TOLEDO—Heartbeat of Toledo, a pregnancy support center, is looking for volunteers to serve as pregnancy advocates.

Heartbeat provides information, free pregnancy testing, compassionate listening and assistance to girls and women dealing with unplanned pregnancies. The agency also offers prenatal and parenting classes where moms and moms-to-be can earn baby items while learning how to become better parents.

Heartbeat volunteers provide emotional support as clients make decisions as to the outcome of their pregnancies. Volunteers are needed to make appointments, interview clients, help with pregnancy testing and assist the girls and women in obtaining social services. Volunteers also help with the prenatal and parenting classes. Heartbeat volunteers assist about 650 women each year.

“Being a Heartbeat volunteer is one of the most rewarding activities you can ever undertake,” notes Dawn Weaver, who coordinates the volunteer training. “I have watched so many young women arrive at our doors feeling lonely and scared. Then our volunteers show them that someone truly cares about them and they go through our classes and just blossom into confident, well-prepared mothers.”

Volunteer training consists of three, two-hour class sessions. The next sessions are April 27, May 4 and May 18 from 12:45-2:45 p.m.

For more information or to register for volunteer training, call Heartbeat at 419-241-9131.