Batesville Pregnancy Hotline assists expecting moms who need help

Steven Harmeyer
2 minutes ago
3 min read

(BATESVILLE, Ind.) – A Batesville nonprofit that was created in 1980 continues to make a positive difference for expecting and new mothers.

The Batesville Pregnancy Hotline is staffed by passionate volunteers who are all trained to meet a wide variety of needs.

They operate a 24/7 hotline and the number is 812-934-5116.

Expecting Mothers and Those Unsure

Do you think you might be pregnant? They offer free pregnancy tests and also verify the accuracy of a test that was taken by the individual.

“If they are pregnant we can go over some of their options and let them know what is available for them. We give them information on how the baby develops, what’s happening to their bodies, and other ways the woman might need help,” said member Mary Jean Wessel.

They also serve as peer counselors and provide parenting, adoption and mentoring resources.

This pro-life organization has one goal when working with expecting mothers: to prevent abortion.

“Many times people aren’t thinking about abortion, we’ve found that it happens when people don’t have what they need or don’t have access to resources, and the decision to abort comes out of desperation,” Wessel said.

She added, “There are people wanting to help and willing to help. We don’t want anyone to feel desperate or alone.”

After Birth

The Batesville Pregnancy Hotline is a confidential organization that also offers a Baby Closet.

They know that a new baby comes with needs that aren’t always the easiest to access.

The closet offers materials such as diapers, bottles, car seats, portable cribs, and maternity an baby clothes. Clothing sizes go from the smallest of babies all the way to Size 14.

The members aren’t just there to fill immediate needs, they want to be a positive resource to those they are assisting.

“We also try to help the families in many different ways such as gas cards, food, we once even had one of our volunteers, who is a teacher, help a young mom earn their GED,” said Batesville Pregnancy Hotline volunteer Maureen Harpring.

While the group focuses on women, each member said they really enjoy when the baby’s father is present during the process.

Mary Jean Wessel joined the nonprofit 43 years ago and is still as passionate about the mission as the day she began.

“This all started by a group of ladies who wanted to make sure teenagers and others who got pregnant had options instead of having abortions. We are still focused on that today with more resources and connections,” she said.

The nonprofit has certainly grown over the years. The volunteers used to store baby items in their homes and now they have their own location at the Batesville Area Resource Center.

There’s currently about 25 volunteers and each of them take turns answering the 24/7 hotline.

One of those members is Mary Jo Wuestefeld who finds immense joy in helping the young women and men.

“Those we help are just always so grateful and it means a lot to help. Whether it is car seats or pack-and-plays, we have just about anything they might need,” Wuestefeld said.

Harpring added, “It means a lot to be part of a pro-life organization and the volunteers here are just a great group of women who care about helping others.”