LifePlan Wins National Hope Award
Submitted by Lyndon Azcuna, LifePlan Executive Director
LifePlan was recently named the winner of the 2022 Hope Award. The Hope Award is awarded by World Magazine each year and LifePlan was the northeast finalist in a contest that included three other organizations representing different parts of the country. The overall winner was decided by a poll that was open to the public nation-wide and comes with a $10,000 prize donation.
LifePlan, a resource center with locations in Niles and Benton Harbor, Michigan, was recently declared the overall winner of the 2022 Hope Award established by World Magazine. The award is given out each year to an organization that fights poverty and works to instill hope in the people it serves. According to Addie Offereins, a reporter for World Magazine, “World highlights ministries that embody key principles to break the cycle of poverty instead of shifting Christ’s call to care for the poor to the shoulders of the government”. Other finalists for the award were Set Apart Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, His Way, a Christian recovery center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Next Step, a home for men transitioning from rehab or prison, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. All four organizations were highlighted in World’s online and print publications and then the public was invited to vote for the organization they felt best exemplified the principles of the Hope Award. When voting closed on August 12, LifePlan had received the most votes nation-wide.
LifePlan began in 1985 in Niles, Michigan as a response to a local abortion clinic. The founders believed that women were choosing to have an abortion, not because they wanted one, but because they lacked the necessary resources to help them carry a baby to term. LifePlan sought to provide those resources, as well as emotional and spiritual support, to women who found themselves in unexpected pregnancies. Since that time, LifePlan has opened a second location in Benton Harbor and has increased its services to include services for men as well as preventative services through education and training programs in schools and the community. LifePlan has plans to open a center in South Bend, Indiana.
Services offered by LifePlan include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing and treatment, parenting and relationship support, school presentations, men’s coaching, and material support. All services are free and available to anyone who needs them. Numerous volunteers from area churches help carry out the educational services of LifePlan by dedicating a specific amount of time each week to meet with clients, sharing their stories and experiences as well as leading them through an evidence-informed, physician approved curriculum called BrightCourse. Each time a client completes a BrightCourse class, they receive free items from the LifePlan boutique which is stocked with items such as diapers, wipes, clothing, and food that has been donated by members of the community and local churches.
According to Lyndon Azcuna, executive director of LifePlan, “LifePlan is grateful to World Magazine for this wonderful opportunity to impact Michiana in an even more significant way. Being the 2022 Hope Award winner will allow us greater influence, a broader base of support, and will attract more people to our programs, services, and ministry. As we continue to meet felt needs in our community, we will also continue to shine the light of the gospel, instilling Hope to all who enter our doors.”
Thank you for your support of the ministry of LifePlan!
We are incredibly blessed by the opportunity set before us and look forward to the many doors opened! Click on THIS LINK to read the article all about the 2022 Hope Award Winning organization.
About the 2022 Hope Awards “For Effective Compassion” from World News Group:
Every year, WORLD seeks ministries that offer challenging, personal, spiritual help—not groups that hand people money or a meal but do nothing to change counterproductive or even dangerous habits. We look for groups that are unashamed of the gospel and its life-changing power and make it the heart of their work.
This year, WORLD’s Addie Offereins traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., to report on a ministry that uses discipleship to help men coming out of rehab or prison find employment and housing; to Niles, Mich., to report on a pregnancy care center that focuses on holistic Biblical sexuality in addition to providing services to women; to Huntsville, Ala., to report on a Christian recovery program that holds men battling addiction accountable in a structured environment; and to Post Falls, Idaho, to report on a Christian recovery program that creates a gospel-centered family to provide loving accountability.
Click the links below to read about these groups and the good work they’re doing. Then vote for the finalist you think deserves this year’s grand prize. Voting ends on Aug. 12, and the winner will receive $10,000.
Bad news isn’t hard to find nowadays, but God is always building His kingdom. Scroll down to see some of what He’s doing through these four compassionate groups.
About LifePlan: Caring, confidential support to people facing pregnancy and family related issues is the focus of LifePlan of Niles, Michigan. All our services are offered without any discrimination, and often extend to the family or significant others related to the woman. Many of our clients come for a confidential pregnancy test, but also receive maternity and baby clothing or other supplies. We strive to graciously provide an opportunity for each client to hear the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is our ongoing support from our partners, sponsors and volunteers that allows LifePlan to continue serving those in need in our community.
LifePlan
The Buchanan Chronicle 