PAULDING, OHIO (JULY 17, 2023)- The Paulding County Hospital is blessing the 154th Baby Box in the nation on Tuesday July 18th at 6PM. The community is welcome to attend the event which will occur on site on the north side of campus at 1035 W. Wayne St.
Speakers for the evening’s event include Monica Kelsey, Safe Haven Baby Boxes Founder; Ron Goedde, CEO Paulding County Hospital; Doug Roop, Hands of Hope Pregnancy Services; State Representative Roy Klopfenstein, Ohio House of Representatives, 82nd District; and Greg Cramer, Pastor Branch Christian Fellowship.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes fills the void in the Safe Haven movement as the only organization in the nation dedicated to providing an anonymous surrender option for mothers in crisis. The organization was founded in 2016 by Monica Kelsey who learned in adulthood she was abandoned as an infant. Now her life’s mission is to end infant abandonment and advocate for the Safe Haven Law.
In addition to educating citizens on the Safe Haven Law, Safe Haven Baby Boxes provides free confidential counseling via their hotline 1-866-99BABY1. Kelsey explained, “I am so proud to see my hometown come together and make safe, legal, and anonymous surrender a priority. This Box is particularly special because it is dedicated to my late father. We have seen women trusting us to protect their infants and we are glad there is now another Baby Box site in Ohio for women in crisis.”
The Paulding Baby Box project was made possible due to the generosity of Hands of Hope and the help of the Paulding County Hospital Board of Directors. “We are so thankful to be getting a Safe Haven Baby Box in our community. This provides another option to safely and lovingly surrender a baby when needed, and brings awareness to the safe haven laws in our state. It is another way of giving hope to new life, ” said Chuck Shroeder, Board of Directors, Hands of Hope Pregnancy Services.
A Baby Box allows for the legal, safe, and anonymous surrender of an infant provided under the Safe Haven Law. It features three silent alarms alerting first responders to the presence of a surrendered infant. The baby will be attended to within five minutes and taken to the hospital for medical evaluation. Adoption occurs within 30 to 45 days by families who are signed up for foster care with the intention to adopt.
Since 2017, 33 infants have been placed in a Baby Box. Nationwide and over 130 surrenders have resulted from calling the National Safe Haven Baby Box hotline. Safe Haven Baby Boxes are currently available in Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
