Redlands, CA (PRWEB) June 2, 2007
Heather Ledeboer wants to provide hope for women.
As a Christian, Ledeboer, owner and founder of Mom 4 Life, a Web site catering to pregnant women, mothers and children, wanted to thank God for helping her business thrive by helping other women. One thing Ledeboer felt called to do was to donate hundreds and hundreds of pregnancy tests – as many as she could – to crisis pregnancy centers in the southern California area.
“My business supports mothers so overall this seems like a natural extension,” Ledeboer said. “Supporting pregnancy centers is something I believe in. Ultimately I want to give these moms and these centers hope. I think whenever someone else comes along side what you’re doing, it’s a great mental and spiritual encouragement, and I want to help provide some of that encouragement and support.”
The donated pregnancy tests will help free up funds for awhile for the crisis pregnancy centers to use in other areas, Ledeboer said.
“These tests are a huge blessing to our ministry, as we have many women in need here,” said Anjie Bavaro with Crisis Pregnancy Center in Palm Desert, CA. “We see approximately 60 women per month, about half are usually abortion minded.”
The donations don’t stop with the pregnancy tests. Ledeboer has been donating 10 percent of her profits since 2006 to the San Bernardino Crisis Pregnancy Center. To date, she’s offered more than $ 14,467 and said this organization is a great fit since they’re doing exactly the hands-on work she wishes she was able to do.
Before choosing the center, she visited anonymously and was pleased with the services offered.
“They had the mom’s best interest at heart,” she said. “They wanted to provide support to moms who were pregnant and scared and not sure of what to do and offer them help no matter what direction they took with their pregnancy. And as a Christian, it made me proud to see that this organization offers to share God’s love tangibly by offering prayer and long-term support for the women through counseling and Bible studies.”
The organization, which boasts a licensed medical clinic, sees an average of 80 women per month, with the majority of them taking pregnancy tests, according to Executive Director Lisa Stiefken. An ultrasound machine soon will be a new addition to the clinic. Every woman who has a positive pregnancy test is given a brand-new layette, prenatal vitamins if they choose to keep the baby or an educational DVD and a post-abortion recovery support group if they choose an abortion, along with other services.
“You try to save every penny you can whenever you can because that means we can put that money somewhere else,” Stiefken said.
The pregnancy tests the center typically purchase can be costly – averaging $ 3 per test for the approximately 750 women annually who take a test at the center. The center, located between Planned Parenthood and Family Planning, has been open since 1973 in a city with a high welfare population.
And Ledeboer’s ongoing commitment to the center has made a huge impact for the center. Stiefken said she never knows when one of Ledeboer’s checks comes, but when it does, it’s always at the right moment.
“Last summer, we didn’t know if we were going to make payroll in September. And we wouldn’t have done that without the check from Heather,” Stiefken said. “Every time it seems we are just scraping the bottom of the barrel, then we get a check from Heather. It’s a God thing… Heather’s organization is Mom 4 Life. That’s what we’re here for – for the sanctity of life, whether it’s for a newborn or trying to protect a woman from herself when she’s abortion minded.
Other centers benefiting from Ledeboer’s recent pregnancy test donations are: Barstow Pregnancy, Riverside Life Services, Horizon Pregnancy Care Center, Moses House Ministries, Alternative Avenues Women’s Resource Center and Corona Life Services.
Ledeboer would love to donate some more of her pregnancy tests to crisis pregnancy centers that offer hope and support to women in need. If any organization could use the tests, a representative should contact her at heather @ mom4life.com
Mom 4 Life stocks a wide variety of unique products geared toward moms and children. All of the items stocked in the store are made or invented by fellow moms. From nursing pillows to baby slings, matching mother-daughter bracelets to journals, and colorful hair bows for young girls to chic maternity clothing for moms, all of the items on the site must meet Ledeboer’s high standards.
Mom 4 Life also boasts a plethora of awards for its Web site, including the coveted Diaper Pin customer’s choice seal of approval. Most recently, Entrepreneur’s StartUp featured Ledeboer and her business, and a variety of Web sites and the national magazine “Parenting” have featured many of the products she sells. Ledeboer’s publicity background includes appearances on a variety of radio and television shows.
For more information, visit the store at http://www.mom4life.com
Or call (800) 928-4905 or e-mail Ledeboer at heather @ mom4life.com
The Mom 4 Life blog can be read at http://mom4life.typepad.com/mom_4_life/
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