Bethany
House Turns Pregnant Girls into Mothers
January
4, 2001; THE OREGONIAN
Beth Rhinehart, who opened Gresham's only such home over a decade ago, showers residents with love and training.
Carrie Ann's friends refer to them as her buck wild days. Rebelling against overprotective parents, the angry 18-year-old Gresham High student left home and school for a life of partying and promiscuity. She endured a rape and four abortions. She reached the breaking point when she learned she was pregnant.
It wasn't the first time she had contemplated suicide. "I was a wreck. I just knew I couldn't go through another abortion. I could not go there again." When her Grandmother referred her to Bethany House, a hone in Gresham for single, pregnant women, Carrie Ann saw it as her only option. She had no idea it was the start of a new life. "It absolutely changed me, the house was filled with hope." Carrie Ann is now 26, married and the mother of two.
Carrie Ann, who still lives in Gresham, is one of more than 200 young women who have sought shelter at Bethany House, since it opened its doors 11 years ago. Beyond housing, the residents share encouragement, faith, confidence and nurturing.
"I want every girl who comes through here to know what a mother's love is so they can extend that to their children." Beth Rhinehart, who founded Bethany House in 1990, knows about fear, and about rejection. " There's a lot of rejection, a lot of fear. They need a home where self-esteem is restored."
From her own experiences, Rhinehart's concern for the girls is deep as it is true. At 36, the Sandy High School graduate was a "Social Alcoholic" and abused pharmaceutical drugs such as Valium. "I should have been dead, life was pretty much in the pits."
While working at a Pregnancy counseling center, Rhinehart, a mother of two, connected with the young women, many of who came from broken homes, and had little hope. "They needed to know that they could have a second chance." They needed a place to stay where they could be showered with love and protected from judgment. A place where they could get back on their feet, pursue education and learn to be self-sufficient, is the home that Beth built. "I wanted them to know that they could be more than just welfare moms."
In 1986, Rhinehart started raising money to buy a home. In December 1990, the first young pregnant woman moved into Bethany House. Rhinehart is grateful but not surprised that the nonprofit organization is still going strong, with an annual budget of over $92,000.00. Donations from churches, individuals and civic groups finance Bethany House. "When we started out we had $100.00 in the bank. I always saw it for the long haul. God gave me a bigger vision."