A Debut 30 Years In The Making

30 Years In The Making

A Debut 30 Years In The Making

It has been a year of growth for our ministry; we’re seeing a rise in appointment requests and an increase in abortion-minded women. We have had to grow our team to meet these new demands, and we would like to introduce you to our newest team member, Sylvia Pottle. 

We welcomed Sylvia in June when she came on board as a Client Advocate. She immediately started training and started this fall off able to counsel women on her own. It’s not an easy task, and our advocates and nurses are prepped to handle any situation they may find themselves in. We are all proud of Sylvia for what she has accomplished. 

Our team is made up of women, who like our clients, all have their own unique stories.  

Sylvia joined our team after years in the marketing world – she holds a Bachelor’s in Business with a minor in Marketing, and a Master’s in Education with a concentration in adult learning and training.  

God used a specific moment in her life to place a desire in her heart to protect the unborn and to serve women in need. That moment came 30 years ago when she found herself as a teenager sitting in a Crisis Pregnancy Center expecting her first child. Since then, Sylvia has devoted time and resources to serving local centers. Her heart is to support the women and babies that come through Crisis Pregnancy Centers, including ours.  

Sylvia and her husband John reside in Williamsburg and attend Christ Fellowship Church. Together they share three adult children and children-in-law and five grandbabies … with a sixth due very soon! When Sylvia is not at work or with her family, you can surely find her gardening, reading, or hiking.  

We are grateful that thirty years after that first visit to a pregnancy center, Sylvia has found herself yet again in one – but this time ministering to young moms like her looking for someone to listen and be there for them. She has blessed so many already and we continue to pray for her time with each and every one of the women she meets. 

Read More News Updates

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

2023 Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

Together, we can continue to be that place of miracles and transformation for countless women and families in need. When you make a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula, you are providing the help and hope that women need to choose life for their baby.

Read More »

¡Conoce a Karla!

¡Conoce a Karla!

As the needs of the women in our community continue to grow, we must do the same. One area where that growth takes place is in our clinic team. We’re excited to finally introduce you to our newest nurse, Karla Laskowski, RN, BSN.  

Karla has been part of our team for a little over six months now, joining us as a volunteer nurse and Spanish translator, a combo we didn’t have in our clinic and one that brought great comfort to our Spanish-speaking clients. We knew immediately we needed her on our team in a more permanent role, and the feeling was mutual.  

Our nurses each bring unique skills and knowledge to our team, and Karla is no different. Her passion for helping others, mixed with military life, has allowed her to care for many across different areas of medicine. She has trained in Audiology, Communicable Diseases, has worked in areas such as Telemetry, Dialysis, Medical Surgery, Home Health, Hospice, Case Manager, Public Health, Home Health Clinics, and as a charge nurse for an Urgent Care/ED.  

We’re proud to say she just finished her extensive training in Limited Diagnostic Imaging for Obstetrics Patients in Oregon and is one step closer to seeing clients on her own. Next up, she will be working alongside our Nurse Managers and Medical Director to finish some in-house training.  

God started preparing Karla for this role early on. She was born and raised in Costa Rica, alongside her quad siblings (yes, she is a quadruplet!!) and her two younger sisters. They were raised by a single mother whom Karla credits as being one of the strongest, fiercest, and most loving people she knows. Her mother’s faith and love for God were her family’s anchors through life’s struggles growing up. We see those same qualities in Karla every day, in and outside of the ultrasound room. 

While living in Honduras, Karla volunteered as a nurse translator and a new mom’s education facilitator at a local medical clinic for the uninsured. She has served as a nurse translator for two mission teams in Nicaragua.  

Karla and her husband have been married for almost twenty years now, and together they have one child. The military brought them to the Peninsula where they have settled in and found a faith community at Manna Church. Karla loves to spend her free time with her family and friends, exploring campgrounds in their new RV, or hunting for deals at local thrift stores, antique stores, and flea markets.

I asked Karla what drew her to Care Net and her response was: “The Care Net family’s strong love for unborn babies, their moms, and families. Their kingdom focus and strong faith to reach and love new moms in our communities.” 

We’re thankful for the people God keeps bringing to us and love seeing how he uses each of their gifts to protect the unborn and to care for their families. 

Read More News Updates

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

2023 Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

Together, we can continue to be that place of miracles and transformation for countless women and families in need. When you make a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula, you are providing the help and hope that women need to choose life for their baby.

Read More »

Meet Karen

Meet Karen

We have been holding on to this gem for a bit now – please give a big welcome to one of our newest Client Advocates, Karen Reynolds.

