For Laura Tucker, BABE of Whitley County is much more than a nonprofit she happens to lead. It’s an organization she first discovered as a mother of four, used with all of her children, and eventually joined as a part-time employee in 2017.
“I used BABE with all four of my kids, and I just loved BABE, so I just wanted to get involved.” Laura said.
She started as the store manager while her youngest was in preschool, initially looking for part-time work. Three years later, when the Executive Director position opened, she applied. She took over the position in 2020, just one month before COVID-19 changed nearly everything.
“I had to figure out my role in a whole different position, and while navigating the COVID pandemic,” she said. “That was very, very interesting.”
BABE was deemed an essential organization, allowing it to remain open throughout the pandemic. Even through the challenges, Laura says, “We survived it and flourished.”
How BABE Got Its Start
BABE has been part of Whitley County since 2001, but its beginnings looked a little different than the organization people know today. BABE was created after Whitley County was identified as having one of the highest rates of low-birth-weight babies. The original incentive program focused heavily on encouraging expectant mothers to attend prenatal appointments and receive the care they needed. The idea was simple: encourage parents to take important steps for their own health and the health of their children, then reward them for doing so.
Over the years, BABE has grown well beyond its original focus on prenatal care. Today, the organization encourages parents and caregivers to participate in a wide range of appointments, educational opportunities and activities.
How the BABE Coupon Program Works
At its heart, BABE is an incentive program designed to encourage families to do the things that support healthy families.
Parents and caregivers can earn BABE coupons by attending prenatal appointments, well-child appointments, immunizations, educational appointments and developmental appointments. BABE now works with more than 40 providers throughout Whitley County who distribute BABE coupons.
Those coupons can then be brought to BABE and redeemed for essential items—all free to the family.
That includes diapers, pull-ups, wipes, car seats, cribs and clothing. Everything available through the BABE coupon program is brand new.
“We want anybody to, everybody to, do the best things for themselves and their kids,” Laura explained. “There’s no guidelines, no membership. Anyone can earn BABE coupons.”
The program is not limited to mothers. Dads, grandparents, foster parents and other caregivers can participate. Anyone who has guardianship of a child can earn BABE coupons.
More Than Diapers
Diapers are one of the most visible needs BABE meets, but they are only one part of what the organization provides.
BABE goes through more than 40,000 diapers every year, making diaper drives and donations an important part of keeping the shelves stocked.
The organization also provides pull-ups, wipes, clothing, car seats and cribs through the coupon program.
For families who need something but don’t have BABE coupons, there is also a free area stocked with gently used donated items. Families can look through the available items and take what they need.
Classes, Education and Community
BABE isn’t simply a place families visit to pick up diapers. It has also become a place for parents to learn, connect and build relationships.
The organization hosts educational classes with several community partners and providers, including Parkview, Before Five, the library and the Community Health Outreach Nurse, Danielle Henderson. These classes give families another opportunity to earn BABE coupons while learning about topics that can benefit themselves and their children. But Laura says the community that develops around these classes may be just as important as the information being shared.
“Being a mom is hard and can be isolating,” she said.
Families often bring lunch before classes begin, sit together, and let their children play in the playroom. Over time, those gatherings have turned into friendships and lasting connections.
Support Groups for Moms
BABE also offers support groups designed to give parents a place to connect with others who understand what they’re experiencing. Earlier this year, BABE started a prenatal and postnatal support group called The Circle, which meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Laura says the group has already brought in a lot of moms.
BABE also has a long-running Mama Bears Support Group, which has been meeting for approximately 10 years. The group meets once a month at BABE, although gatherings sometimes move to a park or splash pad when the weather is nice. Guest speakers also occasionally join the group to discuss educational topics. There is no age requirement for children in the Mama Bears group.
“Any mom can come,” Laura said.
The support groups are personal for Laura, too. As a mother herself, she understands how isolating early motherhood can feel.
“I always was so isolated in my house and struggled a lot with postpartum depression,” she said. “I feel like it’s really helpful to put that out there and be open about things like that.”
For Laura, creating opportunities for mothers to connect isn’t just an extra program, it’s an important part of supporting families.
Free Formula and Period Products
BABE also provides resources that go beyond its traditional programs.
Families can receive two free cans of formula each week. The program became particularly important during COVID-19, when formula was extremely difficult to find.
