Event focused attention on abandoned babies

On behalf of the Breakfast Exchange Club of Gurnee, and the Gurnee Noon Exchange, I would like to thank the entire Gurnee Community for their support with our recent project, “Gurnee’s Biggest Baby Shower.” In special recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the project helped to bring awareness in our area to the Safe Haven Law, and alert parents of the existence of the Illinois Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection law.

This joint effort included shower gift drop-off sites for the community to participate. Our club was blessed to have the cooperation from Warren Township, Gurnee Village Hall, Gurnee Police Department, both Gurnee Fire Departments, Gurnee Park District, Gurnee Ford, First Midwest Bank, Gurnee Huntington Learning Center, and Warren High School District 121 Student Council.

Many donations were dropped off because of the publicity our local newspapers provided for us. We would especially like to thank our local newspapers for their coverage and recognizing the importance of this law.

Through your generosity 792 baby items were collected and distributed to Aid For Women of Northern Lake County, a ministry that helps families and infants in crisis.

Increasing awareness of this issue and alerting parents of the existence of the Illinois Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection law is vital. This law provides a parent who might otherwise abandon an infant in an unsafe place, the ability to bring an unharmed newborn 30 days or younger to a staff member at a “safe haven”, staffed fire station, police station, hospital, or emergency medical facility. The parents may remain anonymous and will not be prosecuted.

While no infants have been reported left at safe havens in Lake County, 64 babies have been safely relinquished in Illinois since the law’s inception in 2001. Unsafe abandonments total 62, with 30 of those infants found dead.

Together we made a difference,

Roberta Pfeiffer

Breakfast Exchange Club of Gurnee Event Co-Chair