Why we are passionate about supporting Care Net

Meet Steve and Fran Tate, faithful donors, volunteers, and ambassadors for Care Net. They faithfully serve the mothers in The Elizabeth House every week, joining them for dinner and conversation and helping with childcare.

Steve attributes his passion for Care Net to his upbringing in a home with limited resources. His parents learned they were expecting at age 16, and as Steve says with great emotion, “If my mother had walked into an abortion clinic, I wouldn’t be here, nor would my five siblings.”

Fran’s desire to support Care Net also started in the 1980s, when she began to pray across the street from clinics performing abortions. “It really stirred in our hearts how this could be taking place in a clinic that was normally nurturing women’s health.” She was drawn to pray and converse with those escorting women into the clinic. During that time, she also met a woman through her church who started a pregnancy resource center that offered ultrasounds and resources if they chose to continue their pregnancy. Later, Fran became a part of a call line established through this same organization to help women make informed choices about their pregnancy.

After moving to Wisconsin, Fran learned about Care Net through a radio advertisement. After prayer, she and Steve completed Care Net’s volunteer training. It was shortly after their training when Fran received a cancer diagnosis, and the world shut down with the COVID-19 pandemic. Steve and Fran still found ways to use their God-given talents and minister even amid their own trials, offering to help with mailings and other tasks from home.

Steve and Fran are as authentic people who share their raw and real stories to glorify God. Their goal is simple: Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Steve often asks himself, “How can I show the love of Christ without talking about it? How can I do this so people can have a full life and an eternal life.”

Volunteering at The Elizabeth House has made them realize, “It’s not all about housing – there’s so much more you are providing that we don’t even see. These women often come from broken homes, domestic violence, abuse, and other struggles. Our heart goes out to the mom and the little ones, it is a lifelong commitment. We don’t just say you decided to keep your baby, and good luck, honey! It’s important to continue to walk alongside the women, and it’s life-changing to so many.”

Their favorite part of volunteering at The Elizabeth House is building relationships with the children and watching the mothers grow in their confidence as mothers when they interact with and raise their children. Fran says, “I enjoy sharing God’s love for them and their children. The people here at Care Net and The Elizabeth House share the love of Jesus in gentle ways. It’s so valued and life-changing. It’s a beautiful ministry, and I really treasure being a part of it.”

Steve wonders just how many abortions could be avoided if people simply had access to their daily needs— food, housing, and basic resources. Once, Steve was asked, “What would we do with all those people who weren’t aborted?”

Steve answered, “What would those million people have done for us? What was their mission in life that we took away? We are as strong as our weakest, most fragile member of society.”

Want to find out how you can get involved? Fill out a volunteer interest form, or contact Alex at Alexc@carenetdane.org for other ways to serve!