Cindy
DeVine, Director
Pregnancy and Family Life Center of Citrus County
For those of you who have yet to be able to associate a name with
a face, or vice versa, allow me to introduce myself. Effective
April 2008, I am the new director of the Pregnancy and Family
Life Center of Citrus County. I am a relatively recent transplant
from New Jersey, having moved to Florida in July 2004 -- a mere
two weeks prior to the four-storm hurricane season for which that
year is infamous. (Although there are those who may be tempted
to draw a correlation between my arrival and the subsequent arrival
of four major storms, I prefer to think of it as coincidental.)
I
come to the position of Pregnancy Center Director via a circuitous
career path that has included the following positions: research
scientist for the pharmaceutical industry; pharmaceutical industry
senior medical writer in charge of document preparation for submission
to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other worldwide
regulatory agencies; middle school science teacher; and substitute
teacher. In addition, I have volunteered as a 4-H leader since
1997, and prior to relocating here, held the volunteer position
of Science Advisory Council chairperson for the Monmouth County
(NJ) 4-H.
More
important than all of the preceding, however, is the fact that
I am a mother who has had to face many challenges in order to
bring three beautiful children into the world and subsequently
attempt to raise those children to become caring, contributing
members of society. Consequently, I am very aware of how precious
life is and how imperative it is to support mother, baby, and
family throughout pregnancy, delivery, and the formative years
thereafter.
I
would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity, on behalf
of the wonderful staff and volunteers at "The Center,"
to extend heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been, and continue
to be, so generous in support of our mission. Your contributions
go a long way toward ensuring the continued provision of services
to achieve our goal of healthy mothers, healthy babies, and healthy
families. Those services include counseling, education, emotional
support, and provision of baby items including clothing, diapers,
food, and supplies. Without donations such as yours, we would
be unable to provide this crucial help to those in need in Citrus
County.
In
closing, I would just like to make the following observation:
For those who claim to have never witnessed a miracle, I recommend
visiting a hospital maternity ward. Little miracles occur there
each and every day.
All the best,
Cindy DeVine
Pregnancy and Family Life Center of Citrus County
