“The Lakeside sailing program has seen many changes over its 41 years, like kinds and numbers of craft, facilities, kids’ sailing and new people, but a few things never changed. Joel Brucken was always there. He took sailing lessons in 1978, the second year of the program, and was one of the very few who was continuously active every year since. Joel passed away this May after a long battle with cancer. Over the years he competed in regattas, the Mouse Island race, and for many years he was the coordinator of the August Cup, in which he entered with his 22 foot ‘All Day’. He and Angela were always at the end of the pier to watch regattas, attended all picnics and awards ceremonies, and hosted sailing parties. He encouraged his son, Brian and grandsons, Drew, Ben and Jack to sail; Brian and Drew later became sailing instructors.
Joel also participated in many non-sailing activities. He was a past president of the LPOA and on the Lakeside Board of Directors. Programs at Hoover, education seminars, property owners’ meetings—Joel was always there with questions and comments. He also enjoyed diverse events like Guys’ Club, Sunday night poker games, bird symposiums, even ballroom dancing, and he helped with the Heritage Society.
Joel will be missed by those of us who knew him. He was always there.”
- Maryln Dudrow
Monday, June 25, 2018
Do you think liberals might be losing it?
Mike Huckabee reported on Laura Ingraham show:
"By the way Laura, there’s a part of that story that hasn’t been told, you’re going to be the first to hear it. Once Sarah and her family left, of course Sarah was asked to please vacate, Sarah and her husband just went home. They had sort of had enough. But the rest of her family went across the street to a different restaurant. The owner of the Red Hen – nobody’s told this – then followed them across the street, called people, and organized a protest yelling and screaming at them from outside the other restaurant and creating this scene.”
You can help the children
Is it so much to ask that my liberal friends and family weeping over the children separated from adults by borders with fences, court cases and guards stop locking their homes, gated communities (like Lakeside) and cars/bikes/golf carts and allow any stranger to use them? After your homes are full of all that justice, the new owners can just vote you out. Sounds fair, good, and quasi Biblical, based on the memes being shared. You're an American--you've got too much stuff anyway.
Rising Income EQUALITY
Rising income EQUALITY may have helped elect Trump. When all the government transfers are factored in and no taxes on that "spendable income" the lowest quintiles are rising while others are going down. Some apparently see this as unfair. Shocking, right? I blogged about this years ago comparing a beginning librarian's salary (requires a master's degree) in my community with the transfer income of a woman who receives government benefits and works part time at a fast food restaurant. Wall St. Journal article today reports:
"The bottom quintile earned 2.2% of all earned income in 2013, but after adjusting for taxes and transfer payments, its share of spendable income rose to 12.9%—six times its proportion of earnings. The second quintile’s share more than doubled, rising from 7% of earned income to 13.9% of spendable income. For the third quintile, middle-income Americans, the increase was much smaller, from 12.6% to 15.4%.
Not surprisingly, high earners lost a considerable share of their earnings after taxes and transfers are taken into account. The fourth quintile’s share fell from 20.5% to 18.6%, while the top quintile dropped from 57.7% of earnings to 39.3% of consumable income. In other words, the top quintile’s share of earnings was 26 times that of the bottom quintile, but after taxes and transfer payments its share of spendable income was only three times as much. "
It would be political suicide to ever campaign on this--income inequality is the drum beat of both parties. But people do notice--just saying. Some even blogged about it years ago. Ironic isn't it, that the richest man in America, Jeff Bezos, who hates Trump with a passion, helped elect him.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Week 2 at Lakeside
The preacher of the week at Lakeside this week is Carl McColman, a anamchara, which means “soul friend,” and a seanchaí, or "story teller." He's not a minister; he's a retreat leader, author, and a contemplative. I'll check out Monday--see what it's about. His conversion story is a little different than most; he was raised a Protestant, converted to Paganism, then from that religion to Catholicism. Then at 10:30 on to Sam Quinones, the author of Dreamland; The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, who will give 2 lectures on the opioid crisis. Monday night is a silent film organist (and the film, of course). Sunday evening was the Choral Festival Concert. Members of the choir are Lakesiders and singers from other choirs in the area who came for a week-end retreat of master classes and methods for choir directors. Lakeside’s Coordinator of Worship Music, Michael Shirtz was organizer and conductor.
