Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services helps teens and adults make informed decisions

This is the first story in a three-part series about Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services, which has centers in Grayslake and Crystal Lake. Parts two and three of the series will run in consecutive editions of the Lake County Journal.

Part one: An overall look at the nonprofit organization and the services it provides

Part two: Getting to know the organization’s volunteers and how others can get involved

Part three: Details about the "Hike for Life" fundraiser on Saturday, May 8, and additional Tri-County benefits

GRAYSLAKE – Teens and adults seeking information about pregnancy, abortion and sexually-transmitted diseases can get free and confidential help from a local organization.

Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services is a nonprofit pregnancy-resource center that provides women and men with up-to-date information about pregnancy, relationships and related topics.

The organization has a new office at the corner of Atkinson Road and Route 120 in Grayslake, as well as an office in Crystal Lake.

Helping people make informed choices about pregnancy and relationships is the mission of Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services, which has been operating since 1987. The organization is pro-life but strives to be unbiased when presenting information about unplanned pregnancies, said Julie Selof, executive director of the organization.

“What we are really here to do is educate everybody about their options,” she said. “We want [our clients] to make informed decisions, and although we want everybody to choose life, we know that’s not going to happen in every case.”

In addition to offering information about pregnancy, prenatal development, abortion and STDs, Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services conducts free pregnancy tests at its Grayslake and Crystal Lake centers. It also offers “Prep for Life,” a 30-lesson program that educates parents-to-be about pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood.

Those who successfully complete “Prep for Life” lessons are eligible to receive free baby items, including clothing, diapers and nursery furniture, all of which have been donated to the Tri-County centers.

Such items were well received by 19-year-old Grayslake resident Danielle Schmidt, who recently completed the “Prep for Life” program with her husband, Tom.

Schmidt said “Prep for Life” and the overall help she received from Tri-County were invaluable when it came to giving birth to her now 1-month-old daughter, Emillia.

“They prepared me for everything,” Schmidt said of the staff members at Tri-County. “I don’t know where I would be today [without them], just with all the knowledge that I got.”

Tri-County also offers the “Healthy Choices” program, which teaches young adults how to develop positive relationships and recognize the attributes associated with true love.

Spanish- and Polish-speaking client advocates are available at Tri-County, and the organization is starting a Lamaze program.

More than 400 new clients sought out the organization in 2009, Selof said, adding that about 1,300 total client visits occurred at the centers during that time.

The organization is dependent on donations and volunteers – a handful of paid positions exist within the organization, whereas about 100 volunteers are signed up to work at any given time, Selof said.

“We definitely wouldn’t exist [without our volunteers],” she said. “The office hours we have for the centers are pretty much determined by when people can volunteer.”

Acknowledging her nearly six years of experience working at Tri-County, client-care director Bobbie Zamminer said the organization’s employees and volunteers had “hearts of gold.”

Tears and smiles have been shared by the organization’s staffers and clients alike, she said.

“Everyone who comes through that door should feel loved, not judged,” she said. “This is a safe place for a girl who doesn’t know where to go next.”

Want to learn more?

Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services has two offices – the office in Grayslake is located at 888 E. Belvedere Road, Suite 124, and can be reached at 847-231-4651; the office is Crystal Lake is located at 610-1 Crystal Point Drive and can be reached at 815-455-0965.

The organization is hosting its annual “Hike for Life” fundraiser from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Open to individuals and groups, Hike for Life includes breakfast, a hike, children’s entertainment and prizes. For more information about the event and how to register, visit TriCountyPPS.org.

To learn more about Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services, visit www.informedchoices.org.