Dear John,

It’s Week 3 of Celebrate Life Month, and this time we’re focused on supporting the families in need in our communities.

Have you found ways to help out in your area this week?

As pro-life Oregonians like you find ways to volunteer, give, and participate in activities to support women, children, and families this week, I wanted to share this special and uplifting story about a truly inspirational woman who dedicated her life to helping the youth in her community. 

88-year-old Emma Patterson of Montgomery County, Maryland, retired this month after having opened her heart and her home to forty foster children over forty years.

“When they say ‘Foster parenting,’ it’s the parenting part, not that foster part, that’s important to say,” Emma told TODAY.com. “You have to really try to be there 100% for the kids.”

Emma said she “was raised in a family where every day I knew somebody loved me.” She wanted to share that love with the children she brought into her home. 

“If you can be raised in an environment where somebody just really loves you and truly cares about you and is just kind to you, I think that that means more than anything else,” she said.

For Emma, the “best part” of her four-decade role as a foster mom has been how the kids she helped have grown up: “all of my children have turned out to be absolutely fantastic” and “just wonderful humans,” she told TODAY.com.

And after forty years of service, Emma’s attitude about retirement isn’t one of relief or boasting about her accomplishments – she’s just grateful for the opportunity to have been able to give as much as she did.

“It was God’s gift that I had the honor to be able to take care of those children,” she told TODAY.com.

“I’m very thankful,” Emma said.

What a beautiful heart! ❤️ 

I know I’m thankful for Emma and people like her. This amazing lady proves that people do care about the most vulnerable and are willing to take on extraordinary challenges to create a space of comfort, safety, and love for children in need.

I hope you found Emma’s story as inspirational as I did.

As we continue Family Support week of Celebrate Life Month, let’s find little ways to reach out to the families in our communities (yes, that can include your next-door-neighbor or a relative!) to lend them support and care.

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate life this month!

Because everyone deserves an advocate,

Lois Anderson
Executive Director

P.S. Stumped on how to get involved in this week’s advocacy? Click here and then click on the links below “Family Support” for tips and resources. And don’t forget to send pictures and/or stories about your pro-life outreach to [email protected] before midnight on Sunday to be entered in our weekly prize drawing! Your advocacy matters!