Meet Her PLAN’s first Her Community in Virginia, right outside the nation’s capital.
The Old Dominion officially has its newest Her Community — Her Community Leesburg. Encompassing all of Loudon County, the locality is in the northernmost part of the state and is situated to the northwest of Washington, D.C.
Local pro-life leaders and providers gathered for a breakfast hosted by Her PLAN at Saint John the Apostle Catholic Church in Leesburg to learn about the Her Community model and ways to get their organizations involved. Seven Weeks Coffee is a coffee supplier based in the D.C. Metro area that donates 10% of all sales to pregnancy centers across the nation. Owners Anton and Christa sponsored coffee at the kickoff event and continue to engage in pro-life efforts in their local community.
Pregnancy center staff, churches and ministries as well as doulas, local businesses, government services and medical providers all attended to learn how to strengthen their local pro-life safety net. State Program Director Kayla Kessinger opened the kickoff by highlighting who the abortion-vulnerable woman is: often a twenty-something single mother living below the poverty line who likely already has older children. She also spoke on the dangerous rise of abortion drugs, which now constitute over 63% of all abortions in the United States.
Local providers, including ministries directly serving moms in need as well as local businesses, learn about the realities facing abortion-vulnerable women in Leesburg, Virginia.
Four influential organizations in the community — Agape Pregnancy Center, Tree of Life Ministries, Gabriel Project, and Mosaic House — held a panel discussion moderated by Her PLAN Virginia Coordinator Daniela Simmons. Panelists discussed their individual work serving pregnant and parenting moms, the foundation of the Her Community and what it looks like to get involved in strengthening the pro-life safety net.
Panelists also identified transportation as a gap in Leesburg. While Loudon County is considered the wealthiest county in the United States, a large divide exists between the wealthier citizens and those living in poverty in the same locality. Public transportation does not run every day of the week or early in the morning, meaning moms are spending their tight budgets on Ubers to get to the grocery store or their medical appointments.
“Transportation makes the difference between a mom getting to her doctor’s appointment, taking her child to childcare or finding a job. It is the main connection,” said Simmons. “If transportation is missing, all of the other categories of care will be missing because they can’t get to those resources.”
Together with the local community, Her PLAN is addressing the transportation gap through an upcoming car maintenance and community resource event. Road to Success Transportation Day will be a hands-on educational experience for moms and their families to learn the process of purchasing a car, including information about navigating the DMV, loans and interest rates, and avoiding predatory loan agencies. Attendees will also receive practical tips on maintaining their car, discounted oil changes, car washes and inspections. This event will be bilingual as many moms and families in Leesburg are Spanish-speaking.
Virginia Coordinator Daniela Simmons moderated a panel discussion on the gap of transportation needs in the community with input from four local organizations whose work puts them in direct sight of this need.
One panelist shared a story of a family of 10 in Leesburg that had immigrated and were living without a car. Through a car ministry in Northern Virginia, they received a car, but less than a year later the car required maintenance that would have cost more than the father’s monthly salary. Through a local transportation fund, Tree of Life Ministries was able to get their car fixed, which made the difference for the dad being able to get to work and provide for his family. Stories like this one show the real people impacted by the transportation gap and the urgent need to fill it with community support so vulnerable moms and families can thrive.
In addition to the car maintenance day, providers and leaders can get involved in the Her Community by attending the monthly breakfast series where community members will work alongside Her PLAN to identify additional gaps in resources and create and implement sustainable solutions. This month’s breakfast will focus on medical care in the community with a presentation from Loudon Free Clinic.
Attendees were overwhelmingly grateful for the event and left eager to strengthen and grow the pro-life safety net in Leesburg. Dr. Stephanie Waggel, medical director of Improve Life PLLC, was thankful to see Her PLAN’s arrival in the community coincide with the rise of dangerous abortion drugs. Vulnerable moms will have the community of real support they need here in Leesburg so they don’t have to resort to abortion. “[Her PLAN is] filling the gaps for actual women in our community,” said Waggel. “Let’s get all women transportation to actual medical providers.”
Pro-life Virginians are strengthening the pro-life safety net, ready to meet abortion-vulnerable moms with community resources, life-affirming providers and local ministries all eager to support them. With the Her Community officially begun, moms will not face their situation alone and are instead met with neighbors in Leesburg who will walk beside them every step of the way.
Are you local to Virginia? Become a part of the pro-life safety net. View the resources available in your area on Her PLAN’s directory and connect with Virginia Coordinator Daniela Simmons to help empower mothers and babies with the support they need to thrive.
