Area Pregnancy Care Center to Celebrate 20 Years

It all started in 1992, when a baby girl was left on the doorstep of a church in Watertown.

The priest, Fr. Robert Rousseau of St. John the Evangelist Church, took the three-hour old child in and named her Carolyn.

As the story goes, the child inspired the then-priest, as well as a dedicated group of parishioners, to establish Carolyn’s Place, a nonprofit pregnancy care center in Waterbury, the organization said.

Now, the organization is gearing up to recognize its decades of accomplishments when it celebrates its 20th anniversary on Nov. 4, the day Carolyn was born.

In the past 20 years, the care center has assisted 1,133 pregnant women who were in need of of financial assistance delivering their babies, said Ginny Baudinet, vice chairman of the Board of Directors.

“They came to us scared,” said Baudinet, a longtime volunteer from the organization said. “They didn’t know what to do... and we went through (the pregnancy) with them and helped provide them services.”

Carolyn’s Place has also conducted nearly 1,200 education presentations to schools, logged over 166,000 hours on the 24-hour hotline, filled nearly 4,000 personal needs items requests; and taught nearly 200 mothers and fathers on child birth preparation and parenting skills, the organization said.

In preparation for this event, Carolyn’s Place wants to hear from the very women and men who have benefitted from its services. Anyone willing to share their story at the ceremony about their experiences with Carolyn's Place can do so by calling 203-597-9080.

Confidentiality will be respected.

Carolyn’s Place has helped many women not only from Waterbury but multiple area towns, including Naugatuck, Watertown, Wolcott and others, Baudinet said. The organization also provides educational programs on preventing such hazards like STDs and other pregnancy-related topics.

It's educational programs have reached schools in Naugatuck, Waterbury and other area towns.

“We provide them with, in many cases, life-saving and life-changing information, about sexual health, about STDs and pregnancy,” Baudinet said.

The celebration on Nov. 4 is expected to include a recognition of high-ranking officials who have assisted in making Carolyn’s Place a possibility. Former Archbishop Daniel Cronin, who lead the Archdiocese of Hartford at the time, is expected to attend, Baudinet said.

“We have been very blessed that our donors and volunteers have been very strong,” Baudinet said.

For more information on Carolyn’s Place, visit their website here.