From Jennifer's Desk

Dear Partners,

Thank you for all that you do to make Alternatives a place of hope and healing to so many hurting men and women in the Sacramento community. Without your generous donations we could not keep our doors open.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that I have a way to communicate with you on a regular basis through this wonderful new web site.   Keep checking back and I will be leaving you regular updates and messages about what is happening around the center.  Lots of new events and programs are being created, and I will highlight these so that you know what is ahead and how you can participate. I want to continuously update you on how your giving is  making a difference in this community, so I will be highlighting center success stories so that you can connect with our clients through their testimonies of Life.

My goal in creating this partner web site is three-fold:  connection, communication, and community.

I welcome and value your communication to me.  I would love to receive your email at Jennifer@aprc.info with any comments or questions that you may have. My connection to you is also just a phone call away at (916) 880-4040.  I will make it a priority to take time to talk with you.  You are important to me and to all of us at Alternatives.  I look forward to meeting many of you for the first time at our upcoming Legacy Banquet for Life.   See you there!

Who knows whom you may someday pass along life’s path that received the opportunity to take their first steps because of your commitment to the sanctity of human life!

On behalf of these little footprints: Thank you.

Jennifer Zachariou
Executive Director

Happy Thanks-living

Happy Thanks-living is not a spelling error, but an attitude for a healthy life and a truly Happy Thanksgiving.

It is Thanksgiving time, and here at Alternatives we are so thankful for all that we see God doing in the lives of young women who walk into the center everyday needing hope and a listening ear. It is so important to me that the staff and volunteers of Alternatives continuously look around and see what we have to be Thankful for, and to live that attitude boldly throughout the center. When a young girl walks into the center for a pregnancy test, we sometimes wonder if we are really making a difference. It is not easy for staff and volunteers to know that some of the girls they meet with will not choose to see the life within them as a blessing, but instead keep their appointments at an abortion clinic. A powerful reminder to all of us is this fact; even though terminating the life of a baby in the womb is a deep injury to the mother, a missed opportunity for the father, and a loss to the global family, the little babies who may not walk their steps on this EARTH, will walk their steps in HEAVEN. So, we move forward as a team grateful to know that God is and always will be God, and circumstances do not change that fact.
Thanks-living is when we choose to stop what we are doing around the center and walk over and offer a hug, a prayer, and a word of hope to one another. It is reminding each other that we are a part of a mission that is very precious to the heart of God.

Thanks-living is contagious, and my prayer is that it continues to spread throughout our community and change the way we look at what we think is truly important in this life. As partners of the ministry of Alternatives, your prayers and financial contributions are a tremendous encouragement to all of us each and every month. They remind us that you care, and that you value life and what is eternal. I want you to know that any amount makes a great difference. You are keeping our doors open, our lights on, our billboard up, our name bold and present in the phone book, and our resources stocked and ready to give out. We have met with over 1400 clients this year, and this could not happen if you did not choose to give. When you choose to give toward Life, when you acknowledge that God is your resource and that you are blessed to be a blessing, even to those whom you may never meet in this life, you are Thanks-living!

With Thankfulness to you,
Jennifer Zachariou

Alternatives Banquet was a fantastic evening for LIFE!

Dear partners,

I hope that many of you had the opportunity to come to this years banquet, we had such a wonderful evening together celebrating life. The food was wonderful, the jazz band smooth, and the silent auction so much fun. and all of this to save babies? you bet.

Pam Stenzel, our guest speaker, was absolutely amazing. I came away with a much deeper understanding of what is facing our teens and young adults in the area of Sexually transmitted disease, unplanned pregnancies, and the lies that our society is believing about "safe-sex." Since the banquet we have been talking about the importance of training parents on how to talk with their teens about sexual purity. We are looking to have classes held here in the center in 2008 that will equip parents in teaching about this very important topic. I will be posting upcoming dates on our web site so please be looking for this information if you are interested.

Thank you for giving financially at the banquet, and thank you for helping us as we look to the future in starting new satellite centers to help meet the growing need of young women and their families in the greater Sacramento area. We are dreaming big because we serve a Big GOD!

Be a blessing,
Jennifer Zachariou