The Blue Hen Restaurant in Lexington, VA
If a black member of the Trump administration, or a gay member, or the Social Media team Diamond and Silk, or a disabled Republican who voted for Trump, or a Mexican immigrant running for a GOP office, or a female spokesperson for Trump who wants to make America great again, or Alice Marie Johnson, who thinks Trump is terrific (granted clemency) were to come to the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, VA, they'd be served a four course menu of bigotry, distain, ignorance and folly. Fortunately, Sarah Sanders is a lot classier than the owner, and she left when being refused service and told why.
The Red Hen Restaurant, Lexington, VA
And no. This is not a first amendment issue where the owner had religious concerns, long held, about serving a member of the president’s staff. This is poor service, and would not be allowed for any protected group by gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion, but one is allowed to do this to a white female staffer of Donald Trump, which just shows you how insane our “hate” laws are. You can’t compare Valerie Jarrett to a fictional character in an old movie without losing your job, but you can kick someone out of your restaurant. You can threaten the president’s son on social media, and your movie will still open (Peter Fonda). The difference is pro-Trump or anti-Trump.
The silly season
Q. Why did God make you?
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven.
Baltimore Catechism (used in the U.S. from 1885 to the late 1960s)
The Q & A format for learning the basics of Christianity was popularized by Martin Luther, and a similar format was followed by Catholics for four hundred years. The U.S. version was revised several times and went from 100 questions to over 1200. Today it is popular again among home-schoolers.
I don't know what was used between the 1970s and 2005 when the current CCC was published. I've heard it called the "silly season" and sounds a bit like the Lutheran book we received in 1974 when we attended membership classes at UALC, which was orange and pink with balloons and theology to match. I think we have 30 years of poorly catechized Catholics and Protestants in the U.S. as fall out from that era.
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Restaurant refuses service to a white, female customer
The The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia refused to serve Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and her family last night because they hate conservatives. No more, no less. (Several people have told me the owner is the cousin of actress Meryl Streep, though I have no independent confirmation of this).
If you'd like to leave a review of what you think of this policy, then visit the restaurant's FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/redhenlexington
Disinformation/Fake News
The Left and Hillary supporters invented the term "fake news" and then Trump snatched it from them and used it against them. Then they disavowed their baby and threw it out. Don't fall for the "media literacy" set-ups--they have agendas and are not neutral. Facebook, for instance, uses Snopes to help ferret out truth from fake. That’s rich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=UQcCIzjz9_s
Sharyl Attkisson explains how this happened and what to watch for. She goes back to the case of Richard Jewel and the Olympics to explain how biased, sloppy, erroneous, prejudiced and sensational news grows even 20+ years ago, and now especially through social media. “First Draft” is a non-profit that first used the term “fake news,” and then media jumped on the band wagon demanding someone control this. Attkisson suggests we follow the money—and she found the parent of the company Google.
“First Draft Coalition is a group of thought leaders and pioneers in social media journalism who are coming together to help you answer these questions, through training and analysis of eyewitness media.” And it’s just a coincidence these “leaders” are all on the left, manipulating us.
When all the media are on the same page, that’s when we need to suspect “fake news.”
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Making Trump’s case
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=eGuSdXiFtLk
CNN reporter ends up making Trump’s case for separation of families, but doesn’t realize it. She acknowledges that children are used for sex trafficking and as drug mules.
CNN reporter ends up making Trump’s case for separation of families, but doesn’t realize it. She acknowledges that children are used for sex trafficking and as drug mules.
Wellness seminar in Lakeside on nutrition
Actually, I wrote that yesterday. This morning we’re going to the Idlewyld Bed and Breakfast www.idlewyldbb.com owned by Dan and Joan Barris at 350 Walnut. Best breakfast in town. First I walked 2 miles along the Lakefront in the glorious sunshine. Life is tough.
