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Debbie Newell (center, back row) and her Teen Moms Choose Life “big sisters” are working to provide community families a better Christmas. SUBMITTED PHOTO
(Editor’s Note: If your community or outreach group is having a community toy or food drive for the holidays, send the details to editor@osceolanewsgazette.com. We will work to list or highlight them this season.)
A group of local women who became young mothers is now on a second generation of taking care of its own.
Teen Moms Choose Life, a local support system dedicated to help young moms who are faced with a difficult decision to have a baby in high school – recently or years ago — is ramping up its efforts to provide a merry Christmas to those it supports.
After its annual efforts to provide a Thanksgiving dinner basket to those families who might not have one, the vision now turns to Christmas.
Debbie Newell taught and was a counselor at Zenith Accelerated Learning Academy for many years before “retiring”, but she keeps on as a director and mentor for the organization, which was once called COPE (Creating Opportunities for Parental Education) in Osceola County. She’s working with program mentors she calls her “big sisters” — those who started out in the program who could now be moms to those becoming young mothers of this generation — to provide the ones who attend Zenith a Christmas luncheon on Dec. 15.
They are also working to provide presents to children of families in the community this year, and while Newell and Teen Moms Choose Life found a corporate sponsor for the luncheon, they are accepting donations from the community who wish to help their community toy drive.
“We had families register for that, and had 50 kids in a heartbeat,” Newell said. “It would be wonderful if folks wanted to donate to that. We’ve had amazing help from the community, it’s been so generous. But I understand this year, people may not be able to donate like in years past, and it can be hard to provide for 50 kids.”
On the 16th, Newell hopes to have a station of toys for parents to pick out. Those who wish to donate can drop off presents (or monetary gifts) through the 14th at Newell’s office at 207 Indiana Ave. in St. Cloud.
