Central Michigan Pregancy Services celebrating 25 years with Healthy Family Initative Day
Pregnancy can necessitate many tough choices for a young woman and Central Michigan Pregnancy Services wants to play a part.
CMPS was started by a group of community members in a small building in the 1980s. The office behind Jon’s Country Burger, 1030 S. Mission St., offered only pregnancy tests and counseling.
Today, CMPS, now located at312 W. Broomfield St., has grown in volunteers as well as the variety of services it offers, including parenting classes and supplies.
“Our intention is to make people feel welcomed,” Marckel said.
CMPS will host a Healthy Family Initiative Day on April 9 in Pearce Hall to celebrate its 25th year.
The organization is renovating a new building at 904 Preston St. to move into and hopes to expand its services even further to include free ultrasounds, sexually transmitted disease testing and more.
The center operates completely on donations and has 24 volunteers.
“I would say that between all of our programs, about 70 percent are in the 15-to-24 age range and the majority of that are 18 and over,” Marckel said.
Catherine Johnson, director of parenting programs, feels CMPS is effective in helping change lives.
“The people here have a genuine heart for the families and the community,” Johnson said. “They’re always looking to grow and they really get into the heart issues, not just dealing with the surface issues.”
Many single women and couples receive CMPS “baby bucks,” an incentive for parents to progress and use the methods and lessons taught to them.
CMPS pays the couples to do homework assignments such as reading a story to their child before bed. They are then awarded “baby bucks” which can be spent at CMPS’ store, which is stocked with baby formulas, diapers and larger items like swings and high chairs.
Mary Barz, a nurse and executive director of CMPS, started working there as a volunteer nearly 10 years ago and found it to be the best way for her to give back to the community.
“One of my most profound rules is that we are not here to judge anyone who walks through our doors,” Barz said. "Because we are an anonymous visit, for some people they just need to unload and get it off their shoulders.”
The majority of the focus is educating young women and couples about the choices they have regarding pregnancy. However, Barz also educates young women and couples about the risks they take when being sexually active.
CMPS also hosts "Willing To Wait," a youth pro-abstinence program. It is taught in eight different schools around the Mount Pleasant area.
The Healthy Family Initiative Day will include a keynote speech from Brian Pruitt, an author and motivational speaker, as well as the 1994 All-American CMU running back.
There will also be five break-out sessions consisting of different discussions led by various speakers.
“People are blessed by what we do here,” Barz said. “I just want people to know that we are here for them, to help or serve them in any way that we can. I’ve seen miracles happen here with people’s lives.”
