Calvary Boulder MOPS

Real Choices Pregnancy Center Providing

 Real Solutions for New Moms

By Lisa Olson

“Each year pro-life pregnancy centers save thousands of lives. Women in their most desperate time of need, searching for answers and just a simple helping hand, have been ministered to. Countless future doctors, nurses, engineers, inventors, and moms and dads of the next generation have been saved because their moms made the choice to let them live. Those unborn children were given a chance because someone gave their mom a chance, a chance for hope, a chance for success”

(Real Choices Partners Website)

Last summer I became involved with Real Choices Pregnancy Center after years of God patiently pushing my heart.  I would drive by the center on South Boulder Road and pray for them and the women they helped.  God constantly reminded me of this during my day-to-day life.  After completing my Masters in Nonprofit Management at Regis University, my son Alistair was born and I was looking for a way to use my time and gifts to further share Christ’s love and keep my brain active while being a stay at home mom. So I decided to stop by and see what kind of help they needed. I really never intended to become a pro-life advocate but sometimes God has other plans for our lives.  Maybe I'm just pro-motherhood, supportive of every woman who makes the tremendously scary choice to bring a life into this world. I want to encourage this type of courage and bravery. I quickly realized they need moms in the local community to partner with them. As mothers, we have unique abilities to relate to and help other moms who are dealing with the same daily struggles that we are. For me, helping at Real Choices became a personal and rewarding way to serve meaningfully in our community; providing both tangible and intangible benefits for both ourselves and the women we serve.

One of the most important lessons that I've learned through this experience is to share my passions with my children, by demonstrating Christ’s love to others I can embody my faith and lead by example. I hope to instill a heart of compassion and empathy in my children and I believe community service is one of the most powerful ways we can do that. I love bringing my kids with me to serve because it shows them that although I don't work outside the home that I am doing a good work; what I do is both valuable and important.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
 Galatians 6:9

Real Choices is an organization dedicated to providing a support system for those who might otherwise be walking though one of life’s most stressful periods without help. The mentorship program is incredible because it provides one on one teaching about pregnancy, newborns and parenting. It’s a pretty easy time commitment of one hour a week but the investment has a lifelong impact.

“O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O LORD, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. 

No wonder I am always praising you!”

Psalms 71:5-6

I started serving as a volunteer mentor but noticed my strategic planning skills were better put to use on the advisory board. One of the things that drew me to this organization was that how no matter what our gifts or talents are, they had needs for moms to help other new moms, figure it all out. I remember thinking as my son struggled through a year of colic how hard it would have been if I had to do that alone, and it broke my heart to think other moms were doing just that.

We are currently growing the number of our centers and the services we offer through a partnership with Catholic Charities and Bella Clinics (http://www.bellanwc.org). This enables us to provide a full continuum of care to all women who need aid. Women come from all backgrounds and walks of life. Thanks to generous financial support of our donors and volunteers we are able to offer the following services: pregnancy testing, obstetrical ultrasounds, pregnancy options education (parenting, adoption, vs. abortion), parent education, relationship coaching, material resources (diapers, wipes, etc.), community resource referrals (food banks), and after abortion care & counseling. All services are provided free of charge and are available to women & men regardless of income. Expanding into Bella style clinics will provide us with the opportunity to offer even more OBGYN services, abortion pill reversal, hormone therapy, infertility treatment, STD tests and treatment. Enabling us to reach a wider range of women with a message that they are valued and loved by our creator.

One of our big annual fundraisers is on April 9^th, the Ladies Tea. If you’d like to attend, volunteer or donate a silent auction item for the High Tea please contact Connie at connie@realchoicesboulder.org. We are trying to put together a table or two from MOPS so please let her know if you’d like to join us! If you are curious to learn more about ways you could become involved please contact me at lisakolson@gmail.com or volunteer coordinator Jen Boryla at jen@realchoicesboulder.org. You can also get involved as a volunteer or mentor!

Real Choices Mission, Vision, Values

“Real Choices is a Christian organization providing free services and education enabling clients to make real choices concerning pregnancy, sexual health, and healing from past choices in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

At Real Choices, we meet people where they are at, and address their immediate needs relating to sexual health and wholeness.  We help people with unexpected pregnancies, sexual or reproductive health issues, and relationships in a safe environment.  We use the opportunity with each person to plant “seeds of Christ’s joy and love,” to steer them toward healthy choices about themselves and their relationships, based on God’s design, while respecting and empowering and supporting them in making their own choices.

We let each client know that there is a community supporting them – a community acting as the body of Christ – that cares about them – through prayer, through financial support, and through volunteer time, with the desire to see the client live and experience a life of joy because they experience and are guided by the love of Christ.

We work with other organizations to “surround each client with love” – to support them, and to enable them to be the “best version of themselves” – to achieve the full potential that God intended for them” (Real Choices Partners Website: http://realchoicespartners.org).

Photo by Danielle Bigham. Lisa, Hadley & Alistair Olson bring diapers to donate to Mary’s Closet. Jen Boryla, volunteer coordinator, manages the supplies and helps to ensure all new moms in the mentoring program receive what they need for their families.