Group Project 2015Ellie Kassebaum, Savannah Lee, Mary Lane Minatra, and Chandler Vaught

Group Members• Ellie Kassebaum- Communications Leader, board design, item collection, and candy assembly

• Savannah Lee- Board design, item collection, and candy assembly

• Mary Lane Minatra- Group Leader, board design, item collection, and candy assembly

• Chandler Vaught- Board design, item collection, and candy assembly

Agency:• “Where every story matters”

• Local agency that helps local people

• Offer a variety of services Pregnancy services Parenting services Support groups Classroom instruction School assemblies After abortion care

Our Contact at Portico

Suzan Louthan

• As Asitia Director, Louthan coordinates the volunteer activities in the classrooms throughout Rutherford County.  Asitia is the abstinence education program of Portico. Louthan along with volunteers teach the program in 6th, 7th and 8th grades and in high school.  There are five lessons for each grade level that they teach and make appropriate for each audience.  Louthan presents the case for abstinence from sexual activity until marriage.

Our Contributions toward Portico•We hosted a baby item supply drive within each of our individual schoolsCollected baby itemsChandler’s school donated a baby crib

Our Contributions toward Portico• In addition, we designed a display board For the purpose of attracting teens and young adults

In order to inform audience Portico agency Asitia Portico’s mission

Our Contributions toward Portico• We also designed, created, and assembled candy messages.

• Consists of a piece of candy taped to a slip of paper with a message on it.

What Ellie Learned…• “Through my group’s involvement with Portico I have developed a new understanding for unique organizations in the Middle Tennessee area. Touring the Portico headquarters and hearing from leaders in the organization sparked my interest in Portico’s programs. From providing pregnancy support to educating high school students, Portico reaches many individuals in our community. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with them this year, and hope to continue working with them in the future.”

What Mary Lane Learned…• “Through this project I have gained many new insights about our community. I had never heard of the organization Portico, nor did I get the privilege of having Asitia come to my school for the informative classes. Through this project, I gained a better understanding of what all Portico has to offer and the many ways that are available to me to contribute my time to the organization. Though the contributions we made towards the organization may seem comparatively small, they made a huge impact in the organization and that taught me that even just the little that I can do for an organization like Portico can really make a huge difference in the organization as a whole.”

What Savannah Learned…• “Through this experience I learned that non profit organizations thrive through our community. Also, I learned what Portico was. They want to help inform women that are thinking about abortion so they can hopefully persuade them in the other direction. They also provide counseling for women that have already went through abortion that are upset and confused about the decision they made. That really hit home with me because Tennessee is where people come to get abortions and getting them to go else where instead of Tennessee would be great if these amazing people at Portico can help.”

What Chandler Learned…• “By volunteering for Portico with my group I learned much about an organization I had never heard of before this year. It was a pleasure to tour the Portico offices and meet with its leaders who have devoted much of their lives to the programs it sponsors. I have been through the Asitia program twice in school but never knew that Portico sponsored it. It was a privilege to get to know about an organization that does so much about for our community but one that few people know about.”