Today’s programing is on sustainability. I’ve been hearing that, or a version of it, for 40 years, but I might stop in to hear the one on Lake Erie. Tomorrow there is a seminar on Listening and the art of paying attention by a “geriatric life enhancement consultant.” I could do that—I’m old and I don’t pay attention!
Also tomorrow afternoon is a book review by my friend Nancy Long on “Dreamland: the true tale of America’s Opioid Epidemic (Sam Quinones) at the Lakeside Women’s Club. Her birthday was this week and we went out for lunch at the Bluebird restaurant. www.bluebirdatlakeside.com I had the “Italian Lover” panini, which is fresh pesto, tender chicken, tomato, and provolone cheese with a side of fresh veggies. Nancy had the “Rockin’ Robin” salad which was strawberries, crimbld goat cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, toasted nut-medley on baby spinach with maple-balsamic reduction.
Sometimes on Friday afternoon I attend the World Affairs program (it’s call dialogue, but you know how Lakesiders are).
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Congress needs to solve this; could start with current law
This morning I listened to Paul Ryan talking about making special facilities for "families." Assuming there's a magic wand to get this past Democrats who need it as an issue going through the mid-terms, the first kid who is found out to NOT be a family member, but trafficked, will all be blamed on Trump.
Senator Schumer is challenging Trump to use his pen, make it go away, the way Obama did. Since Democrats in Congress will never allow a "comprehensive immigration law" change and have blocked Trump on DACA, which has increased the problem, and the border, here's an idea for the gridlock. Let's work with the laws now on the books!
Leaving children with parents in detention for weeks or months. Is that what Democrats want? Do you suppose the Democrats could find a judge somewhere, Hawaii maybe, to challenge that and let them go into the general population like the Obama years? Betcha.
Three percent returned for court date under Obama's "catch and release" program for illegal immigrant families. And we wonder why the government doesn't know where the children are? What if only 3% of the children have been trafficked? Is that OK? What if only 3% have joined MS-13. OK with Democrats?
Senator Schumer is challenging Trump to use his pen, make it go away, the way Obama did. Since Democrats in Congress will never allow a "comprehensive immigration law" change and have blocked Trump on DACA, which has increased the problem, and the border, here's an idea for the gridlock. Let's work with the laws now on the books!
Leaving children with parents in detention for weeks or months. Is that what Democrats want? Do you suppose the Democrats could find a judge somewhere, Hawaii maybe, to challenge that and let them go into the general population like the Obama years? Betcha.
Three percent returned for court date under Obama's "catch and release" program for illegal immigrant families. And we wonder why the government doesn't know where the children are? What if only 3% of the children have been trafficked? Is that OK? What if only 3% have joined MS-13. OK with Democrats?
Democrats are ridiculing “family values” of Republicans
They’re certainly right that sanctity of marriage is a Republican value, since Democrats have been in the business of destroying marriage and family since 1964, and Republicans do eventually absorb the cultural values imposed by liberals.
And they’re right that sanctity of life is a Republican value (for some Republicans); abortion doesn't appear in the RNC mission statement as it has in the DNC for 3 decades.
And they’re right that the federal government more often disregards the rights of the states when Democrats are in charge.
But they’re wrong that the current dust up is about children from Mexico; the unaccompanied minors who are being trafficked for sex or labor come mostly from Central America 'with parents" and have passed through Mexico who doesn't want them, or won't take them as refugees.
And they’re right the protests against abortion are about liberty--the right of a child to live, the most basic form of all liberty.
I'm a little puzzled about the FBI probe, though--they confused me on that one. The left is OK with the bias shown at the highest levels? Is that OK in the Ferguson or Baltimore investigations?
And they’re right that sanctity of life is a Republican value (for some Republicans); abortion doesn't appear in the RNC mission statement as it has in the DNC for 3 decades.
And they’re right that the federal government more often disregards the rights of the states when Democrats are in charge.
But they’re wrong that the current dust up is about children from Mexico; the unaccompanied minors who are being trafficked for sex or labor come mostly from Central America 'with parents" and have passed through Mexico who doesn't want them, or won't take them as refugees.
