ANOTHER REASON TO CELEBRATE

ANOTHER REASON TO CELEBRATE — These excited faces at the recent fundraising gala for the Center of Family Love may have been sparked by the fact that the Okarche-based center for intellectually-disabled adults was well on its way to a record-shattering $2.075 million total donations from a single event. But CEO Debbie Espinosa, left, and Nellie Sanders, senior vice president for philanthropy, right, (with CFL “NextGen Hero” and gala honoree Allen) also have reason to celebrate Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Sanders told the Times & Free Press that generations of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero have been wiped out by legal abortions. “Ultimately we realize that because of abortion, 92% of people with Down syndrome lose their lives each year due to genetic screening. We recognize that there have been entire generations of people who have never been given the opportunity to become developed and be integrated into world leadership roles in society.” CFL also recognizes that support for those parents from the time they discover their unborn child’s potential challenges is crucial and is planning a Family Life Resource Center to fill that need. “We want to support families who discover that they are having a little one who has these different abilities and show them that the future is as wonderful and bright a place for them as it is for all children,” Sanders said. See Wednesday’s paper for the full story about this and other “game-changing” goals CFL is pursuing. [Photo Provided]