Welcome to Family Policy Matters, an engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina Family Policy Council. Hi, this is John Rustin, president of NC Family, and we're grateful to have you with us for this week's program.
It's our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged, and inspired by what you hear on Family Policy Matters, and that you will feel better about your work. We're equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state, and nation. And now here's our host of Family Policy Matters, Tracey Devette Griggs. Thanks for joining us this week for Family Policy Matters. This summer marks one year since the United States Supreme Court reversed its nearly 50-year Roe v. Wade decision, which forced the legalization of abortion in states across the country. We're excited to bring you a series of interviews with folks in North Carolina who represent the many facets of the pro-life movement here in our state. Well, today we're joined by Debbie Capen, executive director of Mira Via, the nation's largest campus-based residential program for pregnant college students based in western North Carolina. College students facing an unplanned pregnancy are especially vulnerable to the lure of abortion, which promises a quick fix with little regard for the lifelong consequences for both mother and child. Well, what if these young women could count on support, tangible and intangible, for themselves and their babies during pregnancy and in the early months and years of life as a mother? Well, Mira Via strives to be that lifeline. Debbie Capen, welcome back to Family Policy Matters. Thank you.
It's an honor. For those who have not heard about Mira Via, what is your mission and how did you begin? So Mira Via, which is a word that's a combination to me in a miraculous way, our mission is to serve pregnant women.
We have actually two programs. We have an outreach center in Charlotte that helps women with all the tangible needs that a pregnant woman may have. But then we also have this unique program located at Belmont Abbey College that is a beautiful facility for pregnant and parenting college students. And this came about, we started in 94 as a traditional maternity home in the Charlotte area. But then we were invited by Belmont Abbey with a donation of land to come and serve college students. And our women have come to us from literally all over the country.
And it was this beautiful partnership where now we have had women come from nine different states and 12 different colleges. So that if they discover that they're pregnant while they're in school, they're not forced to make decisions out of fear. They can come and live with us just to becoming a mother, raising their small child and live in community with other young women going through the exact same thing. Now why college students?
Why do you have a separate place for them? And do you provide anything academic wise for them? Yes, it's a very unique demographic when a woman especially if she's attending a school that's outside of her hometown, your college campuses can feel like an island. And it's a very particular culture.
It's a special time in that person's life that a disruption to that can seem devastating. And the board of Mirvia saw also through other research, there's an organization called feminist for life that did a study called perception as reality that proves that when a young woman finds herself pregnant in school, they really don't know what resources are available to them. And so by creating this unique atmosphere where a college student feels comfortable and they don't feel like they are having to go and hide away or disrupt their education, it's this beautiful environment where they can flourish. And this partnership with Belmont Abbey, they have really put their money where their mouth is as well. They provide tuition assistance to the moms who come here and transfer to Belmont Abbey. And between the two organizations, we create this perfect environment for them where they can continue on their path that they already had of their career and then help them to welcome this child into their life and get across the finish line and just have a win win situation for everyone. Is this a personal ministry to you in particular?
It is. I sadly made the tragic choice to have an abortion when I was in college. And at that time, there were no known resources to me.
And sadly, I lacked that courage and the wherewithal of knowing how to deal with it. And when I went to my college health center, the only advice they gave me was that I could look up abortion in the Yellow Pages. And the beautiful part of this now is that that same college has now invited us back and we've met with the staff there and the nursing staff and they've invited us to their fairs. We've really found that the colleges have a viable option to present to their students. They're more than happy to do that.
It's just that other organizations like Planned Parenthood have been there all along saying, oh, we've got the solution. You know, it's up to us to provide that turnkey solution for students that they would not know how to put together themselves. Are there other tangible assistance that you provide to the new mothers?
What specifically do you do? If you walked into our building, you would find this lovely facility where there are 15 private suites so that every mom has their own living space, their own bedroom, their own bedroom, their own little kitchenette. And yet in the center of it all are communal spaces for family-style meals. And we have staff there 24-7. So we are providing not only the housing and the meals, but anything that they need, the clothing, baby items, car seats, strollers, and then the childcare that they need, which is a key piece to that.
We have a beautiful nursery here where their children can stay while their moms are at class or at work. And so those are all of the tangible things, but then it's also the intangible. It's the community that they build here. It's the case management.
We have a case manager that meets with each mother weekly to help make sure she has everything that she needs to be successful. And it's that combination of both the tangible and the intangible that support that they know that they're no longer marginalized. They know that they are a part of a vibrant and successful community. You're listening to Family Policy Matters, a weekly radio show and podcast of the North Carolina Family Policy Council. This is just one of the many ways NC Family works to educate and inform citizens across North Carolina about policy issues that impact North Carolina families. Our vision is to create a state and nation where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished. For more information about NC Family and how you can help us to achieve this incredible vision for our state and nation, visit our website at ncfamily.org. Again, that's ncfamily.org. And be sure to sign up to receive our email updates, action alerts, and of course, our flagship publication, Family North Carolina Magazine.
We'd also love for you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. So how long do the women stay in that facility? They can stay with us until the child turns two years old.
We would actually love for it to be longer. The state of North Carolina has some regulations around housing pregnant women, and so that is the most that we've been afforded through waivers is that they can stay with us for up to two years. But what we do is we work with them, like I said, through that case management that if they're not going to graduate in the two and a half, two plus years that they're with us, we have a plan in place of how they're going to stay in school, how they're going to have housing so that it's not just, you know, wishing them well that they really do have a viable plan in place. So what about the community around this facility and around the school? Are they aware of what you're doing? Are they helping you? Well, that's the hard part.
