Creating Compassionate Places

Book excerpt: When Karen Patota first started the Christian social service organization A Baby's Breath in 2000, she had no idea of the impact it would have on her community. Now, seventeen years later, the service has expanded to five centers in the Greater Philadelphia area. Patota considers herself blessed to have had a part in founding an organization that helps and supports pregnant women in crisis. She is now sharing her long journey with you. By showing you exactly how she started and expanded A Baby's Breath, Patota gives you the perfect road map for organizing your own social service center. Patota discusses her spiritual motivations for creating her organization, the impact of modern culture on her clients, the compassionate approach to moral teaching, the early moments of A Baby's Breath, the unique model her organization uses, and lessons for creating a faith-based social organization of your own. Patota also shows how this endeavor shaped and enhanced her spiritual journey. This is God's plan for her life, and she's ecstatic that she can spread his love and wisdom to others. She wants you to feel the same kind of joy on your own service journey.