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Sidelines National Support Network
/ Volunteer Spotlight
/ June_Volunteer
Volunteer of the Month
June 2007
Bill Parke
This month, in honor of Fathers'
Day, Sidelines is featuring a "dad volunteer" for the first time. Our hats are off to Bill Parke and the
numerous other Sidelines dads who provide support to families dealing with a
complicated pregnancy.
Sidelines "dad
volunteer" Bill Parke with his wife, Maggie
The Parkes' three
older children— Jessica, Jennifer, and Jonathan
Bill and the newest
addition to the Parke family—baby Hope, now 11 months old
Name: William (Bill) Parke
Home: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Wife's Name: Margaret (Maggie)
Children's Names and Ages: Jennifer, age 15; Jessica, age 14; Jonathan, age 10; and
Hope, 11 months
"What I remember most is how difficult it
was to maintain the house, care for Maggie, and work full-time, all at the same
time."
This
statement by Sidelines volunteer Bill Parke captures the feeling that many
husbands have when their family faces a complicated pregnancy. Overwhelmed by a wide range of
responsibilities, these fathers-to-be can gain support from volunteers like
Bill, who have "been there, done that."
Bill, the
statewide grievance coordinator for a corrections union and a corrections
sergeant, has been a Sidelines volunteer for approximately 10 years. His wife, Maggie, serves as the Sidelines
coordinator for referrals experiencing pre-term labor as well as those that
fall into the category of "all other complications."
Bill
decided to provide support for other dads-to-be shortly after Maggie signed up
as a Sidelines volunteer. The busy
father of four now spends his spare time helping others who are in the same
situation he once was.
"My wife
asked if I was interested in talking with dads who had experienced the same
emotions I had throughout our pregnancies," he said.
Maggie
spent most of her two pregnancies on bedrest, experiencing pre-term labor,
hyperemesis, and other
complications. During their first
pregnancy, Bill and Maggie also dealt with the stillbirth of their twin son,
Ryan, at 35 weeks.
In addition
to his work with Sidelines, Bill enjoys spending time with the children and is
interested in computers.
Bill said
that one of his referrals was a firefighter with the Fire Department of New
York at the same station Bill and Jonathan had visited just six months before. His advice to dads-to-be is this: "Listen to your doctors, but do not hesitate
to question what they are doing and saying and challenge them a bit."
Maggie
added that more fathers are needed to support men who are going through
difficult pregnancies with their partners.
Men who enjoy chatting and e-mailing are encouraged to consider
volunteering by e-mailing Maggie at maggie@sidelines.org
or Kim Wolverton, Sidelines volunteer coordinator, at kim@sidelines.org
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