There are many ways to give back to your community, and one teenager has worked tirelessly to help his community of Seymour, Indiana, in several ways.
On a mission of his own making, 19-year-old Hunter Wart raised $10,000 to purchase a baby box for his community. What's a baby box, you ask? Read on to hear Hunter's incredible story.
When a new parent feels overwhelmed or distressed, they've occasionally been known to abandon their baby. Because babies can't survive for long on their own, this can lead to their death. Baby boxes are designed to alleviate this problem.
If a distressed parent feels the need to abandon their baby, doing so in a baby box will give the baby a safe place to be until authorities arrive. Since the boxes have a silent alarm, medical personnel will arrive quickly to care for the baby.
Monica Kelsey, who was abandoned herself as a baby, is the founder of the nonprofit. She says two or three abandoned babies died every year in Indiana before the initiative started. Since the installation of baby boxes throughout the state, she says no abandoned babies have died.
Hunter raised the money over the course of a year, mostly through lawnmowing and scrapping metal. The box he funded was installed at the Seymour Fire Department.
This wasn't the end of the story, though.
The girl was about an hour old when she was surrendered in the box. Firefighters rushed to the scene to help the infant.
"It worked perfectly, exactly how it was designed," Seymour Fire Department Chief Brad Lucas told CNN.
While it was no doubt a traumatic experience for the poor infant, she came out of the ordeal healthy. She'll be in custody of state child services workers until authorities can find a more permanent home for her.
In the United States, many women, particularly low-income women, don't have coverage if they need to seek an abortion. The nearest clinic may be inaccessible or laws may make getting an abortion prohibitively difficult.
Factor in the costs of having and caring for a child, and it's no surprise why many women feel overwhelmed.
While the circumstances that necessitate these baby boxes are sad indeed, the work of organizations like Safe Haven — which also provides a 24/7 crisis hotline — is invaluable. Be sure to check out Safe Haven Baby Boxes on Facebook and its official website.
