The Collier County Commission unanimously approved approximately $22,000 at Tuesday's meeting for the installation of a Safe Haven Baby Box , an anonymous, climate-controlled space for a parent to leave a child as a last resort. The box will be at EMS Station 76, located at the intersection of Vanderbilt Beach Road and Logan Boulevard in Northern Collier County, according to publicly available documents.
"For people to really understand the mission and where the drive comes from, I got to go back a lot of years to August of 1972, when a 17-year-old girl was brutally attacked and raped and lost along the side of the road. She gave birth in April of 1973 and abandoned her child two hours after that child was born. That child was me, so I stand on the front lines of this ministry as one of these kids that wasn't lovingly, safely, legally, and anonymously placed in a safe haven. This is my legacy, and I am now their voice. I will forever walk alongside these moms who choose something safe for their child," said Monica Kelsey, who founded the nonprofit in 2016.
Since the nonprofit's inception in the Midwest years ago, nearly 300 boxes have been installed at emergency medical service stations, fire stations and police headquarters across 20 states. More than 200 newborns have been recovered safely from boxes and/or surrendered to staff.
"The alternative is a dumpster. The baby box is a last-resort option. If the alternative is a dumpster, I think everyone would agree that this is a good option. We don't want this to be her first option. We don't want this to be what she chooses first. We want her to look at her options," said Kelsey.
Advocates for the program began their agenda item at the Collier County government center in East Naples by showing a short video, sharing the story of an EMT located in Ocala (the nearest box), who adopted the child that was left behind.
"That baby box was in Ocala, and that was the first one that had been implemented and been used at that location. So, it inspired me ... this allows the mother full an anonymity and no shame, no, no harm, no foul. And it's a, it's a happy ending for everyone," said County Commissioner Chris Hall, who represents District 2 and sponsored the initiative.
The box will be constructed within the next few weeks. When it is ready for operation, staff from the Safe Haven nonprofit plan on holding a "blessing ceremony," which is customary for all locations. Below is an example of a service held at another recent unveiling: