We are Live!
We are live! The Next Step Pregnancy Services STI Testing and Treatment Clinic is ready to accept clients starting June 15th!
Free STI testing with licensed nurses under the direction of our MD, resources and treatment as well – come on in! No restrictions on income or zip code.
Partnering with Snohomish and King County Health Departments for Expedited Partner Therapy.
All client information, testing and results are protected by our Privacy and HIPAA Laws
*At this time we are only seeing females*
Stepping Stones to the Sky
“Dear God,” she prayed, “let me be something every minute of every hour of my life.“
~ Francie Nolan
Dear Friend of Next Step,
The first day of Summer this year is June 21st! Washington is full of blue skies and warm breezes. Outdoor concerts and Strawberry Festivals. Summer is beautiful here. But there is a darker side to Washington State just now. Our current Governor is stockpiling the abortion pill Misoprostol in the event access to this drug is in danger. On April 27th Governor Inslee signed a bill that makes Washington a so-called “Sanctuary State for Reproductive Care.” In times like this I can’t help but feel like the walls are closing in around us! But I’m also reminded daily that now more than ever before the battle is being fought and that those of us who defend life will prevail. The road ahead will not be an easy one (has it ever been?) but the resilience and faith we display now will ensure lives are saved and hearts are changed.
Recently my 12-year-old daughter and I listened to an audiobook together. It was called A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This is a beloved American classic about a young girl’s coming-of-age at the turn of the 20th century. The story presents young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg. It was, in a lot of ways, a very brutal story, and there were quite a few moments when I worried it was too much for my daughter. It did not pull any punches about the realities of life at that time for those living in abject poverty. The story did, however, create several talking points for my daughter and me– and for that I am grateful.
The reason I bring this up to you folks is that certain aspects of the story put me in mind of our day-to-day work at Next Step and the women and families that seek us out. Like Francie’s parents, Katie, and Johnny, we see many young men and women, with little or no income, some with not a huge amount of education, but with children. And babies. And worries about how to get from day to day keeping their families fed, cared for, and intact. And especially those that live the struggle acutely upon finding themselves expecting.
The very first lines of the novel refer to the title, though the reader does not yet know the significance,
“There’s a tree that grows in Brooklyn. Some people call it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed falls, it makes a tree which struggles to reach the sky. It grows in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps. It grows out of cellar gratings. It is the only tree that grows out of cement. It grows lushly . . . survives without sun, water, and seemingly without earth. It would be considered beautiful except that there are too many of it.”
Francie Nolan was a sickly child. Weak and blue. And Katie was no longer producing milk because Katie is pregnant again with her second child. The neighborhood midwife offers Katie ‘some foul brown liquid’ and a choice. Katie refuses. Katie, like Francie, is the tree that struggles to reach the sky regardless of hardship. There are many families struggling to reach the sky, many children waiting to be born. Life can be harsh. But each of us is here by the grace of God. For a purpose. And Next Step’s purpose is to be one of many steppingstones for our clients so that they, and their children, can flourish, grow and be something.
Celebrate Mother’s Day with some joe!
“The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.”
~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Learn more about Seven Weeks Coffee below and use the arrows
to toggle to the QR code linked to Next Step!
The perfect gift for mom!
Easter Happenings!
Thank you to Holy Rosary for the beautiful Easter baskets for our families. There was a trail of baskets of well over 100!
These beautiful handmade hats and blankets were donated by some lovely young ladies who decided their Lenten time would be spent creating and providing for Next Step families!
A big box!
SAVE THE DATE! 09/23/23
Check out our cool video with Dave and Pastor Dave from TransBlue!
Spring is in the air at Next Step! Also, check out this informative video Next Step did with local entrepreneur Dave Wescott of TransBlue General Contractors! TransBlue has worked with Next Step for years and their commitment to serving the community is such a huge gift!
March is Women’s History Month! Here are just a few examples of women standing up for life!
Celebrating during Women’s History Month!
“in this world, where cruelty prevails in so many aspects of our life I would not add the weight of choice to kill rather than to let live.”
~ Pearl S. Buck (Every Life is a Gift, 1968)
where she shares about her child who suffered from retardation due to phenylketonuria.
Pearl S. Buck, most famously authored “The Good Earth” among some 70 novels but also has some very essential essays! Of note also, Pearl was also a mother of eight!
Next up on our month-long celebration of women is
Graciela Olivarez.
First woman to graduate from Notre Dame Law School – She was a charter member for the National Organization for Women but left in 1967 after they declared support for abortion. Her is a portion of what she stood for –
“Advocacy by women for legalized abortion on a national scale is so anti-women’s liberation that it flies in the face of what some of us are trying to accomplish through the women’s movement – namely, equality – equality means an equal sharing of responsibilities by and as men and women….
What kind of future do we all have to look forward to if men are excused either morally or legally from their responsibility for participation in the creation of life…?
To talk about the “wanted” and the “unwanted” child smacks too much of bigotry and prejudice. Many of us have experienced the sting of being “unwanted” by certain segments of our society….
I am not impressed or persuaded by those who express concern for the low-income woman who may find herself carrying an unplanned pregnancy and for the future of the unplanned child…because the fact remains that in this affluent nation of ours, pregnant cattle and horses receive better health care than pregnant poor women. The poor cry out for justice and we respond with legalized abortion.”
Emily Albrecht, from the Equal Rights Institute gets it. And she’s the keynote speaker at this year’s Next Step Pregnancy Services Gala – also celebrating 25 years of Next Step! Sat September 23rd 2023!
Its our last week of Women’s History Month!
Google actually introduced us all to this wonder on their Google Doodle from yesterday! thanks google…..
*Check out the beautiful sketch**
Justine Siegemund, a midwife who dared to challenge patriarchal attitudes in the 17th century was the first person in Germany to write a book on obstetrics from a woman’s perspective. In 1690, the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) certified her book, The Court Midwife, as an official medical textbook. During a time when few women had access to formal education, Siegemund became the first woman to publish a seminal medical text in German. Siegemund began her career in midwifery by offering free services to underprivileged women. She soon became known for her ability to safely guide women through difficult births, and word spread quickly to expecting women across the country. Justine Siegemund set the foundation for modern childbirth education! Her legacy still inspires physicians to make labor and delivery safer for all.
Next Step achieves 2023 Platinum Seal!
We’ve just earned our 2023 Platinum Seal with @Candid.org!
We are excited to share the work our nonprofit does through our non profit profile.
Learn how you can support us and make a difference. Just search under EIN 61-1590547
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