A mother’s life is devastated and a baby’s life is ended every 19 hours within the counties served by Clarity of Central Indiana.
Clarity consists of 10 center locations, a mobile unit and education programs for students and restoration programs for those wanting healing from past traumas. The headquarters is in Columbus.
During the Clarity 2023 fundraising banquet March 7 at Cornerstone Community Church in Seymour, a video was shown that explained the organization’s history and services it provides.
Seymour resident Jennifer Kwasniewski also shared the story of how she chose life when she discovered she was pregnant in 2001.
“I was a freshman in high school and decided to go to Planned Parenthood for birth control, and before they give you birth control, they do a pregnancy test,” she said. “I found out I was pregnant.”
When Planned Parenthood wanted to call her mother, Kwasniewski said she flipped out, and they called the police. Seymour Police Department Officer Tim Toborg was on call, and that’s how she met him.
“The nurse told me everything would be OK, and I could get an abortion, but Tim said no, and he called his wife and talked to her,” Kwasniewski said. “They asked if they could take me to Columbus to the Pregnancy Care Center to learn about my options and everything else.”
Toborg told her the Lord knew the baby inside of her, how many hairs was on the baby’s head and whether it was a boy or girl. He told her he and his wife, Brenda, went to church and supported the Pregnancy Care Center.
“We were just in the right place at the right time, and we were able to step up right then and there,” he said.
It was a few days later when Toborg’s wife picked Kwasniewski up and took her to Columbus, and from there on, the Toborgs have been part of her life, she said.
“I decided not to have an abortion, and being a freshman and being pregnant, it was hard, and several times, I thought about taking my own life, but I didn’t want to take the baby’s life,” she said. “If it weren’t for Tim and his wife, I might not be here today. “
Kwasniewski gave birth to a baby girl with a full head of hair, and she weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. The baby was adopted by a good couple, and she felt it was God’s will for her baby to be part of that family.
Feeling led by God after Kwasniewki’s experience, the Clarity organization opened a center in Seymour in 2002 to fill a need in the community. The Seymour center celebrated 20 years of helping Jackson County residents in 2022.
Pam White, center director for Seymour, said Clarity saw a 72% increase in pregnancy center visits last year, which means more men, women and families are turning to the organization for guidance and resources.
“This will be our seventh and final banquet of the season as we celebrate Clarity’s 40th anniversary this year,” White said to those in attendance. “Our first center opened in Shelbyville in 1983, and we were called Mother of Unborn Baby Care Pregnancy Problem Centers.”
She said the organization opened its Columbus center in 1986, called Abba Crisis Pregnancy Center.
“Over the years, our centers formed across communities in south central Indiana,” White said. “In 2016, we changed our name from Pregnancy Care Center to Clarity of South Central Indiana because we offer so much more than pregnancy services.”
This past year, Clarity of South Central Indiana merged with Care Net pregnancy centers, and through the merger, they’ve expanded into Johnson and Morgan counties.
“Our name now is Clarity of Central Indiana, but although our name has changed, our mission is still the same,” White said. “We exist to offer hope, help and healing to men, women and children regarding sexual health because we want to help people realize that you matter.”
During the recent fundraiser, Lara Martin, development director for Clarity, said the organization operates with a nearly $4 million budget, and her job is to raise money so all of the support they give to their clients is at no cost to them.
“This is just one of the events we do for a fundraiser, and this is our seventh banquet this season for all of the counties we serve,” she said. “Tonight’s event is for both Jackson and Jennings counties.”
As a merged organization, Clarity of Central Indiana also serves Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Johnson, Morgan and Shelby counties, helping those affected by sexually related traumas, defined as unwanted and unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, reproductive loss and sexual abuse.
Clarity CEO Eric Allen said since Oct. 1 of this past year by joining the two services together, they now have more testing and mobile centers within those eight counties. There are currently 11 locations to serve people.
“With those counties combined, there is a population of 469,796 that we are being called to serve, and not only that, but we now have the opportunity to serve over 79,227 students with our educational programming,” he said. “Isn’t it amazing to see what God can do in those schools and those opportunities that we have?”
Allen is a pastor and the previous executive director of Care Net of Central Indiana, and he is carrying on his leadership of the newly joined organization.
He said he is convinced God specifically called the two organizations together and trusted Clarity with the privilege of serving those amazing populations for a reason.
“Our message is so crucial, and the mothers have to know that they matter if they’re even to believe the baby they’re carrying matters,” Allen said. “A good thing there can never be too much of life.”
Allen said what he knows is that God is passionate about every baby and God is passionate about every woman’s life no matter where they live.
“At Clarity, our mission is not a program or a name or event. It’s who we are,” he said. “This year, we’ve been affecting lives in very significant ways because of our partners and financial supporters.”
Each year, more babies are lost to abortion in Johnson County than all of the six previous Clarity counties combined.
“These mothers felt they had no other choice because they were told they didn’t matter,” Allen said. “For babies to matter to us, women have to matter, too, and God is passionate about every woman’s life.”
He said with the services God has blessed the organization with and as Clarity continues to grow, they can help more of those in need at a greater level.
To learn more about Clarity, visit claritycares.org or call 812-524-1900 for the Clarity center in Seymour. The center is located at 325 N. Walnut St. and is open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.
About Clarity
Services: Sexual education, pregnancy testing and counseling, emotional and spiritual restoration programs and more.
Clients: Served without regard to age, race, income, nationality, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or other arbitrary circumstances
How you can support the Christian outreach or learn more information: Claritycares.org