CHARLOTTE — “Chosen and Precious in God’s Sight” was the theme for MiraVia’s annual banquet Oct. 18. Shawn Carney, president of the pro-life organization 40 Days For Life, served as keynote speaker.
Nearly 900 supporters of MiraVia gathered at the Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom to raise money and hear the good news about the outreach ministry which helped more than 615 young mothers and children last year.
Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey, Monsignor Mauricio West, chancellor and vicar general of the Diocese of Charlotte, and Father Christopher Roux, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, offered prayers at the 24th annual banquet.
MiraVia, which began as Room At The Inn in 1994, helps abortion-vulnerable women choose life and build independent, healthy lives for themselves and their children. MiraVia offers life skills classes, material assistance and moral support to the women who come to them for help – free of charge. Since its founding, MiraVia has helped 8,072 women and their children at its outreach facility in Charlotte.
Debbie Capen, MiraVia’s executive director shared the good news of how donations to the outreach ministry helped women and children this year.
She noted that donors contributed more than 32,392 diapers, 1,232 bags of clothing and 4,092 pounds of food over the past year to MiraVia moms and their babies. Volunteers offered 841 hours of service to assist the mothers and their children at both of MiraVia’s facilities last year.
Capen also shared that eight mothers and their babies are being served by MiraVia through their residential facility for college student mothers on the campus of Belmont Abbey College in Belmont.
Last year, MiraVia provided those moms 73 hours of parenting and life-skill instruction and 248 hours of one-on-one case management and counseling.
“In that same time, our residents spent a whopping 2,250 hours in a college classroom,” she said. “Just think, these young students thought they would have to choose somehow between continuing their pregnancy or getting an education. Instead, the eight mothers we have in the residence now have not skipped a beat toward their degrees.”
Capen also mentioned that the residential facility is at capacity right now due to staffing regulations. MiraVia hopes to raise an additional $80,000 annually to fund another 24/7 staff position so that up to 15 mothers can live there at a time.
“This program might not have succeeded as well in another location,” said Susan Rodriguez, the new president of MiraVia’s board of directors.
“These brave young student mothers might not have been as welcomed elsewhere. Many of these infants might have been denied the gift of life under any other circumstances. But Abbot Placid, the monks of Belmont Abbey, Dr. William Thierfelder and the faculty and staff of Belmont Abbey College chose to make MiraVia a part of the Abbey family. For them, each MiraVia mother and each infant is chosen and precious in God’s sight.”
The 2018 Outstanding Service Award was presented to Emily Raines, who has volunteered for two years at the residential facility. A recent newlywed and assistant tennis coach at Belmont Abbey College, Raines has given tirelessly of her time and is described as being joyful, caring, dependable and encouraging to the moms and staff of MiraVia.
A special moment during the banquet was the singing of the National Anthem by MiraVia volunteer Maria Swanson. Before singing she remarked about the love one feels when they walk through the door of MiraVia, why everyone had gathered for the evening and the appropriateness of singing the National Anthem together at the event.
“For what are our nation’s hopes and dreams and battles for, if not for the children? And what are MiraVia’s hopes and dreams and battles for, if not for the children?”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Learn more
At www.mira-via.org: Get more information about how to volunteer or donate to MiraVia