First Her Community in the Sunshine State launched in Lakeland.
Last week, Her PLAN launched its newest Her Community — Lakeland, Florida. Lakeland the largest city in Polk County and is located in Central Florida between Tampa and Orlando.
Her Communities are coalitions of public officials, churches, charities, businesses and individuals that assess the adequacy of their local pro-life safety net and identify opportunities to expand or launch resources that address unmet needs. This work leads to establishing new resources or growing under-resourced, high-demand programs in the community. Over the last year, Her PLAN has been developing and implementing this model with great success in local communities in eleven states.
Local providers and individuals passionate about the pro-life movement gathered in Lakeland for an official kickoff event to begin their work. Organizations represented include both Lakeland pregnancy centers, a foster care closet, local Knights of Columbus chapters, 40 Days for Life, a teen parenting program and One More Child as well as local churches. City Commissioner Ashley Troutman, who is pro-life, was also in attendance.
Florida Coordinator Ava Winkler stands with City Commissioner Ashley Troutman, a local pro-life leader who has collaborated with Her PLAN since its arrival in Lakeland.
Lakeland was chosen as the first Her Community in Florida because despite its uniquely high number of pro-life providers, the need for life-affirming care and support for mothers is still great. Florida Coordinator Ava Winkler showed a glimpse of the wraparound care existing in Lakeland in her presentation to attendees. She introduced Her PLAN’s Categories of Care, which address common reasons women cite for abortion so the pro-life safety net can best offer support for her needs comprehensively.
During the kickoff event, attendees used Her PLAN’s Categories of Care to identify gaps in Lakeland’s pro-life safety net, such as childcare, housing and transportation. These gaps reflect national trends. Childcare vouchers are available but due to strict requirements, many moms in need are ineligible. While emergency housing and shelters are available in the most extreme circumstances, many families struggle to find affordable housing in safe neighborhoods. Public transportation in Polk County does not cover every area and is often unreliable. Additionally, some neighborhoods have limited or nonexistent grocery options, so living in Lakeland without a car makes it hard for moms to find groceries, attend medical appointments or get to work.
With Her Community in Lakeland officially launched, individuals and organizations can work together to address these gaps in care. “There is a need for us to have a curiosity of what else we can do to fill these gaps, and we have a community very willing to do that,” said Winkler.
Her PLAN State Program Director Kayla Kessinger introduces attendees to the who abortion-vulnerable woman is: often a twenty-something single mother living below the poverty line who likely already has older children.
Community work began before the event concluded. Attendees and donors connected to support a teen mom community center, a transportation fund and a single mother ministry. A Knights of Columbus chapter announced their goal of giving a scholarship to a teen mom to attend a nursing program of her choice. One local provider began planning a resource fair for later this year to provide more outreach opportunities to families in Polk County.
Attendees were grateful for the kickoff event because it gave them a better understanding of the various needs in Lakeland, the real challenges abortion-vulnerable women face and the ability to network with other leaders to address these gaps. “If we band together for the greater good while leveraging our respective resources, we can become far more successful in creating sustainable solutions,” said Sandra Astacio, President of Daughters in Christ ministry. “We must accept that we truly do need one another and should be eager to meet the need within our communities collectively.”
Local providers, ministries and pro-life organizations collaborate on the respective ways they address the Categories of Care and how they can leverage these connections to address existing gaps in the community.
Work has only just begun to strengthen the pro-life safety net in Lakeland. Now that Her Community providers and organizations know more about who the abortion-vulnerable woman is, monthly breakfasts hosted by Her PLAN will focus on putting that knowledge into action through hands-on, collaborative work. Upcoming events include the monthly breakfast discussions, community days of action and a Mother’s Day celebration.
With Her Community Lakeland officially underway and pro-life leaders anxious to find ways to meet the needs of local moms, the pro-life safety net will flourish as neighbors collaborate to ensure every woman has the support she needs to become the mom she wants to be.
Are you local to Florida? Become a part of the pro-life safety net. View the resources available in your area on Her PLAN’s directory and connect with Florida Coordinator Ava Winkler to help empower mothers and babies with the support they need to thrive.
