In the aftermath of the group’s hard work and determination, there is now a place to put all of the fear and anguish for women who have babies for whom they cannot care for. With the Safe Haven Baby Box now officially in place, Chief Kyle is hopeful that it will eliminate one call that his crew receives. “I just hope that we never have to respond to a call from a baby being found in a dumpster,” he says. “We would much rather someone feel that they can leave their child safely than feel like they have to leave them in a dumpster.” For Nicole, who works with moms and families every day at Hope Unlimited Family Care Center, the Box represents choice. “Our goal is to protect babies and give moms an option to choose life over death,” she says. “We hope that the one mom, that has no support and feels like she cannot parent, will know that she has a safe way to give her baby a chance at life.” “I don’t think that God provided the Baby Box for there not to be a baby that needed it,” she says. “One saved baby will be worth all the effort.” 54 DECEMBER 2024 | INTHEVUE.COM but I can’t. It was Nicole and Katie and Cari who gave me the nudge I needed to get it done.” The team expected that there would be roadblocks, or difficulty, or red tape to navigate. But nothing stood in their way. They went before the City Commission to ask for it to be placed on city property, at one of Chief Kyle’s fire stations. The City Commission sailed them through the process. They reached out to businesses to help with construction, electricity, and connectivity issues to the City’s central emergency dispatch system. Business owners said yes, and then gave of their time, expertise, and manpower. “It was an easy, seamless flow, so we knew it was meant to be,” Cari says. Once the project got started, Nicole calls the momentum from the community “incredibly exciting”. In September, when the group gathered to hold an official Baby Box Blessing ceremony for the project, a little more than a year after the original conversations, it suddenly felt that it no longer belonged to only them. “This was definitely a community thing,” Cari says. “It was done by us and by people in the community that felt the same as we did.” For Katie, it was evidence of what she knows of our community, deep in her heart. “It felt very empowering because we saw something that was needed and we got it done because we leaned into our local community,” she says. “That’s where our power is, in businesses and elected officials that pour back into our community when needed.” “The business leaders that probably felt this deeper by donating the time and energy were the ones that didn’t hesitate to do it.” We hope that the one mom, that has no support and feels like she cannot parent, will know that she has a safe way to give her baby a chance at life. FOR THE Chief Steve Kyle, Nicole Farley, Cari Wildharber, Katie Colgan, and Battalion Chief Chris Owen