BABE also provides free period products through a grant from Health First Indiana. Any girl or woman in Whitley County can come to BABE once a month and receive a bag containing period products, including pads and tampons. They can simply come in and ask for a bag, and BABE fills it for them.
The organization also offers a Safe Sleep Class, which it is working to provide three times a year. Participants receive a free pack-and-play, sound machine, sleep sack, onesie and a book. That program is also supported through the Health First Indiana grant.
Finding a New Home Downtown
BABE’s current home is the result of a major undertaking for Laura and the organization.
BABE spent approximately nine or 10 years at its Line Street location before the owner decided to take the building in a different direction. The organization suddenly needed to find a new home.
Laura talked to Columbia City United Methodist Church and arranged to rent a couple of rooms in the church’s basement. They were able toget moved in within a couple of months at set up shop. They has only been in their new location for about two months when Laura got a phone call from Andy.
“He said, ‘I have this building that I want you to come look at, but you have to keep an open mind because it’s in pretty rough shape,’” Laura recalled.
“He was not wrong,” she said with a laugh. Still, Laura could see the potential.
“I think we can do something with this,” she thought.
BABE and Andy began working together on the building, and the organization launched a capital campaign to help make the space usable.
One of the biggest surprises came after a press release about the campaign appeared in the Journal Gazette. Laura was sitting in the Walmart parking lot when she received a phone call from a man with a foundation in Fort Wayne.
BABE had been seeking approximately $150,000 to $175,000.
“He said, ‘Would $125,000 work for you?’” Laura recalled.
She thought there was no way it could be real. The man told her he would mail the check to BABE’s post office box within two days.
Laura didn’t even tell her board because she wasn’t sure it was actually going to happen.
Two days later, BABE had a $125,000 check.
That contribution provided a tremendous boost toward transforming the building.
The renovation itself became a labor of love. For 18 months, Laura, Andy and the people they knew worked on the building themselves.
“It was the hardest, longest 18 months of my life,” Laura said. She was working out of the church with BABE while also coming to the new building and working on the renovation. But when it was finished, she knew it had been worth it.
“It’s better than I ever would have imagined,” she said. “We love it here so much.”
Fundraising to Keep BABE Going
Providing thousands of diapers, clothing, baby supplies, formula and other resources doesn’t happen without community support.
BABE hosts several fundraisers throughout the year, including its annual Cutest Kid Contest.
The contest began at the 4-H fairgrounds, where it raised a few thousand dollars. After COVID made it impossible to continue holding the event there, BABE moved the contest online. The change turned out to be a huge success. The first year online, BABE raised more than $12,000. This year, the contest became the organization’s biggest yet, raising more than $16,000.
Laura says the final days of the contest are especially fun to watch as family members rally around their favorite little contestant.
BABE also hosts an annual mini golf outing, featuring 18 holes of wholesome mini golf at Pages, lunch and a silent auction. Local businesses play an important role through sponsorships that help cover costs such as signs and lunch.
The organization also participates in baby bottle drives and diaper drives at churches and businesses throughout the community. And because BABE goes through so many diapers each year, those donations make a real difference.
“We do diaper drives at churches, diaper drives at businesses, pretty much anywhere we can,” Laura said.
Laura also spends much of the year applying for grants that align with BABE’s mission and programs.
Come See What BABE Is All About
BABE is currently open Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 5:30 p.m., with occasional evening classes. The organization’s calendar is posted on its Facebook page, and families can simply come in and participate, there is no membership requirement or income qualification. Whether a family needs diapers, wants to attend a class, is looking for a support group, needs formula or period products, wants to learn about safe sleep, or simply wants to connect with other parents, BABE is designed to be a welcoming place for families.
And after more than two decades in Whitley County, the organization continues to grow beyond the program it was originally created to be. What began as an incentive program focused on improving prenatal care has become a broad network of resources, education, essential supplies and community connections for families across Whitley County. For Laura, who first walked through BABE’s doors as a mom looking for support and later returned as an employee, the mission remains personal. And today, she gets to help make sure other families have the opportunity to love it, too.
BABE of Whitley County is located at 309 W Van Buren St., Columbia City, IN
Store Hours: Wednesday & Thursday 12 – 5:30 PM
