Baby box is a helpful option for tough situation
It was great to see the city of Russellville commit to installing a Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station One, and even more so since the funding came from good Samaritans who anonymously donated the money for the project.
Two families donated a total of $25,000 for the box, while another family will cover the cost of the constant video monitoring system for at least the next 14 years.
The box is constantly monitored via video — while keeping the mother’s identity anonymous, as per state law — and it maintains a constant safe temperature for the child.
The notion of raising a child is often a daunting thought and can put an enormous amount of stress on the mother which, coupled with other outside factors, can leave no choice but to surrender her child.
The overall goal of the baby box is to provide a safe, discreet environment for someone who is overwhelmed
ready to raise a child. This allows for authorities to ensure the child is cared for in its infancy and eventually place it into a loving home.
“Children are really special,” Russellville Fire Department Captain Jeremy Glenn told the Franklin County Times. “I started doing research about it, and around the same time the donors reached out and said they wanted to fund a baby box.
I jumped on board and said, let’s go, let’s do it.”
Since the first Safe Haven box was installed in 2016, more than 200 babies have been placed inside a box at dozens of locations around the country.
One could argue those having a child should understand the risk and responsibility that comes with having a baby.
However, circumstances are vastly different for each person going through pregnancy.
Finances change, the involvement of other parents or family members isn’t always available or provided, and a plethora of other factors have to be taken into consideration when it comes to ensuring a child has a great, healthy life.
Wouldn’t it be much better to have a safe, reliable option available to mothers who feel as though giving up their child is the best option for everyone involved?
Russellville’s baby box is the second in the tri-county area, following the installation of one in Colbert County.
Hopefully, other cities will be proactive in installing boxes in their respective municipalities so that more children — and their mothers — have better options.
Because, as Captain Glenn said, children really are special, and they deserve to have the best possible start in this world.
