cases, safe housing.
This raises the question. Where does a 15-year-old mother and her baby go?
Florence Crittenton Services came into existence in 1903 after the suicide of a single and pregnant 16-year-old girl made headlines. This moved Charlotte civic religious leaders to join forces and create a safe place of understanding instead of condemnation for single, pregnant women.
One hundred and thirteen years later, they continue to provide access to proper healthcare, human services and vocational development for single, pregnant women and girls. Under their care, 90 percent of their babies were born with a healthy birth weight and received an average APGAR score of 8.*** (The APGAR test measures a baby’s general health at birth, ten is the highest score that can be received.)
Their compassion-focused method works. At least 80 percent of girls who go through their programs avoid a repeat and unplanned pregnancy. But there’s still work to be done.
Right now, you can support these women and girls just by giving your time. Florence Crittenton Services invites Neighbors to cook or bring meals to their facilities and spend time with their clients and staff. They’re also looking for volunteers to babysit while mothers attend classes or go to work.
If you’re unable to give time, give highly needed items like bed sheets and laundry detergent through our Give Shop. Providing basic needs also tells the women and girls in the program that there are people who care about them.
Our actions do have consequences but it shouldn’t prevent us from receiving support from our community. Until women’s healthcare and proper health education become easily available, we’ll have to continue to take care of our children - both mother and child.
** Shift NC
*** Florence Crittenton Services