Walk for Life Joins Strawberry Fest Race This Year

Update June 12: The Race/Walk is TODAY! If you registered before 4 p.m. yesterday, you should be all set at check-in this morning. However, only runners who registered by Thursday will receive a free T-shirt. Additional T-shirts are available for $7 each. (The first 100 Walk-for-Lifers who raise at least $15 in sponsorships will receive a shirt also.) Day-of registration for the race costs $18. So far, we have 118 runners signed up, ranging in age from 9 to 76, including runners from as far away as Juneau, Alaska! It’s gonna be a great morning! See you there!

Pam Tebow to keynote Care Net banquet 4/13

Pam Tebow

Pam Tebow, who recently appeared in a high-profile Focus on the Family-sponsored ad during the Super Bowl, will speak at Hickory Ridge Golf, Country Club & RV Resort (15816 Lynch Rd., Holley) on April 13. The Albion-based Care Net Center of Greater Orleans invited Mrs. Tebow to address guests at the organization’s seventh annual fundraising banquet. She is the mother of University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. ~ The Tebow ad garnered national media attention because of its premise that Mrs. Tebow had been ill during her pregnancy with Timmy and was advised by her doctor to have an abortion but refused to do so. In the 30-second spot, Pam and Tim promoted the message “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.” Focus, a self-described international family help organization, said the ad prompted more than 1 million views on its website of the Tebow story, a more in-depth 9-minute video interview with Pam Tebow and her husband Bob.

In analyzing the impact of the ad and especially the Tebow interview, Focus VP Gary Schneeberger said, “Bob and Pam are encouraging other women to give life a chance because you never know what might be possible. And they’re not just talking about a Heisman trophy-winning quarterback – they’re talking about every life as precious.” The Care Net Center, incorporated in 1989, provides pregnancy testing, fetal development information, limited ultrasounds and other relevant resources to women facing unplanned pregnancies. The center also offers testing for the sexually transmitted infections Chlamydia and Gonorrhea for both men and women. All of its services are free and confidential. The center is supported by churches, businesses and individual donations from Orleans and surrounding counties. Its mission is “Empowering Through Informed Choices for Life.” ~ Attendance at the banquet is by invitation or table sponsorship. To inquire about availability, call the center at (585) 589-7505 or email info@CareNetOrleans.info.

Baby Bottle Drive Begins Jan. 24th

Baby Bottle Drive 2010

The Baby Bottle Drive is the 1st of 4 key fundraisers Care Net conducts each year.

Care Net is NOT government-funded. The ministry relies completely on the financial & prayer support of partnering churches in Greater Orleans.

The Baby Bottle Drive is fun & meaningful. Everyone in the family can participate. All you have to do is take an empty baby bottle with you on the way out of church (feel free to take more than 1 if your family would like to fill extras).

For the next 4 weeks, fill the baby bottles with loose change (paper money & checks are also very gratefully accepted). Filled bottles will be collected Feb. 28th.

There are about 35 churches participating in this year’s Care Net Baby Bottle Drive. 

And please–this is a very important part of the Baby Bottle Drive: Each time you add change to the baby bottles, please say a prayer for the Center–that God would lead, guide & bless the ministry to save lives and turn hearts toward Him.

Last year’s Baby Bottle Drive brought in over $16,000 in support for Care Net.

Can we top $20,000 in 2010???

Who We Are & What We Do…

For 20 years, we have been serving women & men facing crisis pregnancies-empowering them to make informed, life-affirming choices for their future.

In addition to pregnancy tests & limited ultrasounds, we also now offer STI testing to help ensure the health & well-being of mothers, fathers & babies, now and in the future.

Most importantly, our services allow us opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people who need to hear & receive the Good News.

Thank you so much for your support–God bless you!

Care Net Name Change Reflects Expanded Services

The Care Net Board of Directors approved a new name on July 11, 2009. Our organization will be called the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans, as of September 1, 2009. Two main factors motivate the change:

1) More Male Clients—The addition of STI Testing (for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea) in April 2009 is bringing more men and teen boys into the Center than in the past. Our Parenting Education is also reaching more fathers than ever. For some of the guys coming to Care Net, the “Pregnancy” part of our name has made them feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and even uncertain about whether they should even be at the Center. We don’t want to hinder this group of prospective clients in need of our services, but encourage them to come for testing, follow-up and abstinence and relationship education.

2) Wider Reach—The second part of our new name, “Greater Orleans,” both acknowledges our openness to clients outside Orleans’ borders and invites more clients to seek our services. The reality is: We already see clients from outside our county, and we’d like to serve even more!

One of our main objectives is to reach abortion-vulnerable women with accurate, medically sourced information about abortion procedures and risks, as well as limited ultrasounds and options exploration. We know that a fully informed woman is much more likely to carry her pregnancy to term and choose to parent or create an adoption plan for her child. Our mission remains: “Empowering Through Informed Choices for Life”!

Since we know that the majority of abortion seekers are college-age women, and since there are colleges located in several nearby counties (Monroe, Genesee, Niagara, and Erie), it makes sense for us to extend the offer of our services.

An additional benefit of “Greater Orleans” over “Orleans County” is that, with the new name, prospective clients are less likely to confuse us with various County (government) agencies.

The Care Net Center of Greater Orleans receives no government funding (federal or state). We are supported by individuals and groups, predominantly from area churches (inside and outside Orleans County), who believe in providing accurate, medically sourced information that empowers women and men to make positive, life-affirming choices. We conduct four fundraisers each year: Baby Bottle Drive (January – March), Banquet (April), Walk for Life (June), and Golf ‘Fore’ Life (Coming up! September 21^st).

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans!

Dynamic Speaker Inspires Care Net Crowd

National WAIT Trainer Shelly Donahue captured Care Net supporters’ full attention in her half-hour sex-ed lesson at the annual fundraising banquet April 30^th. Donahue co-wrote the abstinence curriculum now taught at the Care Net Pregnancy Center of Orleans County.

She showed the 325 attendees a condensed version of the straight-talking wisdom she shares all over the United States, urging pre-teens and teens to respect themselves and their future spouses by waiting for the “Best Sex” in marriage. She advises guys and girls, Mom and Dads to “fill up their ‘Love Tanks’” with healthy activities and quality time together. The smart choice of postponing sex until marriage benefits the whole person: physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and financially.

The Care Net Banquet, held at Hickory Ridge Country Club in Holley, NY, raised nearly $42,000 to fund the center’s mission of “Empowering Through Informed Choices for Life” by providing free pregnancy tests and limited ultrasounds, STI tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea, and a variety of educational materials regarding:

·         pregnancy

·         abortion procedures and risks

      (informed choice)

·         adoption

·         parenting

·         sexually transmitted infections and diseases.

Through WAIT Training, Care Net is also empowering teens to say “No” to sex now so they can say “Yes” to their goals and dreams, hopes and plans—including a healthy, happy, lasting marriage in the future.

The Banquet fell short of its fundraising goal of $50,500. Contributions and pledges of supporters unable to attend the Banquet are welcomed and appreciated.

Next Up: Our annual Walk for Life on Saturday, June 13^th, 2009 at 9 a.m. Come join us for a beautiful time of fellowship and common purpose at Mount Albion Cemetery.