Our Daily Show Interview! Vitality & Granny's Uniforms: A Great Partnership
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GODFREY - Vitality Women’s Clinic has expanded to offer much more than medical resources for individuals experiencing unplanned pregnancies.
At 10 a.m. every Monday, community members are invited to come together for a grief support crafting group. The group, called “Pennies From Heaven,” fosters connection between widows, people recovering from miscarriages, and other folks who are grieving. Vitality also offers a “Grandma Gang” group that writes letters to expectant parents. Executive Director Jackie Duty is proud of the work they’re doing.
“It’s really been an incredible process to see a greater impact for good,” she said. “Being able to share the stories and show that every person, every life has purpose, every life matters — we can help each other through the chaos of life, through the ups and downs. And really building the community. As we share stories, as we connect, it helps everyone not feel alone in those times where the world can get crazy.”
Vitality Women’s Clinic is a pro-life, faith-based pregnancy center that offers pregnancy and STI testing, ultrasounds and other resources to new and expectant parents.
Duty explained that the Grandma Gang started as a way for older women to write letters of encouragement to younger pregnant people. These women “adopt” the letter recipients by sharing grandmotherly advice.
“A lot of them will write letters, handwritten letters or notes to the girls, words of encouragement and advice on, how do you handle it when the baby wakes up at 2 a.m. and can’t go back to sleep? All the things I wish I had known when I had a little guy,” Duty explained. “It’s basically being adopted by a grandma, and they’re giving you advice and words of encouragement.”
Through the Grandma Gang, Vitality discovered that many of these women were widows. This encouraged the organization to start the Monday grief support group so that the grandmothers could connect. They quickly expanded the group’s purpose to encompass anyone experiencing grief.
Duty acknowledged that losing a partner is devastating for most. She hopes that, wherever your grief is coming from, you can find solace at the Pennies From Heaven meetings.
“They’re looking for connection. They’re looking for community and purpose,” she said. “I think a lot of times we can get our identities wrapped up in what we do or who we’re with. When you suffer a loss, it can be a very painful experience. You’re trying to find, who am I?...There’s just something about being in the community and building those friendships.”
Sheila “Granny” Curry, owner of Granny’s Uniforms in Alton, has experienced Vitality’s work firsthand. She was one of the first grannies who volunteered to write with the Grandma Gang, and she joined the Pennies From Heaven group after losing her husband. Both experiences have been healing and formative.
Curry supports Vitality’s work in the community by supplying their nurses with scrubs and lab coats through Granny’s Uniforms. She also makes promotional items for the organization.
Her dedication to Vitality started six years ago, when her granddaughter became a patient at Vitality. Now, Curry’s great-grandchild is 6 years old, and Curry is thankful to Vitality for their help.
“She was really scared. Am I pregnant? What’s going on? So she went there, and from then on, she’s been good,” Curry shared. “It was great. She knew she could go somewhere where her business would stay her business. She wasn’t going to be encouraged to get rid of the baby or what she could or couldn’t do.”
To Curry, her granddaughter’s experience speaks to the positive work done by Vitality. She hopes the organization continues to thrive.
For more information about Vitality’s work, including how to donate or join the Grandma Gang or Pennies From Heaven groups, visit their ambassadors’ website. To schedule an appointment or learn more about their services, visit their official website.
This featured article is sponsored by Vitality Women’s Clinic. To get your business or organization featured on www.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
