Fifteen years and hundreds of healthier families after its modest beginnings as a prenatal clinic in a cramped basement office, Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care has grown into a well-respected comprehensive community health organization that provides health, social, and educational services to underserved families—women, men, children, and adolescents—in the District of Columbia.

Mary's Center's comprehensive and holistic approach is especially helpful for clients like Lilian, who enrolled in Mary's Center Healthy Families DC program when she was only 14. Lilian was pregnant, living with her boyfriend's family, and not attending school. When she arrived at Mary's Center, one of the first things that her family support worker Sandra did was to talk with Lilian about what she wanted to do. It was challenging for Lilian to look beyond her situation, but after much discussion she decided she really wanted to graduate from high school. Lilian also wanted to be a great mom. Sandra took Lilian to find a school that would work best for her while she was pregnant and helped her through the registration process. Lilian finished the school year and then attended summer programs, where she excelled in computers, before giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ana. She later became the first person in her family to graduate from high school and now plans to attend college. Mary's Center helped make it possible for Lilian to pursue her dreams, and she is determined to provide her daughter Ana with similar opportunities for growth and happiness.

Mary's Center Website