I was a college student living with my parents when I found out that I was pregnant. My parents are very strict, the kind that expect you to finish school, get married to the right person and have kids. Well obviously, it wasn't going to be like that for me and I was scared. I didn't tell anyone and felt a lot of stress. I didn't know what to do, where to look, and who to go to. I started messing up in school because I wasn't able to focus much.

One night I couldn't sleep. I woke up and started to look in the yellow pages for some kind of help. I found a crisis pregnancy center number which I called in the morning. I received counseling there for help me find a way not to end my child's life. The counselor advised me to go talk to my mother. I thought about it but didn't have the courage.

My parents eventually asked me if I was pregnant. When I said yes I was told to leave the same day. I had no one to go to. That night I slept on a laundry bench. In the morning I went back to the pregnancy center and the counselor told me about Mothers' Home. I called the next day and got an interview. When I was accepted and got a moving date, I felt like a weight was dropped off my shoulders. I moved in the next day. Sue Fuller, the program director, greeted me, told me about the programs, and gave me a tour of the building. I found many other young women in the same situation as me so I didn't feel so alone.

After I finally gave birth, I returned to Mothers' Home with my baby. It was like I was away for a century. Everyone was hugging me. They told me that they missed me and all of them wanted to see the baby. I received a lot of compliments and gifts. The staff really makes me feel at home. It's not easy having a baby and dealing with the trials and tribulations of life alone. Mothers' Home has helped make it a little easier. When I am feeling down the staff is always there to help me with the baby or just listen to me.

When I arrived at Mothers' Home I only had two bags of clothes. Not that I am getting ready to leave, I have enough for the baby and me to fill twenty boxes. Mothers' Home has been a place to be while getting help to find something more stable, have given my baby a chance to see life, and has helped me to embrace motherhood while still working towards my goals.

I came to Mothers' Home one year after a horrific car accident that resulted in the death of my four-month old baby boy. The accident also left me with a fractured left femur. While trying to cope with the loss of my firstborn child, I found out that I was pregnant for a second time. Scared, confused, shocked, and excited, I didn’t know what to do or how to accept the good news. I started to contemplate whether or not to go through with this pregnancy. As I was second-guessing myself, one thing I knew for sure was that there was no was I was going to participate in bringing an end to my unborn child’s life.

I believe that each child conceived in a woman’s womb deserves a chance at life. I also knew that God blessed me with this baby a second time for a reason and that no one or thing would take this beautiful gift again.

I started to research ways in which I could keep my baby and continue to reach my goals. One month into my research I found Mothers' Home through the yellow pages. I decided to give the organization a call and with the help of the Most High I was able to schedule an appointment. On the day of my interview I was greeted by Sue Fuller, the program director, who introduced me to some of the current residents. They enlightened me on how the program helped them focus on their babies and their road to self-awareness and self-sufficiency.

I am currently attending Delaware Community College to earn an associates degree in paralegal and small business management. My dream is to own a catering company one day and I hope my studies prepare me for this. I am blessed and thankful for the opportunity to give my one-month old daughter Chinara Nailah (which means God Receives Success) a chance to be the best that she can be. I praise the Lord for each breath that she takes. So, Mothers' Home is more then a shelter to me... It is a place where mothers of different ethnic backgrounds and experiences come together and share the gift of motherhood.