Grant Proposal for Women's Wellness Center This proposal is for a grant of $125,000 for the operation of an inner-city Women's Center. These funds will be used for staffing and operating the center and for supplying guidance, informative literature, and assistance to women seeking an alternative to abortion.

Women's Wellness Center and History

In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data regarding the number of abortions performed three years prior in 2008. Considering that an epidemic is defined as a "widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time," or in meningococcal terms, a rate of attack that is more than 15 cases for every 100,000 people (Green, Swartz, Mayshar, Lev, Levanthal, Slater, Shemer, 2002), it may be appropriate to state that abortion in America has reached beyond epidemic proportions. In 2008 alone, CDC reports that 825,564 abortions were performed, at a rate of 16 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44, or a ratio of "234 abortions per 1,000 live births" (Pazol, Zane, Parker, Hall, Berg, Cook, 2011). In other words, almost a quarter of all pregnancies ended in legal termination. Estimating that there are 3.18 million people living in America, we can roughly estimate that 1 out of every 300 persons in the U.S. is directly affected by abortion. Indirectly the estimates must be assumed to be even higher. These numbers are beyond the proportions of an epidemic. They are catastrophic. Entire generations are being depleted yearly with little hope of regeneration or restorative in sight. According to the Guttmacher Institute (2014), 1.7% of women in the U.S. have an abortion. Since 1973, 53 million legal abortions have been performed in America (Guttmacher Institute, 2014). That is roughly one-sixth of the current population. When one-sixth of a population is lost within the span of four decades, one is not just looking at numbers; one is looking at a plague.

The plague of abortion is killing countries around the world. Recently, nations in Europe, such as Denmark, have actually publicly called on citizens to engage in procreation because they have realized that their populaces are faced with the threat of economic devastation if the census of individuals continues to be depleted (Durden, 2015). The indication all across the globe is that the populations of industrialized nations are in rapid and disastrous decline. The question on the minds of the concerned is: what is being done to stem the tide?

Stemming the tide of abortion is not an easy task. An ideal solution would be to educate on a national level the dire effects that abortion is having on our society. When 1 out of every 4 children conceived is intentionally killed, the problem is not just a personal one, but a social one. Abortion is socially endemic. It stems from a philosophy of Self that is more self-destructive than it is self-fulfilling. The problem of abortion can only be countered by individual actions by groups dedicated to working within pockets of society, where risk of abortion is greatest. These pockets must be in urban areas, in inner-city zones, and wherever statistics show the greatest number of abortions is planned and carried out.

Because 18% of all abortions are had by teenaged women, it is necessary to establish a social outreach program that deals with this individual age group. Women in their 20s, however, account for half of all abortions (Guttmacher Institute, 2014). Reaching out to this group can only be achieved by having an established voice within a community -- that is, within schools, colleges, hang-outs, employment centers; everywhere a presence of aid and support must be felt in order to counter the overall feeling that permeates this age-group. The sense that our history of working with women of this age-group tells us is that they feel overwhelmed by pregnancy, that they are in the prime of their youth and that an unwanted child is more than they can handle. Most of all, they point to a lack of coping mechanism: they simply do not know how to raise a child on their own. Many of them come from broken homes, a fact that is not surprising considering that today more than half of all marriages ends in divorce. It becomes quickly apparent to anyone working with women in this situation that the problem of abortion is a social one that has a much deeper context located within the problem of the

Recent generations have been labeled as the "Me" Generation, or the Generation of Self, because from the earliest age they have been taught that the purpose of life is to make oneself happy. There is little sense in these individuals that life is much bigger and grander than the pursuit of one's own desires, whatever they may be. Perhaps this sense is quilted into the fabric of Americana, so ingrained in us from our infancy due to the very Declaration of Independence that is upheld by American society. Perhaps it stems from an unwillingness to consider one's responsibilities to society as a whole and to future generations. Whatever the ultimate reason, the fact remains: today's men and women need help, guidance, advice, and learning in order to be better able to cope with choosing life.
The history of the Women's Wellness History dates back to 1985 when our founder Beatrice Baxter started a home for pregnant women. The purpose of the facility was to provide shelter, food, and assistance with the pregnancy through to term, and afterwards to provide education and support for the new family. The primary focus was to act as an alternative resource for women faced either with a difficult birthing situation or with the prospect of abortion. This work also included locating housing and employment for the mother and child support if possible, including daycare. The Center expanded operations in 2011 to a second location and continues to have a positive impact in the urban community. Donors have been a large part of the reason for the Center's continued success and ability to operate. However, with the current economy tightening the budgets of many, donations are not as high as they were ten years ago. The Center has been operating a shoe-string budget and will continue to do so without your help. A grant would go far in securing the Center's future for at least another two-to-three years.

The structure of the Center is that of a non-profit organization with a Board of Directors that includes the daughters of Ms. Baxter as well as other prominent members of our community. Our primary office location is involved in the dissemination of literature, the enrolling of participants in the program, and the staffing of operations. This office will oversee the execution of activities to be funded by the requested grant, such as education, temporary shelter costs, relocation costs, maintenance costs, and trainee development.

Major accomplishments of the Center include the support of over 10,000 women since the Center's inception in 1985. It is proud to say that the rate of induced termination of pregnancies in the city has decreased since the Center's foundation in 1985. While more than 20,000 abortions are performed in the city every year, we feel that it is through the dedication and support of our clinic, that the number is not even higher. Our center is dedicated to the support of life, regardless of race, creed or ethnicity. Indeed, the successful multicultural reach-out program of our facility is proof enough of the diversity of backgrounds that we have been able to appeal to and help. We have assisted thousands of women in overcoming drug and alcohol addiction and an equal number find lasting employment. Many of the women we serve continue relationships with the Center and even return to offer volunteer assistance when/if they are able. The relationships that the Center fosters are instrumental in holding the fabric of the city together and without the Center it is felt by many in the community that the worsening drug and alcohol problem as well as the problem of abortion and unplanned pregnancies would be twice as bad as it is today.

The Center also works closely with other women's facilities in the area, including Women's Health, Right to Life and Focus on the Family. Part of the benefit of these relationships is the sharing of expertise and the recommendation of practices and specialized help for individuals who need care.

Project Description

The service program that our group is prepared to place into operation is one that focuses on developing a greater voice and presence within the community. It is not enough to attempt to "catch" or "help" women when they are already in trouble. More needs to be done in order to prevent these crises from occurring in the first place. Our plan is to initiate greater outreach within the community through a series of free symposiums, where free literature will be provided as well as free counseling sessions for any who choose to seek help. Our plan…