Members of Knights of Columbus Council 11132 Father Gerald Glahn Council are seen with Fr. Steve Hohman at Madisonville Fire Department’s Station 4 location during the Dec. 16 dedication of a Safe Haven Baby Box. The council donated at least a fourth of the funds for the box, which provides a safe place to anonymously surrender newborn babies. COURTESY OF DR. JAMES DONLEY
Baby box installed in Madisonville, providing safe space for newborns
BY WKC STAFF
On Dec. 16, 2024, Knights of Columbus Council 11132 Father Gerald Glahn Council participated in the dedication of a Safe Haven Baby Box at Madisonville Fire Department’s Station 4 location. The ceremony included a blessing by Fr. Steve Hohman, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Madisonville.
Dr. James Donley, a member of the council, said the council provided “at least a fourth of the funds that secured the Safe Haven Baby Box in our community.”
“We worked in conjunction with Door of Hope Pregnancy Care Center, which we support in our community as well as five other pregnancy care centers in our area,” said Dr. Donley.
This box is the 46th of its kind in Kentucky, and the 298th in the United States. It provides a safe, legal, and anonymous place for people to surrender a newborn they cannot care for. Special guests at the ceremony included mayor Kevin Cotton, Heather Bryant from Door of Hope, and assistant fire chief Jeff Mayfield.
“This obviously was a community effort, not only members of the community supplying money but also working with the city mayor and the fire department to ensure proper installation and proper use of the equipment,” said Dr. Donley. “It was not just one person or organization.”
Learn more at www.SHBB.org.
Originally printed in the February 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