Karen joined our team early this Spring and jumped right into training and is now ready to see abortion-minded clients. One of the unique gifts that Karen brings to our ministry is that she previously worked as a Survivor Advocate and Case Manager for Transitions Family Violence Services Emergency Housing Program, so she is used to meeting women during some of the most difficult seasons in their lives and ministering to them through it.

In fact, Karen has a long history of ministry work, serving as a Food Bank Administrator and Operator, as well as an Outreach Coordinator for local churches. She holds degrees in Human Services, Business Administration, and Early Childhood Development from Saint Leo University and Thomas Nelson Community College, skills and knowledge that will be put to good use in this ministry. 

Karen has been married to her husband for over 27 years, and together they lived the Navy life for 20 years before settling down in Virginia. She is the proud Mom of 3 sons, 1 daughter, and 1 daughter in love, and is a member of Hope Church in Newport News.

We’re so grateful to have Karen on our team and are looking forward to the many ways God will use her in our ministry.

Read More News Updates

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

2023 Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

Together, we can continue to be that place of miracles and transformation for countless women and families in need. When you make a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula, you are providing the help and hope that women need to choose life for their baby.

Read More »

Have You Met Maggie?

Have You Met Maggie?

Hey Friends, meet Maggie McNeely! She is a face you will get very acquainted with and we are THRILLED to finally introduce you to her if you haven’t had the chance to meet her yet.

Maggie has been a long time friend of the ministry and a little over a year ago started volunteering as a Client Intake Volunteer. While serving in the clinic she noticed God was at work in her heart and put a desire there to want to do more and minister to the women and families on the Peninsula. So, when the Community Relations Manager position opened up in December she knew that was a HUGE answer to her prayer about what was next.

Since graduating from Christopher Newport University in 2013, Maggie has worked in campus ministry with Cru for the last 6 years, and even though her time with them has come to an end, she is still looking forward to being able to mentor to student women while developing and nourishing new relationships with Care Net friends in the community. If you’re looking for her in her free time, you can catch her taking long walks to the river with her pup, Willow, and playing guitar and volleyball every chance she gets. (We haven’t figured out if she can do both at the same time).

We know she is just as excited as we are to have her join our family and she is eager to get out there and meet you and bring our community together to help serve moms and save babies.

Sarita’s Story

The saying goes—it takes a village to raise a child. To the women we serve, you’re their village. But saving that child’s life takes an entire team, as Sarita shares with you below in her own words.

Read More »

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

Welcome Back, Sheri!

Welcome Back, Sheri!

Meet our new(ish) Client Advocate, Sheri Coker!

We first met Sheri back in 2015 when she began volunteering with us doing client intake. She was later trained as a Client Advocate. In 2017 Sheri began volunteering at a local safe house for traffick victims where she led Bible studies and helped women with financial literacy. Aside from her volunteer work, she has spent most of the past twenty years homeschooling her three daughters.

Prior to raising her girls and ministering to women, Sheri was employed as a financial analyst. She has been married to John for 26 years. They enjoy a weekly movie and ice cream date night and the occasional 5K to 10K race. Sheri is excited to be engaged in Kingdom work and the daily opportunities to see the love and compassion of Christ extended to women in need.

We’re excited to have Sheri here daily and can’t wait to see how God uses her in our ministry. Please be in prayer for her as she serves the moms who come to our clinic.

Sarita’s Story

The saying goes—it takes a village to raise a child. To the women we serve, you’re their village. But saving that child’s life takes an entire team, as Sarita shares with you below in her own words.

Read More »

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

Meet Our Girl Steph!

Meet Our Girl Steph!

We thought it was about time we introduce you to our newest Client Advocate, Stephanie Meitz. She comes from a background in education and has served in her local congregation in several capacities for over 24 years. She is married to Joel, has 2 daughters, and loves her rescue kitties. Stephanie enjoys being a part of a team that exemplifies God’s amazing love and desire for the well-being of the women on the Peninsula.

We love having Stephanie on our team and are thankful for the work she has been doing to help serve moms and save babies on the Peninsula. She is truly a blessing to every client she meets.

Read More News Updates

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

2023 Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

Together, we can continue to be that place of miracles and transformation for countless women and families in need. When you make a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula, you are providing the help and hope that women need to choose life for their baby.

Read More »

Meet Our New Executive Director

Meet Our New Executive Director

After leading Care Net Peninsula for nearly six years, Kimberly Logsdon is stepping down this Spring. The Board of Directors performed much ‘due diligence’ in evaluating candidates and is delighted that Ryan Holloway answered God’s call to serve in this role. Ryan is the first male Executive Director in the ministry’s 33-year history.

