Things are in the works to bring a new service to Greenfield with Elizabeth’s Hope Pregnancy Resources and the agency’s director is hoping for the center to be open in the next three months.
Lisa Cutler, executive director of Elizabeth’s Hope, visited the Greenfield Rotary Club on Thursday and shared the agency’s plans to open a branch in Greenfield.
Cutler lives in Greenfield and said she sees the need in her hometown for what Elizabeth’s Hope, a faith-based nonprofit, offers.
“I leave town every day knowing that our program can help” in Greenfield, she said.
Right now Elizabeth’s Hope is looking for support in Greenfield and a permanent space to work from. Cutler said there are some church organizations already on board to offer support for the nonprofit, and more support is needed whether from other organizations or individuals. Volunteers to help at the center are also needed, Cutler said.
Cutler began her time at Elizabeth’s Hope as a volunteer, she said, before becoming the executive director four years ago.
In exploring the idea of opening a branch in Greenfield, Cutler has been meeting with local groups, one of those being the Greenfield Area Christian Center (GACC), where the youth ministry New Directions is housed.
According to New Directions Director and Rotarian Mike Anderson, who invited Cutler to speak to the Rotary Club on Thursday, Cutler is currently teaching a four-part purity class at New Directions called The Naked Truth.
Anderson said Cutler has met with the GACC board, and she will have temporary office space available for the Greenfield branch of Elizabeth’s Hope Pregnancy Resources until a permanent space is secured.
The services offered by Elizabeth’s Hope, which are free and confidential, include parenting classes; abstinence education; mentoring; emergency assistance for maternity and baby supplies; community referrals; information on pregnancy, STDs, and birth control; fertility and sexual health education; adoption information; and more.
Cutler said that in Highland County there is an average of 55 teen pregnancies per year. She said if that’s divided among the five high schools, that is 11 pregnant 15-19 year olds per year, and statistics show that 70 percent of those girls will never finish their high school education. That is where Elizabeth’s Hope comes in, Cutler said, to help guide the teens in a more positive direction.
Elizabeth’s Hope Pregnancy Resources currently has locations in Chillicothe, Circleville, Jackson and Waverly.
For more information go to thereishopetoday.org or contact the administration office in Chillicothe at 740-772-4373.
The Greenfield Rotary Club meets each Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Catch 22, 250 Jefferson St., Greenfield.
Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.
