If It Wasn’t For You, My Baby Wouldn’t Be Alive
“If it wasn’t for you, my baby wouldn’t be alive.” These are words a young mother spoke, as she handed her seven-month old son to Peggy and Mike O’Dea, on Christmas Eve, after ringing the doorbell to their home. Her words represent what Jesus said: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mat 25:40).
Nearly 35 years ago, the O’Deas founded Mother and Unborn Baby Care (MAUBC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving women in crisis pregnancies and their families. In 2017, they assisted 344 women and saved 68 babies. Located in Southfield, Mich., the center primarily serves women in Oakland and Wayne counties.
In addition to love, compassion and support, the center provides the costly equipment, diapers and clothing new babies need. They continue to assist with clothing and diapers for two years following the babies’ birth.“There’s a lot more we can do to save babies, but many of these initiatives are costly. For example, we want a stronger digital and social media presence. When women are in trouble, they search the web for options. We have daily opportunities to welcome these expectant moms into our care, instead of them seeking an abortion provider, but they need to know we’re here.”
Please help save babies through your contribution to the Mother and Unborn Baby Care’s endowment.
“My wife and I are blessed with seven children, five of whom are adopted. Years ago, we recognized how fortunate we were for the beautiful gifts of our adopted children from mothers faced with a crisis pregnancy. We felt called by God to give back for all we received to help other mothers facing a crisis pregnancy, so we started bringing them into our home and family,” O’Dea said. “What we learned from these moms was that we needed to be even more pro-active and reach pregnant mothers before the abortionist did. Realizing this need we founded Mother and Unborn Baby Care to love these mothers so much that they would love their babies to life. As our family grew, we could no longer provide care for these moms in our home, so we also founded Casa Vitae, a home where they could live free while they learned parenting and other skills.
Catholic Foundation board member Marisa Petrella has served on the MAUBC board for two years. She suggested the ministry create an endowment to help ensure ongoing funding, in support of mothers and babies. “One of the Foundation’s benefits is we’re able to spotlight our community’s loving and life-saving Catholic ministries, creating awareness of their good work and needs. Michael and Peggy have an amazing story. They are truly a couple who followed the Spirit and did what they were supposed to do; may we all be as responsive to God’s call,” Petrella said.
“We founded Mother and Unborn Baby Care to love these mothers so much that they would love their babies to life,” Mike O’Dea said.According to O’Dea, Marisa approached the board about creating an endowment, to help ensure the ministry’s future growth and stability. “More than 25 years ago, I tried to start something like the Catholic Foundation. At the time, our only local community foundation supported many organizations that didn’t align with my Catholic values. I wasn’t sure how my money was going to be used. Thanks to our new endowment, we have the Catholic Foundation to recommend to our generous donors, and those doing estate planning. They’ll know their money will be used to do God’s work. We’re grateful more moms and babies will benefit from our Catholic community’s generosity and the Foundation’s good stewardship.”
In 2017, an expectant mom, considering an abortion, came to the center for an ultrasound. When she learned she was pregnant with twins she decided immediately to continue her pregnancy, exclaiming that there was no way she could abort two babies.Referring to that Christmas Eve long ago, O’Dea said, “It wasn’t us who saved that baby. It was God who touched our lives in a special way and helped us to do what He wanted us to do – to be instruments of his love.”
MAUBC’s primary mission is to reach women who, because of the difficult obstacles they face, are deciding whether to continue their pregnancies. They offer meaningful and compassionate life-affirming options. Consequently, many women choose to continue their pregnancies and welcome new life, often with continued accompaniment by the Mother and Unborn Baby Care team. Learn how you can help them save more babies by visiting their website and contributing to their endowment.