In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, most individuals have adjusted to a “new normal”. Whether that means wearing a mask in public, or video conferencing throughout the day instead of meeting in-person, many of us are changing our routines and taking precautions to help ourselves and others stay safe. 

Like many schools across the state, Indianapolis Metropolitan High School teachers and students left their building on Thursday, March 12, for what would be the last time for the unforeseeable future. With statewide school closures issued by Governor Holcomb, educators found themselves faced with a daunting question: How do we continue to serve students in the wake of a global, public health crisis?

The past few weeks have been difficult for the entire nation. Indiana, especially, has been tested like no other time in recent memory as our state continues to observe stay-at-home orders and practice social distancing. While this has certainly been challenging, individuals across the state are doing the right things to flatten the curve, beat COVID-19 and save lives.

Being a first-time mom can be so many things — stressful, nerve-wracking, terrifying — the list goes on. For Laketta Booker, 26, it was all of those things until she enrolled in Goodwill's Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)® and met her nurse, Ketta Mason.

Launched in 2011, Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program pairs first-time, low-income moms with a registered nurse who makes home visits through pregnancy and up until a child’s second birthday. In February 2020, we celebrated 3,000 babies born as part of the program, along with families like the Deahls, whose lives were changed significantly after the arrival of their son, Allistor.

Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP) pairs first-time mothers with a registered nurse for ongoing home visits aimed at providing the best start for their children during the earliest, most developmentally critical years. NFP is an international, community health program, widely researched and recognized for increasing health care access and improving health outcomes.

Martha Bess has always had a love of learning, but personal barriers prevented her from finishing high school as a teenager. She married at 14 years old and started her own family, which grew to include six children. Over 20 years later, she began working with her church’s homeschool co-op, where her children attended, and soon discovered her own love of teaching. To advance her career and to continue to set a good example for her children, she knew she would need a high school diploma.

Kristani and Bryson Kovach are not high school sweethearts in the traditional sense. Then again, neither of their experiences with high school were traditional at first, either.

Growing up, Katie Reigelsperger had little support from her parents, who struggled with substance abuse. Over the years, Katie was in and out of the foster care system and struggled to find the stability and guidance that she needed to make healthy choices. Then, at the age of 13, she found out she was pregnant.

As a sophomore at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Leonard Lofton was a successful student with plans to be a history teacher.