And they’re right the protests against abortion are about liberty--the right of a child to live, the most basic form of all liberty.
I'm a little puzzled about the FBI probe, though--they confused me on that one. The left is OK with the bias shown at the highest levels? Is that OK in the Ferguson or Baltimore investigations?
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Once again, Democrats get Republicans to take the “get Trump” bait
The Inspector General’s Report Reveals the biggest crime of the Obama administration, but by focusing on children separated from parents who have committed a crime, it can be wiped off the front burner. Democrats have done it again, and I can’t believe the Republicans are falling for it. It's the "look over there" technique that politicians have perfected.
https://thefederalist.com/2018/06/15/11-quick-things-know-inspector-generals-report/
Maggie Thurber of Toledo observes: "I find it interesting and disturbing that the issue of separating children from family units when the family unit enters the country illegally arose at the same time as the IG report on bias in the FBI came out. Especially because it's a practice that the government has been following for years. Did anyone else notice the report is no longer top news.
Four years ago Mother Jones wrote about the deplorable conditions and 70,000 minor children, yet didn’t mention Obama once. Today the children in custody of HHS is a story all and only about Trump, not the failures of Clinton, Bush and Obama years. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/child-migrants-surge-unaccompanied-central-america/
* * *
Mike Huckabee gives out the Sick Hypocrisy Award: Planned Parenthood jumps on the illegal immigration virtue signaling wagon by tweeting its principled stance that precious children deserve not to separated from their parents. Unless you’re separating them with surgical tools and a vacuum hose, I suppose?
* * *
FBI bias training? "Career attorney Christopher Wray is only the latest man to reach the top of the FBI without ever serving as an agent. And now he says agents need to be instructed to remain impartial as they conduct investigations. Pentagon officials who never served in uniform typically don’t announce plans to teach their troops about patriotism, but perhaps the FBI is a very different institution. " Wall St. Journal Best of the Web, June 19
Fact checking the media’s version of the child immigration policy
As reported in the Daily Signal.
“In 1997, the Clinton administration entered into something called the Flores Settlement Agreement, which ended a class action lawsuit first brought in the 1980s. The settlement established a policy that the federal government would release unaccompanied minors from custody to their parents, relatives, or other caretakers after no more than 20 days, or, alternatively, determine the “least restrictive” setting for the child.
In a separate development, in 2008 the Democrat-controlled Congress approved bipartisan legislation to combat human trafficking and President George W. Bush, a Republican, signed it into law.
Section 235 (g) in that law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, states that unaccompanied minors entering the United States must be transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement rather than to the Department of Homeland Security.
Section 235 (g) in that law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, states that unaccompanied minors entering the United States must be transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement rather than to the Department of Homeland Security.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit expanded the Flores settlement in 2016 to include children brought to the country illegally by their parents.
For consistency between the provision of the anti-trafficking law and the 9th Circuit’s interpretation of the Flores agreement, children who came into the country illegally with parents had to be taken into HHS custody, said Art Arthur, former general counsel for Immigration and Naturalization Services (now known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as well as a former federal immigration judge.
“As soon as their parents are detained, the children are classified as unaccompanied,” Arthur, now a resident fellow for law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Signal.” “
“In 1997, the Clinton administration entered into something called the Flores Settlement Agreement, which ended a class action lawsuit first brought in the 1980s. The settlement established a policy that the federal government would release unaccompanied minors from custody to their parents, relatives, or other caretakers after no more than 20 days, or, alternatively, determine the “least restrictive” setting for the child.
In a separate development, in 2008 the Democrat-controlled Congress approved bipartisan legislation to combat human trafficking and President George W. Bush, a Republican, signed it into law.
Section 235 (g) in that law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, states that unaccompanied minors entering the United States must be transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement rather than to the Department of Homeland Security.
Section 235 (g) in that law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, states that unaccompanied minors entering the United States must be transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement rather than to the Department of Homeland Security.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit expanded the Flores settlement in 2016 to include children brought to the country illegally by their parents.
