STORY OF HOPE 16@ 7YVQLJ[ VMMLYLK [OLT OVWL I` WYV]PKPUN [OLT ^P[O [OL [VVSZ [OL` ULLKLK [V V]LYJVTL [OLPY IHYYPLYZ [V Z\JJLZZ ;VKH` ;LL :OHH HUK ,]H OH]L JVTWSL[LK [OL 16@ 7YVQLJ[ HUK HYL OHWWPS` LUNHNLK PU ]VS\U[LLY ^VYRWSHJL PU[LYUships. They have both been offered permanent employment at their worksites after their internships are completed. These ^VTLU ^HU[ [V IL ZLSM Z\MĂ„JPLU[ HUK PUKLWLUKLU[ ;OL` ^HU[ [V IL NVVK TV[OLYZ HUK WYVK\J[P]L JP[PaLUZ ;OL` UV^ have a vision for the future and a road map and support system to get them there. They have both enrolled in college and are pursuing their passions: Eva, who wants to be a chef, is enrolled in culinary arts; and Tee-Shaa, who wants to be a tax consultant, is enrolled in computer technology and accounting. They both now have permanent housing. And they are working with the courts, with renewed attitudes, to get their children back. Like Eva and Tee-Shaa, there are many single parents in Lake County who are looking for a path to better their lives and who are willing to take the steps to make this happen. They are looking for a “hand upâ€? rather than a handout, and [OL 16@ 7YVQLJ[ PZ OLYL [V OLSW
Teen Parenting Facts }
In 2007, there were 772 births to teen mothers which accounted for 11.4% of all births in Lake County in that year [Indiana State Department of Health, Epidemiology Resource Center, Data Analysis Team. Table 14. Terminations, Live Births, and Termination Ratios by County of Residence and Age Group: Indiana Residents, 2007 (Indiana Induced Termination of Pregnancy Report, 2007).]
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52% of teen births were to black mothers, 47% to white mothers [Ibid.] Babies born to adolescents have a higher risk of being premature, having low birth weight, or dying as infants [“Teen Pregnancy,� March of Dimes Fact Sheet (2009). Originally quoted in Andy Rittenhouse and Heidi Unruh, eds., “Salt & Light: A Guide to Loving Knoxville, Third Edition� (Knoxville, TN: Compassion Coalition, 2009).]
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21.5% of all teenage pregnancies were terminated in Lake County in 2007, across all ages the pregnancy termination rate is 17.2%. [Indiana State Department of Health, Epidemiology Resource Center, Data Analysis Team.]
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