Former client returns to help operate pregnancy center

Candice McMellon knows what pregnant teens, young unwed mothers are going through

Published: January 21, 2012

By Maryanne Meyerriecks
Fort Smith Correspondent

Maryanne Meyerriecks

Candice McMellon, operations manager at Heart to Heart Pregnancy Support Center in Fort Smith, straightens in the clothes and diaper closet Jan. 6.

Maryanne Meyerriecks

Candice McMellon, operations manager at Heart to Heart Pregnancy Support Center in Fort Smith, straightens in the clothes and diaper closet Jan. 6.

FORT SMITH -- Last October, Candice McMellon accepted an opportunity to pay it forward. The 35-year-old mother of five -- three biological and two step-children, ranging in age from 19 years to 16 months -- became the new operations manager at Heart to Heart Pregnancy Support Center.

"Becky Heffner, the former operations manager, was leaving. She and I had become friends, and she told me that she felt God was calling her to ask me to take her place. I had just left my job as a Subway manager, and I thought, 'Wow.' I accepted the call," she said.

McMellon had visited Heart to Heart for the first time in almost 20 years in July when her husband suffered a work-related back injury. Until his workmen's compensation claim was approved, finances were tight, and McMellon received some temporary assistance getting diapers for her baby, Rylee. The visit brought back memories of her first trip to Heart to Heart when, as a 15-year-old, she went there to take a pregnancy test.

"At that time, Heart to Heart was located in Central Mall," she recalled. "My mother and I had heard they gave free pregnancy tests. It was just a godly place and I could feel the warmth when I walked through the door. LaBelle Rodriguez, the director, counseled me and my mom, who was very supportive. Neither of us believed in abortion."

In 1992 the Northside High School student was on the honor roll and her boyfriend was studying to be a youth pastor.

"My boyfriend was not in favor of abortion, but his mother pushed it, and several of my so-called friends had had abortions and were pushing it," she said.

One family member, a nurse at an abortion clinic in Little Rock, even offered to pay for an abortion, telling McMellon that having a baby at 15 years old would ruin her life. Instead, her 19-year-old daughter Courtney is her greatest blessing.

"I saved her and she saved me," McMellon said.

Nineteen years after Courtney was born, McMellon was candid about both the difficulties and the rewards of teen motherhood. Returning to high school, she tried out to be a cheerleader but was told she would set a bad example for the other students. Undeterred, she joined the drill team, juggling school, activities and a part-time job while raising her daughter and maintaining her honors grade point average. She stayed with her boyfriend for six years, breaking up with him when he became involved in drugs.

Today, Courtney attends college, majoring in business administration and works for a local bank. McMellon's second daughter, Haven, 13, is an honors student in Cedarville.

"I was very protective and strict within limits," McMellon said. "Courtney saw how hard I worked, sometimes holding down two jobs, and she said, 'Mom, you were really hard on me when I was a kid, but you pushed me to be who I am.'"

As operations manager at Heart to Heart, McMellon manages the office, handles all clients, distributes diapers, formula and clothing, and does some counseling. She is completing her counseling training, which includes classes, personal study and participating in role-playing situations.

"When I see these kids come in here and I see the fear and hopelessness, I know they are asking for help. They feel that judgment on the outside and are looking for someone who doesn't judge them. I let them know they're all right and in a safe place," she said.

Heart to Heart, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011, is much larger than it was when McMellon walked through the doors of Central Mall in 1992. In its new location on South 16th Street in Fort Smith, the agency serves 2,900 clients a year, both pregnant women and mothers who are struggling to support their infants and toddlers in a difficult economy. They provide counseling, classes and referrals to medical facilities, adoption agencies and other community resources.

"God led me back to Heart to Heart," McMellon said. "I always thought I would love to work in a place like that and give back, and here I am."