It was September, my junior year of high school, when I went to the women’s clinic to get a prescription. I left the clinic that day, not with a daily pill to take but a tough pill to swallow. As we all know, news gets around quickly. A teacher had pulled me aside one day to tell me that I had “options.” Those “options” had never crossed my mind; eight months later my son was born.

 

Throughout high school, I was exposed to many different influences however they weren’t faith based. There weren’t any programs, that I knew of in the community for teen moms, except for a program funded by DHS that fizzled out shortly after it began.

 

Fast forward fifteen years later, my son was hanging with the wrong crowd and rebelling against authority. The only person he would listen to at the time was his youth pastor whom I would reach out to from time to time. The guidance I once needed for myself, I was now seeking for him. I wish there had been an outreach in Grants Pass such as the one we have now.

 

I have a desire to bring hope to our local youth who are feeling lost, discouraged, emotionally wounded and seeking answers to life’s questions. At 71Five there is an abundance of love, support, encouragement, and acceptance greeting them at the door. Looking back, I wish that I could’ve been a part of something greater that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m excited about our team of volunteers in Grants Pass who are mentoring youth and sharing the Gospel. As the saying goes, “It takes a village.” My passion is to ignite the community in a way that we can all come together to help in the efforts to better the lives of youth by creating this “village.”