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group shows young mothers still have options Fagr 9 - PLAINDEAl.ER HERALD. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7.1*4 Annual dinner meeting set for United Way By Cliff Ward m HauM ll^a flimlni r BoraiQ nfwi 2wmcc :• - *; % ADVENTURES UNLIMITED TRAVEL 4720 W. Elm, McHenry (Next to Bob's Colors} 344-4100 AUTOMATED TICKETS IN MINUTES •AIRLINE •AMTRAK . •CRUISES •BUSTOURS CORPORATE TRAVEL •HOTEL RESERVATIONS •CAR RENTALS •VAN SERVICE '4 •AIRLINE TICKETS FAMILY VACATION PLANNING "Providian you with full Mrrite Travel Planning" i t Krause and Crowell pointed- have been in existence out that volunteers are the relatively short time, component that makes the t "There's far more When you're age 17, un­ married and a young mother who doesn't have a job or an education, life's options seem few. ' Support is a commodity that may be as difficult to locate as alternatives are, especially for a young mother who decides to keep her baby. However, to coin a cliche, things are not always what they seem. The Horizons program, sponsored by the Youth Service Bureau and McHenry County Health Department, helps young mothers find that they do have options and, perhaps most importantly, helps them find out that they are not alone. "It's good to know someone else has the same problems," one young woman said at a discussion group held for young moms at YSB. "We all feel lots of supi another teen mother on "It's being together and sharing our experiences." The group is called an MYM, an acronym for Meld's Young Moms, and has been in existence in the county since last December t program coor­ dinator Susan Krause explained. The Illinois program is based on one started in Minnesota, and its major aim is "pure self-help," administrator Jane Crowell said. The free program is open to any young mother in the county, married or unmarried. "We don't have all the an­ swers for the girls," she said but added that the program helps the young mothers find new ways to make decisions and helps form new peer relation­ ships for young women, ages 13- 22, to replace old ones that are often lost when a teen becomes pregnant. "I called my friends true friends," one young mother said. "But when I got pregnant, it was like everyone deserted me." The MYM program, the focus of Horizons, gives the young mothers peer relationships and advice on what to expect as a mother. The MYM discussion leaders are volunteers who themselves were young mothers. They lead th» group through a 10-week series of discussions on topics like nutrition, child development and dealing with stress. All the topics are chosen by the young mothers. The MYM. meetings are anything but glum. There's a lot of laughing and joking, balanced with good advice from volun­ teers, who have "been there before" and who obviously care about their young charges? One of the volunteer discussion leaders, Carol Bailenson of Woodstock, married as a teen-ager and now has six children. She said she's raised kids in an era where the American Medical Association has ch^xfeed its stance on child rearing eve*y several yean. The program, she said, "gets me thinking more towards a community effort, what can be done as a community." The other dicussion volunteer, Debbie Beiers, who has an eight- year-old son, began with the program as a volunteer babysitter. "I lite the support," she told the young womm. "You remind me a lot of the situation I went through.' Horizons program successful. Besides acting as discussion leaders, volunteers help watch babies at the Youth Service Bureau while their mothers meet down the hall. Volunteers also help with transportation, serve on the steering committee and act in other phases of the program. More volunteers are always needed, Crowell said. Although teen been a social time, programs _ tancy has lem for long like Horizons for a -- girls keeping their babies now than there were 10 years ago," Crowell said. Horizons wants those girls to be good mothers and to be able to make informed decisions. After talking with the girls, a visitor believes that goal seems to have been met. One of the young mothers, who, at age 17. works full-time, attends school and rears her child, said, "Very few things could keep me from coming. ng United Way of Suburban Chicago will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the Hillside Holiday Inn, Wolf Road and the Eisenhower,Ex­ pressway. A hospitality hour with cash bar, will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. io the Churchill Room. The president's report will be given by James P. Richter, Lake Forest. Robert J. Darnall, chair­ man of the Suburban Campaigns Division of the United Way- Crusade of Mercy will report on the progress of the 1984 suburban campaigns. A brief business meeting also will be held for the purpose of electing directors and recognizing volunteers. Entertainment will be provided by a choral group from the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging, LaG range. Led by Sister Victoria Rokos, CSJ, the 30- member group ranges in age from 61 to 93. The group has been singing together since 1976. The cost of the annual meeting dinner is $15 per person. Reserva­ tions may be made by contacting the United Way of Suburban Chicago office at (312 ) 325-8240. The United Way of Suburban Chicago is a federation of 90 United Ways in the northwestern part of Illinois and is one of the allocating members of the United Way-Crusade of Mercy. The 90- member United Ways represent more than 200 suburban com­ munities and allocated more than $12,000,000 to provide services to those communities provided by 253 agencies. v TAX CHECKOFF Six meetings to solicit public in­ put on how money contributed to the Conservation Department through the state's nongame tax checkoff should be spent have been scheduled for early November throughout the state. For further information, contact Department of Conservation, Division of Forest Resources and Natural Heritage, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, 62706, (217) 782- 2361. I I i I i «ss «• X z <o 8 r BF«»™ 00 Aja t mm I m 7 >o -1 m 5 1 -H TJ O C* 7Z m 12 z Z r> H P. O i*i Xt O m 2 o m -- 23 §i m m" n * mm > w r- m </> x : r\ ••••• •••••••••••••« i §i