Caring Hearts Luncheon inspires attendees

Nobody left the 14th Annual Caring Hearts Luncheon without a full understanding of how impactful the First Step of Sarasota, Inc. Mothers and Infants program is.

After several speeches guests learned that, since its inception, the program has helped 403 healthy babies be born to mothers in recovery from a drug and/or alcohol addiction. Mothers and Infants provides housing and counseling services for these mothers, many of whom would give birth to drug-dependent babies if it weren’t for the support they get from the program.

President and CEO of First Step of Sarasota, Inc. David J. Beesley explained the impact of the program before Dr. Felice Baron, Ob/Gyn, explained the health risks associated with doing drugs while pregnant.

The event program continued when Commissioner Nancy Detert was then awarded Caring Heart of the Year for her extensive work in Tallahassee to ensure that Mothers and Infants did not lose state funding.

Afterwards, event-goers heard a first-hand account of what the program does for its clients when First Step alumna Kari Kastner shared her story of recovery. Kastner was living in New York when she found out she was pregnant, and after finding Mothers and Infants on the internet, she spent all the money she had to take a train down to Sarasota in hopes that the organization would have a bed for her.

After two weeks of waiting, she got the call that she had been waiting for — they had a space for her. Five years later, she’s now an advocate for women struggling with addiction, and her daughter Myla is a healthy four-year-old.

“To the girls here today: keep going,” Kastner told the pregnant recovering addicts in the room. “You’re beautiful and your children love you already.”

Kastner ended her emotional speech to a roar of applause followed by a standing ovation.