Women's Resource Center adds space for relationship-building

A 545-square-foot conference room addition was recently completed at Women's Resource Center of Hancock County, 1011 N. Main St. The pandemic has temporarily put on hold the main use for the new space: social events and educational meetings with youth about the consequences of premarital sex and becoming a teenage parent. Women's Resource Center is a faith-based interdenominational crisis pregnancy center that encourages women to have their babies rather than abort them. It also provides support to women after the baby is born. Women's Resource Center also has an abstinence-based program to prevent teen pregnancy, CARE (Character and Relationship Education). For years, CARE educators have met with Findlay and Hancock County middle school and high school classes to discuss risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, said Scott Tinman, CARE Program director. Building strong relationships between CARE educators and students can further protect students from trouble. The new conference room — called "The Refinery" because "we want to help students define and refine their character" — will be a valuable vessel for that relationship-building, Tinman said. "If we're at a school, we can tell (students), 'Hey, on Wednesday night we're going to have a pizza party and if you want to come and hang out here, we're going to be talking,'" he said. Relationships forged before kids face a crossroads or crisis can make a critical difference in their lives, Tinman said. The conference room will also be used for meetings for CARE staff and the board of directors of Women's Resource Center, and for storage space.