Spring 2026 Heartbeats

Aimee’s Story

Finding Hope When It Matters Most

Aimee came to First Coast Women’s Services for a pregnancy test feeling scared and uncertain. Already a single mother, she wanted to keep her baby but struggled with confidence due to negativity from those around her. She didn’t know what to expect when she walked through our doors; she was very worried about being judged.

At FCWS, Aimee found the encouragement and support she needed. She felt welcomed and gained positive reinforcement. FCWS helped her escape the doubt she was feeling. Seeing her baby on the ultrasound and hearing his heartbeat became a turning point for Aimee. She felt more confident, uplifted, and reassured in her decision. Aimee went on to have her baby boy, Jace. At the age of two, Jace was diagnosed with autism. Despite the challenges, she continued to press forward, working to provide and care for her sons.

She eventually found a church community, where she was baptized and discovered a deeper sense of support and purpose. Today, Aimee says she wouldn’t change anything. Her sons are her greatest blessings. Her story is a reminder that no one has to have everything figured out, and when people show up for each other, lives can truly change.

Letter from the CEO, Jennifer Pace

Eighty percent of 25–34-year-old adults use AI for mental health support, according to reports from the American Psychiatric Association. Think about that for a moment; AI is revolutionizing our world while simultaneously distancing us from the human support systems that our society once ran to.

Still, a recent Barna Study showed that transformational life change in terms of discipleship happens as a result of one-on-one mentoring layered with small group work.

These are two sides of one coin. We see young adults running to technology for mental health support when what they really need to truly develop and grow into flourishing adults is deep, human interaction.

To me, this is one of the biggest reasons why places like First Coast Women’s Services are more important than ever in our communities. I am thankful that our clients are finding us online, BUT I am more grateful when then those connections turn into real life connections.

Hear from a mom who posted about us on a social media moms page:

“I’ve mentioned this place before on here but I’m going to do it again. Not only do they care so much about you and your pregnancy – they literally go out of their way to help you in any way they can. They are completely free and confidential! They are also open super late, so you and your husband/bf can tag along too if you want. I was able to have my fiancé see his baby on ultrasound at 7pm! Which we honestly didn’t think he would ever be able to because of work. I had one of the nurses keep calling to check up on me. OMG she was a total angel!! She was asking if there was anything I needed or anything they could do to help my pregnancy be smoother….”

I am thankful that our work is changing lives and women are finding the support they need. We stand with her in her time of need. We see transformation and life changes made every single day in our centers. We support men and women choosing life, choosing family, and choosing hope with the encouragement and support from our staff and volunteers.

This year, our goal is to open our centers for more hours so that we can stand with her, be here and ready when we are needed. Standing as a life-line in time of need. Present.

We have calculated that it costs us $465 to have a center open for one hour. In that one hour, clients are being mentored, ultrasounds are being administered, clients are being followed up with by our nurses. Hope is being extended.

Would you consider the next step of making a donation to have a center open for at least one hour? Maybe you can financially support a three-hour shift for $1,500 or even cover that shift for a year with a gift of $73,000. Wherever you are at, I ask you to prayerfully consider supporting our goal to increase our hours of operation in order to better serve our community who is looking for help and finding hope at FCWS.

Grace and Peace,

Spring Events Recap

2026 is already off to a busy start and we could not be more grateful for everyone who has come out to our many Spring events! We’ve participated in lively (and silent) auctions, run (or walked) our hearts out, witnessed powerful client testimonies, and heard exciting ministry updates about the impact being made in our communities across Northeast Florida. Whether you were able to attend one of these events or not, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the Lord’s provision for FCWS through our Spring events!