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Meet Benjamin Watson – Our 2023 Peninsula4Life Dinner Guest Speaker

Meet Benjamin Watson

Care Net Peninsula's 2023 Peninsula4Life Guest Speaker

Benjamin Watson is a former NFL tight end, as well as a writer, a speaker, and an activist. He is a college football studio analyst with the SEC Network, and he serves as VP of strategic relationships with the Human Coalition, one of the largest pro-life and pro-woman organizations in the country. Along with his wife, Kirsten, he is the founder of The Watson 7 Foundation, a nonprofit focused on strengthening families. They live in Georgia with their seven children. For more information, visit thewatsonseven.com

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Amanda Franks, Marketing Manager

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Breanna, Jeffrey, and Baby Luca

Breanna, Jeffrey, and Baby Luca

There’s something special about capturing love in its purest form—and that’s exactly what happened during this beautiful family photo session with Breanna, Jeffrey, and their adorable baby, Luca.

The family showed up in perfectly coordinated outfits, looking stylish and connected. Breanna’s soft smile, Jeffrey’s proud gaze, and Luca’s sweet giggles made every photo feel like a warm hug.

These are the kinds of memories that last a lifetime. 💛

Photos By: Cindy Matthew, Volunteer Photographer

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Amanda Franks, Marketing Director

July 19, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Colleen Holcomb to Chair Care Net Peninsula’s 37th Annual Peninsula4Life Benefit Dinner

Colleen Holcomb to Chair Care Net Peninsula's 37th Annual Peninsula4Life Benefit Dinner

Local attorney Colleen Holcomb to serve as chairperson at this year’s annual Peninsula4Life Benefit Dinner taking place on October 20th at the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

Newport News, VA – This October 20th, more than 700 guests will gather at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia, for the 37th annual Peninsula4Life Dinner benefitting Alcove Health, the Peninsula’s only no-cost women’s pregnancy health center. This annual event brings together local businesses, churches, and individuals to raise awareness and funds for the pregnancy clinic’s medical services and resources.

The 2023 banquet will be chaired by Colleen Holcomb, a partner at Holcomb Law, P.C. Colleen’s passion for the unborn has moved her to serve in multiple leadership roles with Care Net Peninsula and as the Executive Director of the Republican National Coalition for Life.

“Coretta Scott King said that ‘the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.’ The Peninsula4Life Banquet has become a cherished tradition for the Peninsula community because it reflects that greatness,” said Holcomb. “The Care Net Peninsula team is serving on the frontlines, bringing hope and practical care to women facing crisis pregnancies. This banquet enables the community to share in and celebrate this vital work.”

The keynote speaker for the evening will be former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson of The Watson Seven. For more information or to donate online, please visit peninsula4life.org.

About Care Net Peninsula: Care Net Peninsula, founded in 1986 as Peninsula Crisis Pregnancy Center, is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides no-costs services to women experiencing unplanned pregnancy. Care Net Peninsula operates a medical clinic in Newport News offering options counseling, ultrasounds, parenting support and more.

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Anne Sych, Director of Development

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Rose Garden Mini Sessions

Rose Garden Mini Sessions

We recently launched a Moms Group for our clients to provide them with a space to seek advice, share tips and resources, and hopefully get to know one another. Another thing we hope to do with this group is to offer our moms special events from time to time, like mini-photo sessions. We’re so grateful to Elaina Marie Photography for doing our first one for us! 

Dominique (who is expecting) and Little Legend

Nichole, Stanley, Ethan, Elijah and Figg

Johnishia, Sean and Princess

Abriana, Brandon and Baby Brandon

Photos By: Elaina Marie Photography

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Amanda Franks, Marketing Director

Thursday, June 1, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Serving Moms and Saving Babies in a POST-ROE WORLD

Serving Moms and Saving Babies

In A Post-Roe World

2022 Impact Report

Remember the end of a world in Super Mario? You’d defeat Bowser only to find Toad saying “Thank you Mario, but our princess is in another castle.” That’s a bit like the pregnancy center movement right now.

On June 24th, 2022, Roe was aborted! This was great news. The Dobbs decision meant the abortion question would be answered at the state level. In many states, thousands of babies have been saved as a result. But not here in Virginia. In fact, our state as a “purple state” has caused national players on both sides of this issue to label Virginia as a battleground state in post-Roe America. On to the next castle we go.

