Sidelines National Support Network  / Volunteer  / Who are the Volunteers?  / Sidelines Volunteer Spotlight

                                                Volunteer of the Month
                                  December 2005

                       Rena Pearson

The Sidelines volunteers are a dedicated group of women who offer support and guidance to moms-to-be who are experiencing difficult pregnancies. Paired with those who are dealing with complications similar to ones they experienced themselves, these volunteers share valuable information and advice with expectant mothers just by logging into their computers or making a phone call. With the convenience of email, volunteers are just a few keystrokes away from their referrals, helping to ease feelings of isolation and loneliness often created by a doctor's orders for bedrest.

For many women, the diagnosis of pregnancy complications is easier to handle when they're able to discuss their situation with others who have "been there." The Sidelines support network creates this opportunity, linking experienced moms with women dealing with issues such as pre-term labor, a multiple pregnancy, an incompetent cervix, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), and other difficult pregnancy situations. Whether they're across the country or across the ocean, volunteers and referrals can converse as if they were in the same living room!

Through this communication, many volunteers become not just a means of support, but true friends to their referrals. The rewards are great for both, and volunteers love hearing the news when a happy, healthy baby arrives!

Sidelines salutes the close to 5000 volunteers who are making a real difference in the lives of expectant mothers and their families. Each month on this web site, we will feature one of these devoted individuals who give so much of their time to others. Sidelines will also send a gift to the Volunteer Of The Month.