For consistency between the provision of the anti-trafficking law and the 9th Circuit’s interpretation of the Flores agreement, children who came into the country illegally with parents had to be taken into HHS custody, said Art Arthur, former general counsel for Immigration and Naturalization Services (now known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as well as a former federal immigration judge.
“As soon as their parents are detained, the children are classified as unaccompanied,” Arthur, now a resident fellow for law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Signal.” “
Monday, June 18, 2018
First week of the season at Lakeside
The Preacher of the week at Lakeside this week is Rev. Dr. John A. Nunes, President of Concordia College, New York. He said yesterday at church his talks would be on the infantilization of adults and the adultification of children--I think it's based on a book, but I've forgotten the author, as there have been more than one with that theme. I plan to attend (9:15), at least today, but it's awfully hot.
At 10:30 is children's author Jill Hardie and at 1:30 is Richard Cowdrey who illustrates children's books. At 3:30 the curator from Mazza Museum (Findlay, OH, children's books) will give a presentation and there's a display of children's book illustrations at Hoover, which I haven't seen yet. I see no space in here for a nap, one of my favorite things to do.
There was a great program yesterday to celebrate Hoover Auditorium’s 90 years. The construction began during the fall of 1928 and it opened for business in 1929. What an amazing building with unusual wiring, bathrooms, sound control, seating, doors and stage curtains all having their own stories including roof collapses and fires. Very interesting display of some of the famous speakers and performers from Eleanor Roosevelt to Marian Anderson to Norman Vincent Peale. The Women's Club will have a presentation by David Blank on Peale tomorrow. In order to go to that, I’ll have to skip one of the program’s on children’s books.
https://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/story/news/2018/06/18/hoover-auditorium-brought-historic-speakers-lakeside/709522002/
http://rcowdrey.com/
At 10:30 is children's author Jill Hardie and at 1:30 is Richard Cowdrey who illustrates children's books. At 3:30 the curator from Mazza Museum (Findlay, OH, children's books) will give a presentation and there's a display of children's book illustrations at Hoover, which I haven't seen yet. I see no space in here for a nap, one of my favorite things to do.
There was a great program yesterday to celebrate Hoover Auditorium’s 90 years. The construction began during the fall of 1928 and it opened for business in 1929. What an amazing building with unusual wiring, bathrooms, sound control, seating, doors and stage curtains all having their own stories including roof collapses and fires. Very interesting display of some of the famous speakers and performers from Eleanor Roosevelt to Marian Anderson to Norman Vincent Peale. The Women's Club will have a presentation by David Blank on Peale tomorrow. In order to go to that, I’ll have to skip one of the program’s on children’s books.
https://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/story/news/2018/06/18/hoover-auditorium-brought-historic-speakers-lakeside/709522002/
http://rcowdrey.com/
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Why is Peter Strzok still employed with FBI?
In remarks on Sunday Maria Bartiromo show, Alan Dershowitz said,
“FBI agents are allowed to be biased,” Dershowitz said. “They're allowed to support political candidates. That's part of the law. Where I draw the line is when an FBI agent says ‘we'll stop him.’
“That's not an expression of bias. That's not saying who we're going to vote for. That sends a message to the American people that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is going to interfere in an election, in an effort to try to stop the election of one candidate rather than the other. . .you're entitled to support a candidate if you're an FBI agent. But you're not allowed to try to use your office to stop somebody from being elected president of the United States.”
“FBI agents are allowed to be biased,” Dershowitz said. “They're allowed to support political candidates. That's part of the law. Where I draw the line is when an FBI agent says ‘we'll stop him.’
“That's not an expression of bias. That's not saying who we're going to vote for. That sends a message to the American people that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is going to interfere in an election, in an effort to try to stop the election of one candidate rather than the other. . .you're entitled to support a candidate if you're an FBI agent. But you're not allowed to try to use your office to stop somebody from being elected president of the United States.”
Arthur Brooks tells a Father’s Day story
Arthur Brooks’ father was a college professor of mathematics who drove a bus in the summer.