For Care Net Peninsula, our mission has not changed. We’re doing everything we can to save babies from abortion by caring for pregnant women in crisis. We served nearly 900 clients in 2022. To handle this growth, we purchased 11101 Warwick Boulevard, the future home of our ministry. We’re also constantly adapting to changes in the abortion pill market and trying to stay ahead of Google’s algorithm that filters us out of certain searches now.

Thank you so much for partnering with us in 2022, and please keep the women and babies we serve in your prayers. 

Who Is The Abortion Minded Woman

She could be anyone! Your sister, friend, maybe even the woman sitting next to you in church. It’s easy, in our culture, to believe that abortion is the only way out of an unplanned pregnancy.

Unplanned Pregnancies and Abortions

• 3,016 unplanned pregnancies
• 1,435 abortions

*Most recent data available is 2021

According to the Virginia Department of Health, 22% of preborn babies on the Peninsula are aborted. In reality, it’s even higher! That’s because Virginia, like most states, only tracks facility-based abortions. Online abortion companies are mailing abortion pills (for abortions up to 11 weeks) to local women every day without accountability. These companies are strategically located in states that do not track abortion stats, so we have no way of knowing how many babies they’re killing in our community. 

  • Carafem, the largest online abortion provider, boasted a 50% increase in clients nationwide *
  • Carafem spends $1000s every month marketing their pills in our community
  • The abortion pill now accounts for over 50% of abortions in the United States

* carafem.org

** guttmacher.org

Your Impact in 2022

648

Pregnancy Tests

585

Ultrasounds

199

STI Tests

101

Church Mentors

236

Bundles4Babies

Ashley, a client you served, and her daughter Ani, visiting Karen, a Client Advocate, and the clinic team.

Casey's Story

“IT FELT LIKE A CRUEL JOKE” – Casey saw those two pink lines and was once again overwhelmed with grief and bitterness.

Casey was married with two children, but then had two unplanned pregnancies. Both ended in abortion. Her decisions to abort weighed heavy on her heart in ways she hadn’t fully processed. And yet, here she was, pregnant again. These same lies from before were starting to take over. Would this pregnancy end the same way?

“After my second abortion, I was left feeling empty and unloved. My life was becoming a train wreck that caught fire and exploded. I struggled with anxiety and depression and allowed the wrong people into my life. I even convinced myself that my husband didn’t love me anymore, so I left. I turned to drugs and alcohol to escape from the pain.“

“One night, blinded and overwhelmed by grief, I was ready to end it all. If my daughter had not walked out to me when she did, snapping me back to reality, my children would have woken up and found me dead in the morning.”

It was only two weeks after this incident when those two pink lines appeared. Casey was working on mending her marriage and family, but she feared a new baby would hurt their progress. Then, she began to experience early pregnancy complications that reminded her vividly of her past abortion decisions and how quickly this could all be over with. But could she live with that decision for this a third time? Casey didn’t want to let another child down, so she made a call to Alcove Health. 

“It wasn’t my first time at Alcove, but this time it was different. There was no hiding. They met me with open arms, and I felt like they genuinely wanted to help me. I met with Sylvia and Shantelle, who understood my situation and talked to me without judgment or ridicule. They gave me hope things would work out.”

“In a time where I felt so alone, scared, and just overwhelmingly sad, Alcove was a bright light of hope.”

“Alcove provided me programs, like LEAP (their parenting program) to help me get started. They connected me with a mentor group that helped keep me grounded and growing in The Word. I returned to my faith, sobered up, and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. I will never forget that moment 6 months later when I was baptized with my children, family, and nebworn daughter there to witness.”

God is doing awesome work in Casey’s life . . . and you’re part of her story! Your support provides a safe place for women like Casey to process and learn the truth about abortion. And in a post-Roe world, the truth is more important than ever. For Casey, that meant her daughter was saved from a physical death and she herself from a spiritual death and into a new life with Christ – one that frees her of the guilt, shame, and regret she felt, and helps heal the wounds she carries. 

Client Story Written By Amanda Franks

We're Building a Permanent Space to Serve Local Moms

In June 2022, we bought 11101 Warwick Boulevard. You gave over and above your regular giving to turn this 1970’s office building into the future home of our ministry. We’re at nearly 100% of our $600,000 Capitol Campaign goal and we hope to start construction in April 2023.

