Tony Sodo would always say to his daughter, “God has a plan for you!” For many years, she did not know what this plan was, but then she heard a counselor who worked with pregnant mothers speak at Faith Bible Church in Lowell. In listening to the counselor speak, Tony’s daughter, Traci Moldenhauer, knew that helping pregnant women was to be her mission.She started looking for organizations that helped pregnant women where she could volunteer. In the beginning, Traci never felt that she was doing enough. Finally, she trained to be an advocate for a crisis pregnancy center in Northwest Indiana. For three years, she helped pregnant women who were turned away by their families or boyfriends for being pregnant and were left with no support system.
“My husband had cancer. Although the treatments caused the cancer to go into remission, the treatments also made 
it more difficult for us to have children of our own. It would break my heart to see women struggling with their own pregnancy while I was trying to get pregnant myself. I felt more needed to be done to help these women. They needed a safe place to stay while they rebuilt their lives,” explains Traci. “I knew it would be a conflict of interest to continue as an advocate while pursuing my own endeavor. So, I reluctantly quit my volunteer position. I also resigned from a job I loved working as an accountant.”
Traci’s passion for wanting to provide pregnant women with a safe place to live would become Mommy’s Haven which was founded in 2012. Recently opened in January 2019, Mommy’s Haven is a residence for pregnant mothers in need. It is the only maternity home in Lake County to serve adult pregnant mothers. Services are offered to the mothers at no cost and all pregnant mothers in need are welcome. An 18 month program allows each resident and their child to recognize their own self-worth and prepare them to live an independent life.
The home now has an incredible staff of 5 and a house that’s serving women and their babies, from all walks of life. To quote one of the current residents, “being a part of this program has given me the opportunity to live in a stable & healthy environment for the first time in my life”. This is the hope that Mommy’s Haven is giving to those who feel hopeless. Even women who aren’t needing housing can contact Mommy’s Haven for access to programs and resources that they have to offer either in house or in the community.
While the home is open and operating, funds are still needed to maintain their monthly expenses. One way you can help is by supporting the Run Like a Mother 5K/2K on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12th, 8 am at the Lake Co. Fairgrounds.
For more information about Mommy’s Haven or how to get involved, please visit MommysHaven.org