A local not-for-profit with a mission toward young mothers may soon catapult into a larger realm of service.
After being volunteer-driven for its first three years, the St. Raymond's Society has opened a permanent office at 308 E. High St. and hired a full-time executive director.
Formerly a board member, Mary Chen found a perfect fit with the organization. Owning and operating Yen Ching with her husband, Chen has been fortunate to be able to invest her time in many community efforts.
But her dream was to find a charity focused on motherhood.
"Being a mother has been a major emphasis of my adult life," Chen said. "I'm living out my gratitude."
Chen was blessed to rear her four children in a fairly perfect situation, she said.
"I admire women who choose to parent in less than ideal circumstances and all the challenges that come with it," she said.
St. Raymond's was the perfect charity for Chen, who holds a master's degree in public administration.
"They've done a wonderful job with all volunteers for about three years now," Chen said.
With a full-time director, St. Raymond's has improved organization and is developing measurable outcomes to reflect client growth through program involvement.
One of the integral ways the organization serves these mothers is building one-on-one relationships with mentors.
Since Chen has come onboard, the mentors have been equipped with "Seven Components of Self-Sufficiency" - personal finance, education, employment, life skills, parenting, spirituality and transportation.
A client fills out a survey when she first comes to the organization, which rates how self-sufficient she feels in each area. When she is ready to move on from St. Raymond's, the survey is used again to compare her improvement.
"So far, we've seen marked improvement; that's encouraging," Chen said.
St. Raymond's serves each woman an average of three to six months. And at any given time, the organization might serve as many as 16 women.
The Jefferson City maternity house hosts five mothers at a time.
With that arm in place, St. Raymond's now is working toward a maternity house in Columbia, where it already serves mothers with other programs.
Formed three years ago, the organization has helped fill a void in Mid-Missouri, she said.
Several services are in place for pregnant women. But few served newly parenting mothers, she said.
The young service has received strong financial support, mostly from individuals. Several area churches also support the agency, but Chen hopes to see those numbers increase.
St. Raymond's also benefits from the state tax credit for maternity homes, allowing 50 percent of donations exceeding $100 to be returned to the donor in Missouri tax credits.
"We have a mission a lot of people connect with, no matter where they are politically," Chen said. "Everyone can connect with a mother, once she's made the commitment to keep her baby."
Call 573-893-2067 or email to [email protected] for more information or to volunteer.