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The care net team

Board of Directors

Garrett Maroon

Chair

Wayne Holcomb, Esq

Vice-Chair

Pastor Shaun Brown

Secretary

Dyan Gurley

Board Member

Teresa Chalsma

Board Member

Pastor Riley Halliday

Board Member

Carrie Cecil

Board Member

Staff memberS

Ryan Holloway

Executive Director

Dr. Jerrid Neeley, D.O.

Medical Director

Shantelle Giles

Clinic Director

Anne Sych

Director of Development

Linda Mesibov

Operations Manager

Amanda Franks

Marketing Manager

Kinta Dye, RN, BSN

Nurse Manager

Meg Williams, RN, BSN

Nurse Manager

Karla Laskowski, RN, BSN

Nurse

Patty Shuster, RN

Nurse

Sherri Pigue

Client Relations Manager

Katelyn Carpenter

Development Coordinator

Sylvia Pottle

Advocacy Manager

Karen Reynolds

Client Advocate

Jenn Nicholson

Client Advocate

Candra Smith

Clinic Admin Assistant

Joyce Stackhouse

Administrative Assistant

Amanda Franks, Marketing Director

Friday, May 5, 2023

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Eloise Turns One!

Eloise Turns One!

We were able to capture sweet little Eloise’s newborn photos, and what a joy it was to be there for her first birthday as well. Check out these photos from one of our volunteer photographers. 

Other Sessions: Newborn

Photos By: Cindy Matthews, Volunteer Photographer

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Amanda Franks, Marketing Director

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Meet Our New Development Coordinator

Meet Our New Development Coordinator

Katelyn Carpenter

Hey Care New Family – We are excited to introduce you to our newest team member, Katelyn Carpenter. Katelyn joins us as our Development Coordinator, and she is someone you will get very used to seeing and talking to as the year goes on.

As the Development Coordinator, Katelyn will juggle the logistics of our Walk4Life, Peninsula4Life Dinner, and Bottles4Life Campaigns. If January was any indication of how she’ll do at this job, the ministry and you all are in great hands!!

Katelyn joined our team in January after relocating to the area last year. Why the move? Because she got married! She tied the knot in 2022 to Pastor Matthew, the Associate Pastor at Reformation Christian Fellowship. Together they enjoy exploring new places and hiking.

So while Katelyn may be new to Care Net Peninsula, she is no stranger to pregnancy centers and ministry work. She has served in ministry for about ten years and holds a Bachelor’s in Next Generation Ministries (Children’s Ministry) from Liberty University.

An interesting fact about Katelyn that plays a role in her passion for protecting the unborn, she’s a quintuplet! Even though they knew the dangers and risks that came with the pregnancy, her parents chose life for her and her four siblings.

We know Katelyn is just as excited as we are to be part of this family, and we’re looking forward to how God will use her to serve moms and save babies in our community.

Amanda Franks, Marketing Director

February 8, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Leesa Conley to Chair Care Net Peninsula’s 37th Annual Walk4Life

LEESA CONLEY TO CHAIR CARE NET PENINSULA’S 37TH ANNUAL WALK4LIFE

Local businesswoman Leesa Conley is to serve as chair at this year’s annual Walk4Life Community Event on May 13, 2023, at Newport News Park.

Newport News, VA – This May 13th over 1,000 people will gather at Newport News Park for the 37th annual Walk4Life benefitting Alcove Health, the Peninsula’s only no-cost women’s pregnancy health center. This annual event brings together local businesses, churches, and individuals to raise awareness and funds for the pregnancy clinic’s medical services and resources.

The 2023 Walk will be chaired by local businesswoman Leesa Conley, Retirement Services Officer at Old Point Wealth Management. Leesa’s passion for the unborn, devoted history with Care Net Peninsula, and deep community relationships make her the ideal chairperson for this impactful community event

“My father was the bi-product of a woman in the 50’s who decided to choose life for her unborn baby. Her decision to choose life for my father has birthed in me a deep passion and love for the ministry of Care Net. I am honored to be able to carry on the legacy and chair the 2023 Walk4life.”

Registration opens at 8:30 am and the event will begin at 9:30 am at shelters 19 & 20 and will include a community walk through Newport News Park, music, family activities, and refreshments. For more information or to donate online, please visit www.peninsulawalk4life.org.

