Mishawaka Police Officer Bruce Faltynski and his wife, Shelby, finalized their adoptions in St. Joseph County, Indiana. They along with several other families have adopted babies from SafeHaven Baby Boxes. “We are so grateful for Myah’s birth mother; she made a really courageous decision,” Bruce Faltynski said.
Myah was admitted to the hospital after officials said the baby was found and appeared to have had a stroke. Fortunately, she has since been healthy and thriving. According to Bruce, she has met all of her milestones. The family has also previously adopted an 8-year-old girl and together the family of 4 are happy and thankful for one another.
What is a Safe Haven Baby Box?
An organization in Indiana installed a number of lockboxes at local hospitals and Fire Stations. They are provided for under the state’s Safe Haven Law. The law legally permits a mother in crisis to anonymously surrender their newborns if they are unable to provide for them. The Safe Haven Baby Box is intended to be a secure and safe space for the baby.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes automatically lock once the baby has been placed inside. An interior door is accessed by medical staff to securely retrieve the newborn from inside the building. Nowadays, the Safe Haven Baby Box has features like temperature control and is alarm activated. The first Safe Haven Baby Box was installed in 2016.
Since then there have been more than 120 surrenders nationwide. Kelsey opened the first box in a small town in Indiana called Woodburn. There are now 86 Safe Haven Baby Boxes across the state of Indiana and 113 in total across the country. The organization has a hotline available for mothers in crisis, with compassionate professionals offering support 24/7. Nationwide, over 120 surrenders have resulted from calls to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes national hotline. (1-866-99BABY1)
According to the Founder
The inspiration for the Safe Haven Baby Box Monica Kelsey explains came from learning that she too had been an abandoned infant. The idea came to her after a trip to Cape Cod, South Africa in which she saw a baby box program. She said that on her flight back home she began drawing her own version of the baby boxes, on a Delta napkin. Kelsey said in an interview with NPR, “I think we all can agree that a baby box that calls 911 on its own is a better option than a dumpster. And so, getting people to wrap their heads around that fact has been a struggle.”
At first, Kelsey presented the idea but faced opposition from the Department of Child Services in Indiana. The director of the time said, “no evidence to suggest the use of baby boxes as a safe, prudent way to surrender a child.” Kelsey refused to give up and in 2017, the state law was amended to include baby boxes.
Because of the recent changes to abortion laws, most likely many new needs for these boxes will arise all over the country and Indiana is currently in the process of writing up Indiana’s new abortion laws, most likely to include exceptions for victims of rape and incest.
Ways to Help
If you want to learn more about ways to contribute to the program the site states, there are 8 ways in which you can make a donation or become involved with the Safe Haven Baby Boxes program including:
- Making a tax-deductible donation
- Share, like, comment, and visit their social media pages
- Sponsor a medical basket
- Spearhead local campaigns or billboards
- Contact local schools to promote Safe Haven Boxes
Keep Reading: ‘I just cried holding her’: Couple welcomes baby girl after 5-year adoption journey
Sources
- “Mission statement.” Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- “Police officer adopts baby found in Safe Haven Baby Box.” NBC 12. WNDU Staff and Jordan Gartner. November 18, 2022.
- “Indiana is installing more baby boxes, where newborns can be anonymously surrendered.” NPR. Jill Sheridan. August 3, 2022.