Meet Elyse & Allison

I became pregnant when I was 14 and my daughter was born when I was 15. Although my parents were supportive, I still felt ashamed for making the decisions I had. I felt that by having my daughter so young I would never be able to achieve what I originally wanted.

Naturally when I became pregnant all of my friends distanced themselves from me, and by the time my daughter was born I was very isolated.

When my daughter was about 6 months old on an absolute whim I walked into a Birth Choice pregnancy center and asked if they knew of any young mom support groups. They told me about Fristers, and I could not have been more excited.

From the second I walked in I felt at home. Over the first year I was able to meet so many strong and encouraging women. The moms who had been in the program for a few years showed me from their experience that there was in fact hope for my life. I learned that if they were able to overcome the obstacles of having their children young, so would I.

Fristers has motivated me to finish high school, and continue on to college. They rooted for me when I learned to drive, and they have provided resources for me to attend weekly counseling, obtain health insurance for me and my daughter, and have helped me create a resume and apply for jobs.

Orange County Teenage Pregnancy Stories – Elyce”Fristers has given me the guarantee that no matter what is going on in my life there is a safe and loving environment waiting for me.”

Every time I walk in I’m greeted by multiple leaders, and there’s always someone there to talk about my week. They have shown me so much love and kindness. They have supported me through many rough times, and even when I’ve made huge mistakes they have continued to love and support me and I have never once heard an “I told you so.”

When I first came to Fristers I was very shy and broken, almost completely consumed by my depression and lack of self-worth. Each lesson at Fristers is so motivated by love, it took a while to sink in, but eventually it allowed me to break out of my shell.

I have so much more confidence and self-esteem now, than I did before I found Fristers. Over time all the feelings of shame I had went away, and for the first time in my life I learned to love myself.