Born and raised on the Peninsula, Ryan brings an MBA from Regent University, service on the mission field, and successful executive experience at multiple non-profits. Kimberly recently interviewed him over coffee.

Tell us about yourself. I have been married to Caroline for 11 years. We met at James Madison University. We have four children, James (8), Penny (5), Claire (2), and are currently expecting a baby. We are very involved at Coastal Community Church. It’s a big part of our life.

You’ve been an exec at a national health charity and a global ministry, but you started vocational life in the Dominican Republic. What did you do there? My wife and I served as full-time missionaries for Students International, which creates ministry sites to help local impoverished communities in a variety of ways. Then students from across the U.S. can come alongside on shorter missions, working beside the staff. I started a microfinance site and my wife led the social work ministry. I helped small entrepreneurs in the community (mostly women) start businesses out of their impoverished and broken homes.

How did that experience prepare you for this mission field? I arrived with this Word document business plan to start the ministry and was walking down a street with the document in my hand, this plan, and thinking in shock “How am I ever going to get this to work in the real world?!” But I had a good leader and good ‘river banks’ of encouragement to make it happen. I had to learn many different things, from Spanish to accounting to fill in the blank. I learned how to figure things out as I go and how to implement good ideas in positive ways. Those lessons have dramatically impacted the way I lead, my understanding of how nonprofits work, my ability to fundraise, all those things.

More significantly, it was a window into the lives of moms working hard to survive amid severely challenging difficulties.

Ryan starts at Care Net Peninsula on April 15, 2019

Sarita’s Story

The saying goes—it takes a village to raise a child. To the women we serve, you’re their village. But saving that child’s life takes an entire team, as Sarita shares with you below in her own words.

Read More »

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

Executive Friend-Raising

Executive Friend-Raising

Meet Our New Development Director!

In the 1800’s, American barns were costly and required more labor to build than a typical family could provide. Barn raising enlisted members of the community (unpaid) to help build neighbors’ barns. Neighbors recruited others because the favor would eventually return to each participant.

We are thrilled to introduce our new Development Director, Anne Sych (rhymes with ‘stitch’). Anne’s role is similar to barn raising. Her job is to raise friends to collectively build and resource our pregnancy help mission. Anne has lived on the Peninsula for over 20 years and brings that many years of skill and experience in public relations, marketing strategy, event planning, and internet analytics (important to increasingly connect with all of us through our smart phones). She has been an ‘unpaid’ friend of our ministry for long time (helping ‘build the barn’ here) and she is now called by God to be on staff. Welcome, Anne!

Fun Facts About Anne:

  • Loves decorating and stages homes for fun
  • Born in England and named after Princess Anne
  • Lives in a 100-year-old house
  • Can fold anything back into it’s original package

 

Sarita’s Story

The saying goes—it takes a village to raise a child. To the women we serve, you’re their village. But saving that child’s life takes an entire team, as Sarita shares with you below in her own words.

Read More »

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

Building a Community

building a community

Connecting with the amazing people who support our work is important to us. We are happy to introduce Lauren, our new Community Relations Manager! Lauren loves learning what makes people tick, so we bet you will enjoy getting to know her as she gets to know you.

Fun Facts About Lauren:

  • Served ministries in Fiji and Australia
  • She Will soon get her motorcycle license
  • Loves being a Hokie and misses the mountains

Sarita’s Story

The saying goes—it takes a village to raise a child. To the women we serve, you’re their village. But saving that child’s life takes an entire team, as Sarita shares with you below in her own words.

Read More »

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

Welcome Carla!

Welcome Carla!

As demand for services grows, so does our need for trained RN-Sonographers. This bright face belongs to our newest Nurse Manager, Carla Branson.

Carla joins our team after years of working as a Labor and Delivery nurse for a local hospital. She welcomes the change to the day shift, and we welcome her expertise and knowledge. We know many clients will be blessed by their conversations with her. Carla has already completed all of her training, including an extensive week-long out-of-state training with Care Net national, and is ready to dive into seeing clients! 

When she’s not working, Carla enjoys spending time with her husband and three children. 

Join us in welcoming Carla to our team!

Read More News Updates

Get to Know Rachel!

Over the years, God has been very gracious to our team by bringing the right people to the mission at just the right time, and we’re excited for you to meet our newest team member, Rachel González.

Read More »

2023 Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

Together, we can continue to be that place of miracles and transformation for countless women and families in need. When you make a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula, you are providing the help and hope that women need to choose life for their baby.

Read More »