“He was a natural born mathematician, though. Here’s a classic dinner conversation:
Dad: “Hey kids, tell me as fast as you can what you get when you sum all the numbers from one to a hundred.”
My brother and I: “We’d need some paper.”
Dad: “Wrong. 1 + 100 = 101. 2 + 99 = 101. 3 + 98 = 101. . . . That’s 50 pairs all summing to 101. 50 x 101 = 5,050!”
Us: “Huh. Please pass the mashed potatoes.”
He died fairly young, at 66, from lymphoma. His doctor said that the median survival age for his diagnosis was at least 10 years, but he died in two. About this he was circumspect. He held a Ph.D. in biostatistics and noted, drily, "Someone has to be on the left tail."
Near the very end of his life, with just a few weeks to live, he was reflecting as a statistician on the life he had been given. “Sometimes I imagine a bargain from God,” he said. “He offers me a choice between dying at 66 with a sure bet that my boys grow up, have happy marriages and good careers, and where I get to meet my grandchildren briefly; or playing the odds on a much longer life but leaving the success of my kids up to chance.”
“I’d take the sure bet every time.”
“He was a natural born mathematician, though. Here’s a classic dinner conversation:
Dad: “Hey kids, tell me as fast as you can what you get when you sum all the numbers from one to a hundred.”
My brother and I: “We’d need some paper.”
Dad: “Wrong. 1 + 100 = 101. 2 + 99 = 101. 3 + 98 = 101. . . . That’s 50 pairs all summing to 101. 50 x 101 = 5,050!”
Us: “Huh. Please pass the mashed potatoes.”
He died fairly young, at 66, from lymphoma. His doctor said that the median survival age for his diagnosis was at least 10 years, but he died in two. About this he was circumspect. He held a Ph.D. in biostatistics and noted, drily, "Someone has to be on the left tail."
Near the very end of his life, with just a few weeks to live, he was reflecting as a statistician on the life he had been given. “Sometimes I imagine a bargain from God,” he said. “He offers me a choice between dying at 66 with a sure bet that my boys grow up, have happy marriages and good careers, and where I get to meet my grandchildren briefly; or playing the odds on a much longer life but leaving the success of my kids up to chance.”
“I’d take the sure bet every time.”
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Pregnancy Decision Health Centers
http://pdhc.org/
Pregnancy Decision Health Center is where I’ve been a volunteer for the last 5 or 6 years (don’t remember when I started but there was a big ice storm and I had to cancel my first day). It provides women with pregnancy tests and ultrasounds (all free, no government money). It also provides counseling, material aid, educational materials, parenting classes, maternity clothes, layettes of beautiful new clothes and hand made things by church ladies. It educates the community and has teams that go into the high schools to talk about being sexually responsible. PDHC also has a fatherhood project to promote two parent families and the benefits of monogamy. There is also an emergency hot line. All this was started about 40 years ago by one woman who began with a hotline in her home after the Roe v. Wade court case.
There are four locations in central Ohio, all with a nurse-director, para-professionals, interns, volunteer counselors most with degrees, and greeters, which was my position. We do the clerical stuff, entering records on the computer (when I began the files were paper and in a file cabinet) and greet the people with a clip board and instructions, like you would see at a doctor’s office. I also search the internet for any recalls on baby equipment that is donated like strollers, bouncers, bathtubs, write thank you notes for donations, insert educational material into packages which are given to each woman. I unpack and sort baby clothing donations, some of which has to be washed, and some of which comes from Catholic ladies who buy or make them, and pack. I think that organization is about 100 years old.
Our clinic on West Broad Street has a pleasant lobby with comfortable chairs, two counseling rooms nicely furnished, an education room with tables, chairs, video, etc. A “store” with maternity clothes, free children’s clothes for older children in the family, diapers, books, etc., and an ultrasound room, plus 2 restrooms. A certain amount in the store is free, others can be earned by attending classes. Some of the locations, like on the OSU campus, offer STD testing, but we don’t. All the ultra-sounds are read by doctors who volunteer their time.