About Care Net Peninsula Care Net Peninsula, founded in 1986 as Peninsula Crisis Pregnancy Center, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides no-costs services to women experiencing unplanned pregnancy. Care Net Peninsula operates a medical clinic in Newport News offering options counseling, ultrasounds, parenting support and more.

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Anne Sych, Director of Development

February 9, 2023

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Meet Jenn – Our New Client Advocate

Get to Know Jenn!

The Care Net Peninsula family is growing, and we think you’ll love our newest addition, Jenn Nicholson.

We welcomed Jenn in August when she joined our team as a Client Advocate. She immediately got to work training and can now counsel the women we serve on her own. The role of Client Advocate is a challenging task – each member of our team prepares to be able to handle any situation they may find themselves in while sitting in the counseling room. We’re all so proud of Jenn for what she has accomplished already.

Before joining our team, Jenn has spent the last 15 years providing in-home childcare services while working towards her BA in Biblical and Theological Studies from Regent University, which she will receive in May. 

She has always felt the pull to serve women who have experienced trauma. Currently, Jenn works with an organization in Pattaya, Thailand, to help women transition out of the sex tourism industry. In the Fall, she will start working towards her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with the goal of one day providing low-cost mental health services for women in our community. 

Jenn is a member of Deer Park Fellowship, where she serves as a musical worship leader. She has been married to her husband Barry for 17 years, and together they share four children, two hairless cats, one Boston terrier, and a leopard gecko. 

We’re excited to see how God will use Jenn’s passion for sharing the love and light of Christ in the lives of the women we serve, and we know she is just the right fit for our family here at CNP.

Amanda Franks, Marketing Director

February 2, 2023

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Critical Year-End Ministry Update

Critical Year-End Ministry Update from Care Net Peninsula

Tragically, 15 children in Virginia died from Covid-19. But since March 2020, 300 times that number of babies died from abortion . . . on the Peninsula. That’s over 4,000 preborn lives taken from our community in less than 3 years. But it would have been more.

We made a commitment in 2020 to double down on our efforts to save babies from abortion. For starters, we never closed. Then we doubled our clinic ad budget, expanded our hours, and added new services. We created hundreds of blogs, videos, and social media posts to reach more local women.

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There were real barriers. Governor Northam passed new abortion laws and Covid lockdowns led to the meteoric rise of the at-home abortion pill. Google filtered us out of some search results and added a pro-abortion label to our videos.

But, by God’s grace, our efforts–and your investment–paid off. Since March 2020 we served a record number of women and saved 268 babies from abortion.

As a member of the Care Net Peninsula Family, you fueled historic growth for our ministry. We could not be more grateful for your commitment to serving moms and saving babies on the Peninsula. I am writing to thank you, and to ask you to help us do even more.

It’s been a historic year in the national fight for life. Overturning Roe was monumental. Thousands of lives have already been saved from abortion. But here in Virginia, abortion is still legal up to birth. We’re not sure what the political climate will be in 2023 and beyond, but thanks to you, we’re equipped to serve all the women God sends our way.

That’s because in June we made a big move. We bought 11101 Warwick Boulevard, the future home of our ministry. We own the building and we’ve nearly completed the $600,000 capital campaign to fund the renovation. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We’re on track to start construction on February 1st.

We have been laser-focused on the Building4Life campaign and it’s left a gap of about $50,000 in our operating budget. Would you consider a year-end gift of $50, $100, $500, or whatever amount God puts on your heart?

You all have been incredibly generous to Care Net Peninsula this year, but this is a unique season for us financially. If you’re able to allocate some of your year-end giving to Care Net Peninsula, it will help us close this funding gap.

Your gift means we can continue to provide services like life-affirming counseling to women planning to have an abortion. Ultrasounds help women see the truth about their pregnancies. Our LEAP and church mentorship programs provide ongoing training to expectant moms.  We offer all this and more for free thanks to partners like you!

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I pray that this Christmas season be a time of joyful celebration with your family of the birth of Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your generous giving to Care Net Peninsula in 2022. As we look ahead to a new chapter in our ministry, please pray that God’s truth and love would guide us in our work.

Merry Christmas,

P.S. Thank you for your incredible generosity in 2022. We’ve nearly funded the campaign for our new building, but that’s left a gap of about $50,000 in our operating budget. Would you consider a year-end gift to close this critical gap in our funding?

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Ryan Holloway, Executive Director

December 5, 2022

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

December 2, 2024

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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