A safe place for unexpectant moms

"Lord, lead us to do something different, something more," Legates Carol Spina and Bunny Brinck-Lund prayed along with another pro-life friend, Rosanda Grau. The three women volunteered at the same pro-life pregnancy center. Through a growing friendship, they discovered that all three felt called to go deeper and offer more to the pregnant girls and women coming to them for help.

“We were kindred hearts, connected in the same thought—what if we were to do something on our own?” Carol recalled. She and Bunny had originally met at the Northern New Jersey Legatus Chapter.

Protecting preborn and their mothers

That “something different and something more” they had prayed for became the Inspire Family Life Center in Warren, New Jersey. Its mission is to protect the unborn, and inspire mothers and families with lifesaving services, guidance, educational programs, and resources to help them flourish. It also gently models a spiritual life.

The grand opening with ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing by Bishop James F. Checchio (Diocese of Metuchen, NJ) took place on September 8—the Blessed Mother’s birthday, “Our executive director and co-founder Rosanda began in that role on September 8 last year, so we wanted to go full circle and make that our grand opening date,” Carol explained. “We always ask for the Blessed Mother’s intercession in blessing our work.”

It was a busy year of organizing, including forming a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, finding the perfect building, getting a licensed medical director, qualified volunteers, and doing fundraising. The board of directors is made up of Northern New Jersey Chapter members, including Carol’s husband, Dan, and Bunny’s husband, Bergim, and Gina Cordano.

Going deeper for women in need

“We wanted to go deeper than the typical pregnancy center,” Bunny said. “We were beginning to see that women are not engaging in pregnancy centers as much. Every home on the block can be an abortion center because they have a pill they can take. On the front lines, we see that the family is not there to hold a woman up so that she is grounded in the faith or even given a faith. There are pitfalls everywhere.”

Carol and Bunny expressed amazement at how everything came together, crediting it all to God. They have a client-based website at InspireFamilyLifeCenter.com and are aligned with other agencies to build a strong outreach. The Knights of Columbus will donate an ultrasound machine. The center is licensed through their medical director, Dr. Frank Sinatra, also a Catholic deacon. There is a volunteer nurse and client advocates to do intake and offer services.

They are three-quarters of the way to their fundraising goal of $100,000. “The building expenses have already been covered, so donations all go to client services,” Carol said. “It’s been remarkable to witness the generosity of people.” She noted that area churches and Legatus members have been a big part of helping. “When you are open to doing God’s will, He provides those pathways and all the graces you need to trust and continue on that path,” Carol said. “Our faith is the foundation. We like to focus on Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Helping in that critical moment

Clients walking through the door are often undecided about the pregnancy. They are offered help beyond material needs, which includes a relationship even after the baby is born for help with parenting, education, and life skills to break negative cycles. ”We gently encourage them to have a deeper prayer life, and model that for them,” Carol explained. “We pray before, during, and after they leave. A lot of them have never experienced that before. Encouraging them in their relationship with God is all part of the ministry.”

The Inspire Family Life Center is located in a state with one of the nation’s highest abortion rates – 47,000 abortions in 2017 alone. “We are in such a destructive time,” Bunny shared, “but this is a straightforward vision we are embracing, living in the goodness and beauty of the truth. There’s such clarity about what is important, and we want to spread it just like our Legatus vision –to know the faith and spread it.”

Bunny explained that a future goal is to bring in male mentors to share their gifts as fathers and businessmen, to help build families, and help young men move away from destructive patterns. “When the love of the Lord and of our faith is in you, it’s easy to be an encourager,” Bunny said. For people reading this who want to help, Bunny asks for prayers in advance for their clients, that they come with open hearts. “God is going to water our prayers,” she said. “I know we can’t do it ourselves. Prayer is our sustenance.” For more information, see: www.inspirefamilylifecenter.com

PATTI ARMSTRONG is a Legatus magazine contributing writer.