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Genesis House
provides aid for
young pregnant
women
By JESSICA
STEPHEN:
jstephen@kenoshanews.com
When Shauntrice
found out she
was pregnant,
she knew she
wanted to be a
good mom. But
what did that
mean? And how
was she going to
do that?
Shauntrice, who
didn’t want
people to know
her last name,
felt she
couldn’t look to
her own mother
for direction.
It’s not that
her mother
wasn’t a good
mom. But,
Shauntrice said,
her mom was was
stressed all the
time, trying to
juggle work
while raising
three girls. She
was too quick to
hit and too slow
to listen. And,
she said, her
mom had no
patience for an
18-year-old
daughter with a
baby on the way.
“She said if I
had the baby, I
had to leave
because she
didn’t want to
raise another
child,”
Shauntrice said.
Shauntrice
strongly
considered an
abortion, but
her boyfriend
didn’t believe
in that. So,
suddenly, she
was going to
have a baby. For
help, she turned
to Walkin’ In My
Shoes, a walk-in
center for
homeless teens,
where JoAnna
Wynn connected
Shauntrice with
the Genesis
House, a
Christian home
for pregnant
young women.
Alternative
home, program
Genesis House
offers pregnant
young women,
ages 15-25, a
place to live
for up to nine
months after
their babies are
born. The house
can take up to
five young women
at one time.
Unlike many
maternity homes,
Genesis House
also takes in
young women who
already have a
child, as long
as that child is
6 years old or
younger.
“There’s so much
more here than a
shelter,” said
Maggie Graff, a
house parent and
director of the
Genesis House in
Pleasant Prairie
along with her
husband, Wayne.
“Genesis is a
comprehensive
program. It’s
not a week or
two until
something else
comes along. “We
like to teach
the young women
to be
God-dependent
and
self-sufficient,
to know that God
is there for
them at all
times, no matter
what their
circumstances
may bring.”
The Graffs back
that up with
training on
everything from
pre-natal care
and birth to
nutrition and
child
development. The
goal, Graff
said, is
“learning to
treat your child
as a gift and a
treasure, not an
inconvenience.
This will help
them be better
parents.” That
message was a
godsend for
Shauntrice, who
said she never
imagined a place
like Genesis
House existed.
“It’s basically
your home,” she
said. “It’s a
place to stay,
plus they help
you out. I
really don’t
want for much
because I have a
place to stay.
I’m in school.
It’s not as bad
as I thought it
would be.” There
are choices
That’s
important, Graff
said, because
many of the
girls who come
to Genesis House
“just don’t know
that they have
choices when
their families
either cannot
feed another
mouth or choose
to send them on
their way when
they find out
there’s a baby
on the way.”
That has been a
comfort for
Shauntrice, who
is four months
pregnant.
Since moving
into Genesis
House earlier
this year,
Shauntrice said
she feels more
prepared to deal
with her baby.
She has learned
how to cook and
clean and make a
household
budget. She has
learned what to
expect during
her pregnancy
and delivery.
And she has been
able to continue
her education at
Reuther High
School, where
she expects to
earn her diploma
— not a GED or
high school
equivalency —
which will help
her find a job
to help support
her child, along
with her
boyfriend, who
remains
dedicated to her
and the baby.
Most
importantly,
Shauntrice said,
Graff has helped
her learn how to
become the
parent she wants
to be. “I still
feel like I’m
not ready. But,
hey, stuff
happens,” she
said with a
sigh. “I don’t
know what I’m
getting myself
into. But I know
I’m not going to
treat my child
the way I was
treated. I got a
whooping for
everything. ...
I don’t want to
whoop my child.
I really just
want to talk to
my child.” |
