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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 27, 2006 Peggy Trowbridge, right, teaches finger knitting to 5-year-old Alexandria Valle and 19-year-old Carlee Valle, left, and 3-year-old Armando Rodriguez at Campus Life in Medford Thursday. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell A stable foundation Mentors with the Youth for Christ Teen Mom Mentoring Program offer hope, support for struggling families By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune She’s been there and knows what it’s like to be a single teen mom and to desperately need a mentor and circle of friends who understand. That’s why Peggy Trowbridge and the Youth for Christ Teen Mom Mentoring Program are on call full time for their young teen moms. The program holds a Thursday-evening support group for the girls in which they can talk, share, have dinner and hear lectures on parenting, health, stress, self-defense, finances — and just be there. "It can happen to anyone, becoming a parent while you’re still a kid yourself in many ways, and what they need is a good, stable foundation, a safe place to get away from being mom and be with women who are good role models for them," says Trowbridge, an Ashland tax preparer who volunteers five to 10 hours a week with the program. "It’s given me self esteem, a shoulder when I didn’t have one and someone I could always count on," says Carlee Valle, 19, of Medford, who’s been mentored under Trowbridge for six years. "She’s encouraged me to do good things with my life. She’s been like family, with me at every big function in my life. She genuinely cares." Another of Trowbridge’s prot�g�s, Jasmine Rodriguez, 20, of Medford, says, "Words can’t express Peggy. She’s awesome. When I broke my leg, she got all the mentors together to make dinners for weeks for me and my son, Armando. It made me cry." Advertisement Like many teen moms who use the program and its mentors to put their lives together again, Rodriguez plans to "pay it forward" and train to become a mentor herself. The crisis of being a teen mom, she says, "doesn’t ruin your life, but it makes it a lot harder. It’s definitely an opportunity to grow. And it’s amazing to see them here for you 24/7, even when your family is not." Teen moms don’t have much support in society, says Trowbridge. About half don’t get support from their parents. Mentors work steadily on getting the girls through school and into good jobs — and all the teen moms, she says, are good parents. "Campus Life (part of Youth for Christ) mobilizes responsible adults to be involved in caring relationships with teen moms and guide them according to the teachings of Jesus Christ," says Campus Life program coordinator Bud Amundsen of the Medford office, "and to help them develop the mental, spiritual and social parts of their lives, giving them hope and purpose to thrive in our communities. Peggy is an amazing example of that." "I just love watching the moms grow in how they raise their babies," says mentor Kay Berry of Jacksonville. "They heal each other and have a safe place here to talk and learn. "We’re proud of them for keeping their babies and we’re seeing real growth, in them wanting to know more about Jesus," she says. "It gives them a strong foundation in this world where there doesn’t seem to be much foundation." The program is funded by local churches and is not tied to any one church. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Debt Consolidation Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Advertisement s Advertisement