The Open Door Pregnancy Resource Center

Studying  Working Towards Getting Your GED The General Education Development, or GED, test is an option offered to adults who were either unwilling or unable to complete high school in the traditional way. The tests are a group of four subject tests and, when passed, provide certification that the person has high school level academic skills. It measures the skills and knowledge similar to a four-year high school program. Since 1942, the General Educational Development has changed millions of lives for the better. How It Began The GED was developed in 1942 to help WWII veterans who were sent overseas to fight the war before they could finish their high school education. The United States Armed Forces Institute asked the American Council on Education (ACE) to develop a battery of tests. Passing these tests gave returning soldiers and sailors the academic credentials they needed to get civilian jobs and gain access to post-secondary education or training. The test has gone t...

Holiday Blues Psalms 9:9 – The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. For most, the holiday season is filled with happiness, celebrations, rejoicing, and social gatherings with friends and family. And for others, it can be a time of sadness, loneliness, and finding ways to cope with it. The holiday can trigger these sorrowful emotions for a number of reasons. You may not be able to visit family, you might have gone through a separation, a loved one has passed, or you’re in a tough financial situation. For whatever reason, seeing others in joyful moods can be tough to see. It could also be tough feeling like you are going through it alone. Depression during the holidays is more common than you think and it’s important to know you are not alone. There are ways to manage your depression and get the help you need.  Where To Start It’s no fun feeling overwhelmed and not just during the holidays. Finding ways to deal with the holiday blues and ...

Be Giving Giving During Thanksgiving It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Many of us will come together to be thankful and celebrate the blessings in our lives. But during this time of year, there are also people and families that are in need. We all get busy during this time, so it can become easy to forget about helping others. Crosswalk.com has a few ways to help you show God’s love and blessings to others this Thanksgiving. Getting Started Help A Friend With Make-Ahead Food Preparations - Get together with a good friend and do some make-ahead food prep. Roast and bone both your turkeys or make your pies together. Not only will this cut down on stress on the holiday, but you can also spend some quality time together. Invite Someone With No Family To Dinner - If you know someone who has no family or has a family that is far away and isn’t able to make it home, invite them to dinner. If you have a friend who is going through a hard time...

Volunteer Now Volunteering Makes a Difference Volunteering can be broadly defined as donating your time for a good cause, whether to help a non-profit organization and an individual. This good cause can be hundreds of different things, so many that it can be hard to choose how, when, and what cause to volunteer for. Volunteering is a meaningful way to help individuals and communities in need. With our busy lives, most of us think we don’t have time to offer our help. But the great thing is you don’t need a lot of time to make a difference. Sure some programs take weeks or months, but giving an hour volunteering in a soup kitchen is a good start. Volunteering is essential as it offers crucial help to people in need and the community as a whole. Many of these organizations and charities rely on the generosity of volunteers, as many companies depend almost solely upon teams of volunteers to help them thrive and do their work. So how do you decide what you want to volunteer for? ...

Child Loss October: A Month of Awareness and Remembrance October marks a month of awareness and remembrance for those who have experienced the loss of a child, during pregnancy or infancy, to stillbirth, miscarriage, SIDS, or any other cause. The loss of a child is considered one of the most painful, gut-wrenching experiences a parent can have. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon. The  National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that as many as 31 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. Too many families have suffered and despite the progress made in the way of awareness and support many still feel isolated, they feel like they are alone in this situation. The effect of such a loss varies for each person and family. Some common effects include depression, anxiety, changes in relationships, development of unhealthy coping mechanisms, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s important as a community to extend our support beyo...

Make Time for You A vast majority of people are guilty of making New Year’s Eve resolutions. We decide to commit to losing weight, read more, spend less time on social media, quit smoking, or drink less. Making these lifestyle changes are well and good, but a large percentage of those who make them struggle to stick with it. You may ask yourself, “How many times can I try to…?” The truth is, as many times as it takes. There is no doubt that these committed changes or goals take determination and not everyone gets it right the first time around. I’ve heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but recent studies showed that it actually takes about 66 days. It’s never too late to make a change, whether if it’s a New Year’s resolution or you wake up Thursday morning and decide to start riding your bike to work. Having a goal that will make a positive impact on your life is worth it. It’s not impossible to be the person you want to be, to form positive habits or take time for you, s...

Dangers of Dating Apps Before, we talked about scary apps parents should watch out for in protecting their children. This time we're going to bring up the cautions of dating apps for adults. You hear it all the time. Some horror story about someone meeting a stranger on a dating app and “hitting it off.” Only to come to the realization that that person is not who they say they are or they managed to con the other person in some aspect. That was the situation for 30 women who were conned through a dating app. In New Jersey, a man managed to scam these women out of over $2 million. Rubbin Sarpong and a few other accomplices set up fake online dating accounts and pretended to strike up a romantic relationship with random ladies. Sarpong went as far as telling these ladies he was military personnel stationed in Syria and was awarded gold bars that needed to be shipped to the United States. He reportedly told the women the fictitious gold bars were worth $12 million and needed h...