I’m a greeter, but have been on the prayer team for 18 years. Each week or so we get an e-mail list (without names because God knows) of about 10 requests for prayer as these women make the decision to either parent or abort. I think I’ve only seen adoption a few times in all those years, although that may be because the decision has been made. Not every woman is seeking an abortion; some need the documentation to qualify for government benefits. But our staff provides follow up anyway, and at the end of their pregnancy they can still have a layette. Also if there is a miscarriage, grief counseling. Some don’t have a doctor and need a referral.
Private contributions are 65% of PDHC’s support, grants 18%, churches direct contributions 12% and investments 4%. There is no government funding. The current budgeted income is about $1.4 million. In 1981 309 clients were served; in 2017 the number served was 4411. 71% of those who seek help have incomes of less than $15,000.
One surprise for me was the list of local resources we compile and hand out—local, state, federal, non-profit, church, etc. It’s extensive and very specialized, like beds, or scholarships, or free clinics, or low cost housing, or food pantries. The bed ministry is from churches—ours has one. It’s surprising (to me) how many families don’t have beds, or the women have fled abuse with no furniture, or the house was treated for bed bugs, and all the mattresses were thrown out. For a child to have his own bed is something really special.
Pregnancy Decision Health Center is where I’ve been a volunteer for the last 5 or 6 years (don’t remember when I started but there was a big ice storm and I had to cancel my first day). It provides women with pregnancy tests and ultrasounds (all free, no government money). It also provides counseling, material aid, educational materials, parenting classes, maternity clothes, layettes of beautiful new clothes and hand made things by church ladies. It educates the community and has teams that go into the high schools to talk about being sexually responsible. PDHC also has a fatherhood project to promote two parent families and the benefits of monogamy. There is also an emergency hot line. All this was started about 40 years ago by one woman who began with a hotline in her home after the Roe v. Wade court case.
There are four locations in central Ohio, all with a nurse-director, para-professionals, interns, volunteer counselors most with degrees, and greeters, which was my position. We do the clerical stuff, entering records on the computer (when I began the files were paper and in a file cabinet) and greet the people with a clip board and instructions, like you would see at a doctor’s office. I also search the internet for any recalls on baby equipment that is donated like strollers, bouncers, bathtubs, write thank you notes for donations, insert educational material into packages which are given to each woman. I unpack and sort baby clothing donations, some of which has to be washed, and some of which comes from Catholic ladies who buy or make them, and pack. I think that organization is about 100 years old.
Our clinic on West Broad Street has a pleasant lobby with comfortable chairs, two counseling rooms nicely furnished, an education room with tables, chairs, video, etc. A “store” with maternity clothes, free children’s clothes for older children in the family, diapers, books, etc., and an ultrasound room, plus 2 restrooms. A certain amount in the store is free, others can be earned by attending classes. Some of the locations, like on the OSU campus, offer STD testing, but we don’t. All the ultra-sounds are read by doctors who volunteer their time.
I’m a greeter, but have been on the prayer team for 18 years. Each week or so we get an e-mail list (without names because God knows) of about 10 requests for prayer as these women make the decision to either parent or abort. I think I’ve only seen adoption a few times in all those years, although that may be because the decision has been made. Not every woman is seeking an abortion; some need the documentation to qualify for government benefits. But our staff provides follow up anyway, and at the end of their pregnancy they can still have a layette. Also if there is a miscarriage, grief counseling. Some don’t have a doctor and need a referral.
Private contributions are 65% of PDHC’s support, grants 18%, churches direct contributions 12% and investments 4%. There is no government funding. The current budgeted income is about $1.4 million. In 1981 309 clients were served; in 2017 the number served was 4411. 71% of those who seek help have incomes of less than $15,000.
One surprise for me was the list of local resources we compile and hand out—local, state, federal, non-profit, church, etc. It’s extensive and very specialized, like beds, or scholarships, or free clinics, or low cost housing, or food pantries. The bed ministry is from churches—ours has one. It’s surprising (to me) how many families don’t have beds, or the women have fled abuse with no furniture, or the house was treated for bed bugs, and all the mattresses were thrown out. For a child to have his own bed is something really special.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
