Hello, my name is Liz and I joined New Beginnings a year ago. I found out I was pregnant in August and moved to Wisconsin from my home in California, in September of last year. I had no job, wasn’t in school and had nowhere to go. Knowing my life had to change drastically for this baby and myself, I decided to move out here with my Mom. She told me she had heard about New Beginnings Family Services through her church. About a week after I arrived, I was talking to Cathy about joining the Earn While You Learn program. I explained that I wanted to keep the baby and wanted to do everything I could to prepare.

I started the following week and have been attending ever since. New Beginnings helped me understand more about what was going on inside of me, like how this life was developing. I learned about how to bond with my child during the pregnancy, how to eat healthy and the importance of keeping up on my Dr. appointments. Throughout the pregnancy, I learned about the physical and mental development of my baby. It was amazing to see what God was doing inside of me.

Throughout this program, not only did my relationship with my baby grow, so did the one I have with God. When I started this journey, I had a very strained relationship with Him, but I still prayed that He would give me strength and guide me. Before I even moved out here, I would pray that every day. When I joined New Beginnings, I felt that God had opened a window, when so many doors had been closed. An opportunity to learn more about my son and earn baby items for him sounded so unreal. But it was real! I went to all of my doctor’s appointments, WIC appointments, and attended all the classes.

At New Beginnings, I earned Baby Bucks through watching the pregnancy DVD's and completing the worksheets that went with them. Baby Bucks are like Monopoly money that you earn and can purchase baby items with them. I was able to bring home a car seat, stroller, crib and many other things that I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford brand new.

New Beginnings didn’t make me feel like charity case, they provided a way for me to earn these things. I feel like I am a good Mom because of this program! The greatest thing they have done for me is accept me. When I felt that I was alone, they opened their doors to me, not only me, but also this life inside of me. I knew I wanted to be a Mother, but I didn’t know how to be a Mother.

I now have a beautiful baby boy, Dominic. New Beginnings has changed our lives, almost as much as this baby has changed mine! If I hadn’t gone there, I wouldn’t have half the things I do and I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did. These people have become family to us. They have watched Dominic grow and they have shown me that there are good people in this world. I want other women to know that this program exists and that it’s a wonderful way to prepare for a baby. You don’t have to be a young Mom in poverty to go there, you can be a happily married couple. It doesn’t matter who you are there. I am so glad that I didn’t let pride keep me from going to New Beginnings! There is nothing shameful about learning about the life inside of you and earning new baby stuff at the same time.

This program was an answer to my prayers and anyone that supports it and keeps it alive is doing an amazing thing! I intend to continue the classes for as long as they’ll allow, which is when Dominic turns 3. Even when I finish the classes, I will still keep in touch with them because of what they have done and continue to do for Dominic and myself. Thank you for financially supporting New Beginnings and thank you for providing such an amazing opportunity for me and my family!