Helping at CompassCare

About two weeks ago, the Buffalo CompassCare office got firebombed by a pro-abortion group named Jane’s Revenge. As long-time donors, I received an email that morning and was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe something so terrible had happened right here in my own city. My heart went out to the administrator, all the nurses who work there, and to all the vulnerable women who rely on the help their office provides. I felt called immediately to help in a tangible way.

CompassCare is a pro-life organization that helps women who find themselves in ‘crisis pregnancy,’ which is a pregnancy that is unplanned and potentially unwanted. The nurses who work there provide information about the abortion procedure (including risks, cost and side effects), as well as sexual health, contraception and pregnancy. Their goal is to empower women to make the best decision for them before ending a pregnancy. According to their website, 84% of women in America who had an abortion said they did not feel they’d received adequate counseling before terminating their pregnancy.

CompassCare provides medical services as well, including pre-termination evaluations, ultrasounds to confirm pregnancy, abortion reversals and after-abortion care. Many women who walk in the door are abortion-minded, but most of those women leave choosing to keep their child, equipped with the resources and support they need to parent or consider adoption. All of their services are free – free of cost, free of judgement and free of pressure to abort. Sixty-four percent of women who chose abortion said they felt pressured by others to do so.

After a little back-and-forth via email, I agreed to help this past Friday, to inventory the items recovered from the office. I knew it was a task that had my name on it, as the gentleman who emailed me labeled it the ‘job for list-makers.’ I had to go! So, I set Maelle up with her iPad in the shade and with a few other volunteers, we made quick work of two pods’ worth of stuff. It was mostly office and kitchen supplies, thankfully undamaged. Unfortunately, the nurses’ station was the hardest hit, and I saw three examining chairs and other expensive equipment sitting in the trash pile behind the building.

Thankfully, CompassCare was able to resume their services (from an undisclosed location) the day following the firebombing. According to a recent email I received, they plan to not only repair their facility, but to add an addition to the building and reopen by July 29, just 52 days after the fire. For more information about RebuildBigger or to donate, click here.

I’ve always felt a draw to help crisis pregnancy centers, perhaps because my mom (I believe?) used to volunteer at one when I was a child. She was also a meal-bringer to women after they have babies, and I’ve followed in her footsteps in that respect, for sure. I hope one day to become more involved with our office here, perhaps providing nutritional counseling to pregnant women.