Monica Kelsey knows all about being abandoned as a baby.
“My birth mom was 17 years old,” said Kelsey. “She was brutally attacked, raped and left along the side of the road. She carried the pregnancy to term because abortion was illegal and then she gave birth in April of ’73 and abandoned her child two hours after that child was born and that child was me. So, I want to make sure that every child in this country is left in a safe place.”
Kelsey was dropped off at a hospital and later adopted.
“Adoption is such a blessing, especially for the child,” said Kelsey. “I mean I was blessed by adoption.”
Now the Safe Haven Baby Boxes Founder and CEO, Kelsey was in Frankfort on Friday at the Frankfort Fire Department to help with the unveiling and blessing of the 21st Safe Haven Baby Box nationally and the 17th in Indiana.
Fire Department Chief John Kirby said he and his department were excited about this coming when he first heard about it. He added there is an additional feature which is unique.
“We’re the only baby box that is actually monitored through the 911 system,” said Kirby. “The rest of them are monitored through something like a home security system. Hopefully, we’ll get a quicker response from our EMS personnel and fire personnel. It’s going to be treated as a medical call.”
Kelsey said the location at the fire department was fantastic.
“This is just an amazing location for a mother in crisis,” said Kelsey. “It’s easy access and it’s definitely better than putting a baby in a dumpster, trash can or along the side of the road.”
Kelsey said there are 150 babies dumped in the United States every year. She added if they can make it even a half or a third, that would be great.
Frankfort Mayor Chris McBarnes said this shows how much the community cares.
“I think it shows where our priorities and values are here in Frankfort,” he said. “It protects the unborn, its protects our most vulnerable and it’s protecting human life.”
Safe Haven leaders are working to launch the next box in Lafayette.
Safe Haven currently has baby boxes installed in the following areas in Indiana: Woodburn, Chesterton, Michigan City (2), Carmel, Decatur Township, North Vernon, Mount Vernon, Hammond, Seymour, Syracuse, Warsaw, East Chicago, Crown Point, Angola, Fortville and Frankfort.