On the eve of this past Thanksgiving, 44-year-old native Alaskan
Brenda Kolerok-Schott of Anchorage walked unannounced into the offices
of Catholic Social Services to write a $10,000 check to the
organization.
Never before had she written such a large check.
But this
gift to Catholic Social Services’ pregnancy support program and Brother
Francis Shelter was a deeply personal one for the once pregnant,
homeless teenager.
Young, homeless – and pregnant
In 1983, 16-year-old Kolerok-Schott was pregnant.
And her family was
homeless.
After a house deal fell through in Wasilla, they passed from
hotels to friends to even the crawl space in a relative’s house.
Finally, the family – with four children – moved into a one bedroom, one
bath apartment. It was “heaven,” Kolerok-Schott told the Catholic
Anchor.
Nevertheless, things were getting harder. Five months along,
Kolerok-Schott could no longer hide her pregnancy from her parents.
Upon hearing the news, they were upset and “really ashamed” about her
situation, recalled Kolerok-Schott. And the father of the baby was in
the midst of a divorce from his wife.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Kolerok-Schott explained.
The power of 'True Christians'
Then a high school counselor told the girl about Catholic Social
Services (CSS), the social services arm of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Founded in 1966, the agency serves the needy through emergency
shelters, a food pantry and other programs, including those geared to
expectant mothers in crisis.
Kolerok-Schott said that within two days of connecting with CSS, a
home for her was found with a young Catholic family. It was a haven for
the girl in distress.
“I really found out what true Christians were like when I was placed
with a Catholic family that took really good care of me,” she said.
They provided a safe and comfortable home for her. Soon, Kolerok-Schott was earning straight ‘A’s in school for the first time.
And they helped her sort out the “pros and cons” of raising her child versus placing the baby for adoption.
Then, in November, Kolerok-Schott gave birth, a month-premature, to a five-pound baby boy.
She said that all of her previous calculations – based in part on her
youth and her desire to go to college and enter the Navy – had pointed
to adoption. But she “fell instantly in love” with her son.
She made the
decision — mother and child would grow up together.
As is often the case, the baby’s birth “brought my family together”
again, added Kolerok-Schott, whose parents returned to her after a long
absence.
The young mother and baby continued on with their Catholic Social
Services family until she was able to secure a stable job and they could
be on their own.
'Vital' pregnancy support
Kolerok-Schott never forgot how Catholic Social Services had come to
her aid during her “darkest hour.”
Across the years, she has worked and
saved to give something back to the organization that helped save her
and her baby – and helped keep them together.
“I am so thankful to God,” Kolerok-Schott said of Catholic Social Services.
“He showed me his true love through Catholic Social Services and
showed me that there are true Christians out there who are Catholic,”
she added.
Kolerok-Schott believes the type of support she received from Catholic Social Services is “vital” to pregnant girls in crisis.
“There are so many people out there, so many young kids out there who
are just like me,” she observed. They need to know there are people who
will help them, she explained – whether they place their child for
adoption or choose to parent.
“Pregnancy support doesn’t exist to support women that are making
only the plan of adoption,” said Catholic Social Services executive
director Susan Bomalaski.
“We want to support all women who’ve chosen a life option for their
unborn child in whatever way they want,” she continued. That may entail
providing a mentor family, housing support or diapers.
But right now and
with its current staffing, Catholic Social Services can’t provide the
“full spectrum of services,” said Bomalaski, without greater financial
and volunteer help from the community.
Alaskans have begun to feel the pinch of lost jobs, static wages and
rising costs, she noted. As a result, giving to the social services
agency is down 20 percent.
Happy endings
But funding and volunteers translate to positive outcomes.
Kolerok-Schott is married, has a second child, and works as a
realtor.
Her son – who was conceived, born and expected by some to grow
up in turmoil and poverty – is now 28-year-old Christopher Kolerok,
graduate of University of Alaska, Anchorage, a worldwide college debate
champion and recent Master’s Degree graduate of Harvard University.
He also is engaged to marry UAA senior Michaela Hernandez, a
parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage.
For
Kolerok-Schott, who was helped by Catholics 28 years ago, it comes “full
circle” that her son marries a “beautiful, beautiful Catholic girl!”
She sees her son’s joy as part of a happy ending that she believes
every young, pregnant teen deserves to find for herself and her baby.
Kolerok-Schott hopes her story will encourage other young, pregnant,
teenage girls to choose life for their babies.
She wants them to know
“that there is hope out there, and if I can do this, then they can do
this, too, and that God will always be with them, and to always make the
right decision.”
“Even if your pregnancy could be difficult and hard and
embarrassing,” she added, “there are people out there willing to help
you.”