That's why I'm so grateful to be here with you today. As a nonprofit, we don't have a lot of budget for marketing and those types of things. And so it really is key that we try to maintain relationships with the colleges, with the pregnancy resource centers, with the community and church groups, because it's such a short timeframe from when a woman finds out that she's pregnant till she makes a decision of what to do. We only have a few weeks, so we're always trying to get the word out because most of the people do find us through referrals. And so from the very beginning of the referrals to all of the community groups, church groups, individuals that donate to us, that help us to keep the lights turned on, it really is all about this connectedness throughout the community that allows us to be here and to do what we do. Are you finding that the work that you do there is helping to change the mindset of these college women that they have to abort their children to be able to succeed in their education or careers?
Are you seeing some progress? Yes, we are. Seeing is believing. And every time a pregnant student is out on campus, she's evangelizing just by being there. And before this, I always like to ask people, when was the last time you saw a pregnant woman on a college campus?
It's very rare. And then once people see it, it normalizes and it's not something to be afraid of. And our residents are now in just about every profession you can imagine, from nursing and teaching to legal business, and they are carrying their stories out with them. And I think that the more that we can change the narrative, the more that people are experiencing this in their own families and their workplaces, it really helps them to understand that it's not something to be afraid of. And one beautiful story is we had a mom here who was on a sports team at her school, and at first her teammates didn't know what to think. And the truth is that Title IX protects women who are pregnant.
They have every right to continue their education, their scholarships, their sports involvement. And after she had her son and her son was coming to her games, so many of her teammates told her, look, we probably would have advocated for someone to have an abortion before seeing you. And just seeing her and meeting her son and seeing the joyful life that she had, so many of them told her that it changed their mindset about the issue.
So let me play devil's advocate. I think some people think, well, you know, this will actually make it look like it's easy to have children. Women will start to have babies in college just because they think it's fun and it's a hobby or something ridiculous like that.
Are you finding that kind of opposition or are people pretty supportive all around? The only people who have ever said that are people who have never been parents. So if you've had a child, no matter where you are in life, you understand how much work it is. It's very rewarding work, but it's certainly no walk in the park.
These moms, they work very hard. They have extra challenges that maybe, you know, the person sitting next to them in class might not have. Although everyone has challenges, right?
So this is just a different kind. And so I would say to that, that if anyone actually meets our clients or meets these people or their children, they would understand that this is definitely not an easy way out. But it is something that if it happens to someone unexpectedly, we want them to be able to take the next good step in their life.
And that's what we're here to do. So you mentioned public policy and regulations and how that might limit what you want to do. Have you found that there are some public policies that would help you if they were changed?
Certainly not my forte. I guess I can just speak to what I know in that, you know, for maternity homes, we have a lot of regulations which are there for the safety and well being. So I'm not saying that those should not be in place. But I would love for it to be more collaborative, as opposed to top down where maternity homes are brought to the table for these conversations and being able to have that give and take of what's working, what's not working, and that we can then provide the services that our clients need. So what kind of advice do you have for us? Because I can think, oh, every college needs to have this and there's a crisis pregnancy center or pregnancy resource center, I guess, as we call them now in Raleigh by NC State's campus, you know, they need one. What can we as we're listening to you do to assist you and to make a difference in the lives of the young girls in that we may know in our own communities?
Yeah, thank you for asking. The easiest thing to do is if someone's on social media, like and follow us and share our posts. I can't tell you how many times people have found us through social media. We're there on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and even TikTok now.
That's the easiest thing right there. But also, if you are involved with your church, your pregnancy resource center, community or civic organization, get to know us, make those introductions for us. We can send a letter or make a phone call. To organizations, but if they don't have that introduction, it makes it much harder. If there's someone that's trusted between the two organizations, that builds that bridge. And I've discovered it really is about collaboration.
And there's no sense in reinventing the wheel. Pregnancy resource centers play a crucial role in the colleges than us and the other organizations that support them. And I think my 10 year old daughter said it best. I was having a meeting with the pregnancy resource center staff and I was explaining to them, you know, how can we do this?
And she said, oh, wow, it's kind of like an assembly line, huh, mom? And I said, exactly. We all have our hand in this journey, this miraculous way that pregnant women are on and everybody can get involved and be one part of the solution. Okay, great. Well, before we go, Debbie Capen, where can our listeners go to learn more and potentially to help share your social media posts regarding MiraVIA?
Certainly. So our website address is MiraVIA.org and it's M-I-R-A-V-I-A dot O-R-G. And then on social media, we are MiraVIA Life, L-I-F-E across the board. So just look for MiraVIA Life and you'll find us and hopefully you'll see the pictures and be encouraged and want to get involved.
All right. Debbie Capen, executive director of MiraVIA. Thank you so much for being with us today on Family Policy Matters. Thank you, Tracey. You've been listening to Family Policy Matters. We hope you enjoyed the program and plan to tune in again next week to listen to the show online and to learn more about NC Families work to inform, encourage and inspire families across North Carolina. Go to our website at NC Family dot org. That's NC Family dot O-R-G. Thanks again for listening and may God bless you and your family.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-06-26 09:28:14 / 2023-06-26 09:34:29 / 6
